Trivia for
RoboCop (1987) More at IMDb Pro »

• The computer that RoboCop looks up criminal records on is actually a Northern Telecom telephone switch.
  
  
• The point-of-view shots from RoboCop include references to MS-DOS.
  
  
• Director Cameo: [Paul Verhoeven] wildly gesticulating guy in the dance club immediately after Leon tries to kick RoboCop in the crotch.
  
  

• The entrance to the OCP building in the movie is actually the front entrance of Dallas City Hall with extensive matte work (by Rocco Gioffre) above to make the building appear to be a giant skyscraper.
  
  
• The song 'Show Me Your Spine' by P.T.P. is playing in the club when RoboCop arrests Leon. This song, which features vocals by Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy, was unavailable in any format until October 2004, when it was included on the CD 'Ministry: Side Trax' released by Rykodisc.
  
  
• For the theatrical trailer, Orion used the music from The Terminator (1984) which is also a movie about a cyborg. Orion also distributed the film.
  
  
• Stephanie Zimbalist was originally cast as Lewis, but had to give up the part when she was called back to film more episodes of "Remington Steele" (1982). Nancy Allen was then cast and Paul Verhoeven had her cut her hair shorter and shorter several times until it was short enough, as Verhoeven wanted to desexualize the character.
  
  
• Two scenes were storyboarded, but never filmed. The first was a scene where RoboCop visits his grave. The second was a long car chase, an alternate scene that got them to the old steel mill (where Murphy died). This car chase was to be set after RoboCop removed his helmet and had RoboCop and Lewis break up a riot, followed by a shootout with Joe and Emil with the Cobra Assault Cannons. Eventually, they retreated to their cars then the car chase to the old steel mill began.
  
  
• The RoboCop suit was so hot and heavy that Peter Weller was losing 3 lbs a day from water loss. Eventually, an air conditioner was installed in the suit.
  
  
• The "Cobra Assault Cannons" are working Barrett M82A1s, long-range anti-material .50 caliber sniper rifles with some plastic molding added to the frame and scopes originally meant to have CGI incorporated with them. That idea was scrapped due to budgetary constraints.
  
  
• The Cobra Assault Cannon is a modified .50 caliber sniper rifle.
  
  
• ED-209's voice is that of producer Jon Davison. ED-209's body was based on the design of a Bell helicopter and the overall appearance is reminiscent of a line of toys named Robotech which were based on a 1980s Japanese anime series.
  
  
• RoboCop's gun, referred to in the script as an Auto-9, was a modified Beretta M93R: The barrel was extended and modified to resemble a casket. The weapon has two fire modes, semi-automatic and three-round burst, the latter giving it its reference name, because when bursts are fired in quick succession the weapon seems automatic, though M93Rs are not automatic.
  
  
• Edward Neumeier came up with the idea for RoboCop after passing by the set of Blade Runner (1982).
  
  
• Director Paul Verhoeven originally wanted RoboCop to kill Clarence Boddicker by stabbing him through the eyeball. Realizing that the censors would balk, he changed his mind and envisioned Clarence having the interface spike shoved through his chin, mouth, and upper jaw. Again, for the sake of placating the censors, he settled on the filmed version, which was also altered slightly (see the "Alternate Versions" section for more information).
  
  
• The comic book that the robber in the convenience store grabs is Marvel Comic's "Iron Man", which is about a wealthy man who wears a hi-tech armor to fight evil.
  
  
• The RoboCop suit was designed by Rob Bottin and his team. It took a while for the production team to settle on a design, so that by the time the suit was completed it was three weeks late and arrived at the studio on the day that the first RoboCop scene was scheduled to be shot. It took 11 hours for Bottin's people to fit Peter Weller into the suit, and when it was done Weller found that all his mime exercises were now useless because he needed time to get used to the suit and to perform as a robot in it. Production was halted so that Weller and his mime coach, 'Moni Yakim', could learn how to move in the suit.
  
  
• After Clarence was taken to the precinct, he spits blood onto the table demanding for a phone call. This was not in the script but was improvised on the spot by Kurtwood Smith.
  
  
• Ray Wise actually kept a part of the torn and tattered remains of Leon's clothing (worn for the crane tower explosion) after filming by wrapping it in a plastic bag.
  
  
• The scientist who introduces ED-209 in the beginning has name tag called McNamara, a nod to Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense during the Kennedy Administration. Production designer William Sandell based the ED-209 design on the BELL UH-1H-HUEY chopper used during the Vietnam war.
  
  
• To shoot the scene where ED-209 falls down the stairs, Phil Tippett and his team made a small replica of the stairs and pushed the model down.
  
