Despite filming taking place in four separate states, the crew shot the entire film in just 56 days. That's a crazy turn of events! Given that scenes were shot in Manhattan, Burbank, St. George, and most of the film was shot in and around Florence, Arizona, the schedule must have been tight. But Poitier and his team seem to have handled it well. Interestingly enough, 'Stir Crazy' is the first film where a black actor (Pryor) earned a million dollars for a single film. Subsequently, Poitier became the first black director to gross $100 million at the box office. A record-breaking and groundbreaking film in every way!

Filming Locations:

City Streets

In the Movie

The scene where The song 'Stir Crazy' plays, with the line: 'People say I'm crazy,' foreshadowing the impending madness. This opening scene is meant to serve as a love letter to New York. As the song plays, we see famous Manhattan locations, as well as crazy and funny actions of people on the street, including a woman whose heel gets stuck in a manhole grate. A man tries to help her and inadvertently gropes her leg. She, understandably, turns around and attacks him with her purse.

In Reality

The scene was filmed On Sutton Place, Manhattan. This is the heart of bustling New York, which often ends up in front of cameras. The location perfectly captures the hustle and bustle and vibrant life of city dwellers, who often find themselves in awkward and absurd situations.

Bank

In the Movie

The scene where Our pair of main characters arrives in Arizona, and in search of money, Skip convinces the bank manager to let them implement an unusual advertising campaign. What is the uniqueness of this marketing strategy? The characters are dressed in woodpecker costumes.

In Reality

The scene was filmed At the National Bank building in Tucson, Arizona. In fact, this building is the oldest skyscraper in Tucson, built back in 1929. This historic landmark still houses a bank, but it's a Chase bank, not an independent savings company as shown in the film.

Rodeo

In the Movie

The scene where Two inmates, Jack and Blade, learning that Skip has a natural talent for staying on a mechanical bull, take him to a real rodeo. Soon after, he releases an angry bull onto it. Truly dangerous.

In Reality

The scene was filmed At the rodeo grounds in Tucson, Arizona. Where better to shoot a rodeo-related scene than at a real rodeo grounds? The complex still regularly hosts rodeo events throughout the year.