FILM · 1987 · USA
Throw Momma from the Train
35 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (35)
- #001
Anne Ramsey's speech impediment resulted from surgeries she underwent to treat throat cancer. During filming she had an additional mouth surgery and endured intense pain, yet according to director Danny DeVito she never asked to be excused from work. "Momma" became Ramsey's most acclaimed performance and earned her a 1988 Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Sadly, she died of the same throat cancer only six months after the ceremony.
- #002
In an interview with Playboy Magazine, Danny DeVito once said the scene in which Owen shows Larry his coin collection was inspired by his childhood habit of sharing with friends whatever he happened to be interested in at the time. As director he insisted the sequence be included in the film. Writer Stu Silver wrote the scene.
- #003
Orion had to approach Warner Bros. It was determined to secure permission to use the references to Strangers on a Train (1951), but Warner was not very willing to cooperate. Warner realized Orion still held the rights to Arthur (1981), and they traded the Alfred Hitchcock classic as a sequel to "Arthur." While Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988) turned into a complete disaster at the box office, "Throw Momma from the Train" became the 13th highest-grossing film of 1987.
- #004
Anne Ramsey really slaps Danny DeVito in the face. Although she hesitated to do it, DeVito insisted on a real slap.
- #005
Anne Ramsey has a total of ten minutes of screen time.
- #006
The film was originally going to end with Owen explaining to Larry that his mother died by choking on salted nuts.
- #007
Danny DeVito was ill with flu-like symptoms for a period during filming. Balancing the heavy responsibilities of acting and directing without a break, he said two things helped him get through those difficult days: cigarettes and chocolate.
- #008
The tunnel in the film is the Observatory Tunnel in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. It is the same tunnel seen in Back to the Future (1985) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). All three films were released within the four-year period from 1985 to 1988.
- #009
Rob Reiner met cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld on the set of this film. Reiner would later hire Sonnenfeld as cinematographer on films he directed such as When Harry Met Sally… (1989) and Misery (1990).
- #010
Danny DeVito wanted to play Larry Donner but played Owen Lift instead.
- #011
Danny DeVito travels in a Sunset taxi, a reference to the Sunshine Cab Co. from the television series Taxi (1978), on which he worked.
- #012
It contains Anne Ramsey's only Oscar-nominated performance.
- #013
The frying pan Danny DeVito used on Billy Crystal was made of rubber; on close inspection it can be seen bending slightly. The effect was achieved by using a real flying pan and fork placed on a hard surface, then producing the gong sound with a pan that had the right acoustic properties.
- #014
The film spoofs the thriller genre and is a comedy version of Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train (1951).
- #015
Director Brian De Palma was actually going to appear in a cameo in this film but could not fit shooting the scene into his schedule. De Palma is known for referencing Alfred Hitchcock's films in many of his works.
- #016
Tom Hanks was considered for the role of Larry Donner but had already committed to another film.
- #017
Danny DeVito hit Billy Crystal on the head with a flying frying pan 12 times.
- #018
Joe Pesci, Dudley Moore and John Candy were considered for the role of Owen Lift.
- #019
Four scenes throughout the film foreshadow the ending that takes place on a train: Owen watches Strangers on a Train (1951) on screen; Larry and Beth sit together on a train journey; Larry and Beth are seen in bed reading a children's book about a train; and finally Owen plays with a toy train set.
- #020
Danny DeVito's real-life mother, Julia DeVito, attended the film's premiere in DeVito's hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey.
- #021
There are several framed bird pictures in Momma's house; these most likely reference Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) and Psycho (1960), in which framed birds appear on Norman Bates's wall.
- #022
On the American DVD cover of the film, the poster in which Larry is smiling has been altered. In the film's poster, Larry is not smiling.
- #023
Billy Crystal directed this film together with Rob Reiner and Danny DeVito. That same year he appeared in Reiner's The Princess Bride (1987). DeVito turned down a role.
- #024
One of Owen's coins was the change from a ticket he bought to see Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis at the Hollywood Palladium. That performance took place in the early 1950s. (The London Palladium shows were in 1953, which would have been around the same time.) This makes Owen about 40 years old. In real life, Danny DeVito was 42 during filming.
- #025
Billy Crystal accepted the role of Larry Donner after reading the script and liking the character.
- #026
Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, John Goodman, Michael Keaton and John Lithgow were considered to play Owen.
- #027
Anne Ramsey and Danny DeVito had previously appeared together in Goin' South (1978).
- #028
The car Larry borrows from Lester is a 1969 Saab 96 V4 sedan. Its MSRP was $2,295, which is equivalent to about $19,600 in 2024. In 2024, an example in excellent condition could be worth around $25,000.
- #029
Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito made Kate Mulgrew laugh on set.
- #030
In this film there is a reference by the character played by Billy Crystal to Norman Bates. One of the film's themes concerns a middle-aged, troubled man who lives with his old and cantankerous mother.
- #031
Owen's deceased father was named Ned.
- #032
Larry's car is a 1974 Triumph TR6. From 1968 to 1976, 97,850 were produced, and the vast majority were exported to the United States. Its MSRP of $4,695 is equivalent to about $30,000 in 2024, which relates to the value of an example in excellent condition that year.
- #033
As Larry and Owen pass through the bushes, Owen says it is like being in the Flintstones' (1960) car wash. Danny DeVito was considered to play Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones (1994), in which John Goodman ultimately appeared.
- #034
Raye Birk and Andre Brown also appeared together in Naked Gun 33 1/3.
- #035
Both lead actors worked with Woody Allen: Billy Crystal in Deconstructing Harry (1997) (coincidentally playing another character named Larry) and Danny DeVito in Anything Else (2003).
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