  
• Writers and producers were concerned that cops would be offended by their portrayal on the movie. On the contrary, they loved it.
  
  
• The police cars were modified Ford Tauruses. One of the main competitors of the Taurus at the time was the Pontiac 6000. The car the villains use is the 6000 SUX, a not-so-subtle jab at the Pontiac 6000.
  
  
• The ED-209 growls like a jaguar and squeals like a pig.
  
  
• RoboCop's first Directive, "Serve the Public Trust," was inspired by a fortune cookie.
  
  
• Prominent Dallas landmarks seen in the film include Dallas City Hall (the exterior of the OCP headquarters), the Plaza of the Americas (where the glass elevator that Robocop rides in are located), the Fountain Place building (the chisel-shaped skyscraper seen in the background of the OCP boardroom scenes) and the Reunion Tower (the tall tower in the background while Murphy and Lewis are chasing the Van in the beginning of the movie). The underground parking garage where RoboCop is shooting out with the police is the parking garage for the Dallas Public Library, across the street from City Hall.
  
  
• During the news footage when RoboCop throws the disgruntled city hall worker out the window during the hostage crisis, the dummy's legs fly up into the air in a comedic fashion as it hits the ground. This was a happy accident and the creators decided to keep it in the film.
  
  
• The hostage scene where a former city councilmember holds the mayor and his staff hostage was based on a real-life crisis where former San Francisco supervisor Dan White wanted his old job back.
  
  
• Bodycount: 30
  
  
• The sound of Bob Morton's doorbell is the same as the one in the writer's house in A Clockwork Orange (1971).
  
  
• In the attempted rape scene, writer Edward Neumeier originally had RoboCop shoot past the victim's cheek, hitting and killing the rapist. While getting ready to shoot the scene as scripted, Paul Verhoeven notice how Donna Keegan's (playing the rape victim) legs were spread apart, giving him the idea to have RoboCop shoot between her legs and shoot the rapist in the genitals. Neumeier loved the idea and that was how the scene was shot.
  
  
• Arnold Schwarzenegger was briefly considered for the role of RoboCop, but those involved with the film were concerned he would be too bulky in the suit and end up looking like the Michelin Man.
  
  
• For a while, Michael Ironside was attached to the role of RoboCop, but they had to give up on the idea when they realized that the actor would have to have a much smaller frame to fit into the costume envisaged.
  
  
• When Lewis fires the Cobra Assault Cannon at the end of the final shootout at the foundry, the muzzle flash knocks the lens-hood off of the camera.
  
  
• The classic anime series "8th Man" (1965) was the basis for the movie's story, and the Japanese superhero series "Uchû keiji Gyaban" (1982) (the first of Toei's "Metal Hero" series) was the basis for RoboCop's design.
  
  
• Kurtwood Smith's wife, Joan Pirkle, has a small role as Dick Jones' secretary, Barbara.
  
  
• Jonathan Kaplan was originally set to direct, but opted to do Project X (1987) instead.
  
  
• Robocop's musical theme - with a slightly slower tempo - is the same five-note motif used in the score of Bride of Frankenstein (1935) during the scene where the villagers pursue and capture the monster, and return him to town for trial and imprisonment.
  
  
• The repeated line 'I'd buy that for a dollar!' comes from Cyril Kornbluth's short story 'The Marching Morons', which presents a similarly cynical view of an over-commercialized future that's desensitized to violence and war. A radio game show in that short story uses the line 'I'd buy that for a quarter.' as its signature phrase.
  
  
• As RoboCop approaches Dick Jones's office in his first attempt to arrest him, Jones is tapping his fingers in time to the incidental music.
  
  
• Director Trademark: [Paul Verhoeven] [religious imagery] RoboCop is seen walking on water near the end of the film. Verhoeven has stated that he sees the character as a futuristic version of Christ. Additional references include the gunshot blast to Murphy's hand as Jesus' hands being nailed to the cross, the bullet to Murphy's head seen as the Crown Of Thorns, and Boddicker's blood at the climax of the film turning the water red, like wine.
  
  
• The special-effects were generated with an Commodore Amiga computer.
  
  
• In the hostage scene, as RoboCop is walking toward the room where the former councilman is holding the mayor hostage, the infrared heat vision mode was actually executed using fluorescent body paint on the (nude) actors and a black light. Paul Verhoeven says that he thought this technique would be cheaper than getting an actual infrared spectrometer camera.
  
  
• After Peter Weller complained about the costume during the first few days of filming, the part of RoboCop was offered to Lance Henriksen, who turned it down due to time conflicts - Henriksen was also considered for the title part in The Terminator (1984) (before the cyborg was decided for to be large and bulky and Arnold Schwarzenegger was brought on), and finally got to play a robot in Aliens (1986) (see also trivia for The Terminator (1984)).
  
