La Palma Forum

Over 4 thousand pies filled with custards, fruit, or whipped cream were created for the fight which took five days to film! The total cost for the pies was $18 thousand, and the scene itself cost $200 thousand.

The key for the gag was having Tony Curtis’ character remain pristine until the right moment, when he got a pie right in the kisser. As a result, Curtis had to keep changing into a set of clean clothes when he accidently got hit.

Along with wardrobe changes, the fight also required the makeup department to be meticulous in copying the actors’ “pie damage,” and they used photographs to make sure that the continuity matched for the next day’s shoot.

While the fight was fun in the beginning, towards the end everyone was a little pied out. Wood choked on a pie that hit her in the mouth, and Jack Lemmon allegedly got injured. He said, “I actually got knocked out a couple of times. Unless it’s thrown just right, a pie hitting you in the face feels like 10 tons of cement.”

Lest Blake Edwards miss out on the fun, when he called “Cut” for the final time, the cast and crew aimed pies at the director.