  
• The 6000 SUX was built from the body of a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass four-door sedan (note front end).
  
  
• The music that plays when the dinosaur appears in the 6000 SUX commercial is the same theme that played in King Kong (1933) just before Kong's fight against the tyrannosaurus.
  
  
• One scene that was scripted, but not featured in the film is a fourth Media Break sequence in which Brixby Snyder, a parody of Benny Hill whose running line is 'I'd buy that for a dollar!', is forcibly arrested on allegations of receiving sexual favors from under-aged co-stars. The scene would have taken place after RoboCop's reply to The Old Man's question, but the decision was made to instead end the film after Murphy's reply. As a result, there is no dialog mentioning the names of Brixby Snyder or his programme 'It's Not My Problem' in the film.
  
  
• Seven Robocop suits were used throughout of the movie. Out of the seven, one of them had special safeguards and fireproof fiberglass to help the stuntman perform the gas station scene. Another two were used exclusively during the third act of the movie where Robocop gets damaged from the ED-209 and the Detroit Police Department. There was no 'one suit' as most people who would think, but actually more than one as each one is fragile and easily destroyed during filming.
  
  
• According to Paul Verhoeven's commentary on the Criterion Edition DVD, an additional Media Break was filmed and completed for the film. Most notably, it featured footage of Lewis hospitalized and recovering; assuring the audience that she did not die, nor would she become "Bride Of Robocop", as many speculated.
  
  
• Alex Cox turned down directorial duties to make Straight to Hell (1987).
  
  
• David Cronenberg was one of many directors who was offered and subsequently turned down the position. Ironically, Peter Weller played the lead in Cronenberg's Naked Lunch (1991), in which Weller appeared in lieu of reprising his role in RoboCop 3 (1993).
  
  
• While filming the Discotech sequence, Peter Weller only wore the top section of the Robo suit. Weller recalls, on the 20 Anniversary DVD Documentary, "Filming The Legend", that walking down the Discotech's stairs was still incredibly difficult and nerve wracking.
  
  
• Former President Richard Nixon was hired to promote the home video release for $25000, he donated the money to the American Boys Club.
  
  
• In Sacramento, California a robbery suspect fled into a darkened movie theatre to escape pursuing police. He became so engrossed in the movie playing on screen, Robocop, that he failed to notice that police had evacuated all other patrons from the theatre. When the lights flipped on, the stunned man was taken into custody.
  
  
• In the scene where Murphy is practicing his gun twirling while Lewis is getting the coffee, if you look in the background of the side shot (where both are in the scene) the low brown building behind them with the antennae tower is the TV station KDFW Channel 4, the Dallas affiliate of the FOX Network (At the time it was the CBS affiliate, KTVT Channel 11). Also of an interesting note, the parking lot behind Murphy in the shots facing him is no longer there. It is now a city bus terminal.
  
  
• The TV show Murphy's son is watching, "TJ Lazer", is an obvious spoof of the hit 1980's cop show "T.J. Hooker" (1982).
  
  
• The Desert Eagle Magnum that is in the OCP Board Room was originally intended to be Robocop's gun. There is even existing behind-the-scene photos and footage of Peter Weller practicing with the Desert Eagle. However, when they gave Weller the gun, they noticed that even the bulky Desert Eagle was too small in the hands of Robocop. So the film's armory supervisor, Randy E. Moore, brought in a Berretta Automatic Pistol to which a compensator and decorative dressing was added to increase the size of the gun.
  
  
• The character of Bob Morton was originally conceived as a stereotypical corporate executive, arrogant, unpleasant and unlikeable. However, when Miguel Ferrer signed on and gave his performance as an amiable and charismatic individual, Edward Neumeier and Paul Verhoeven realised that the audience would likely start sympathising with the character, and Bob Morton was rewritten to become the more pleasant individual that he is in the movie.
  
  
• ED 209 is short for Enforcement Droid 209.
  
  
• DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: (Paul Verhoeven): A nude scene takes place in an inter-racial co-ed shower room and locker room. This also occurs in the Paul Verhoeven science-fiction feature Starship Troopers (1997).
  
  

• SPOILER: Realizing that the film was running behind schedule and over budget, director Paul Verhoeven and producer Jon Davison purposely didn't film one crucial scene: Officer Murphy's death. When production wrapped, they went back to Los Angeles and 'grimly' informed the execs that Murphy's death hadn't been filmed. So the execs gave them more money and they filmed the scene in a warehouse in Los Angeles.
  
  

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