“Which way to the lobby?” Asks the adorable Kevin McCallister in Home Alone 2, before disappearing into the night to brutally mutilate two minor criminals.
He is directed to the lobby by a charismatic hair pioneer called Donald Trump and little did anyone know, but Donald was all set to take the lead in Home Alone 3.
“Home Alone was a huge success, we had pretty high hopes for Home Alone 2, so we really wanted to up the scale for Home Alone 3,” said producer John Hughes in a 1998 Wogan interview.
“We thought that if it was hilarious that this little kid, who is totally out of his depth, is left in charge of his family home, then how funny would it be if a totally unsuitable person was left in charge of something much bigger, like a cruise ship, an airport, or even a country…”
So work began on a script that would see the US Government go on holiday and accidentally leave a second-rate hotel manager and celebrity golfer in charge of the country.
“Man, we had some hilarious set-pieces – Donnie sledding down the steps of the White House, Donnie doing grocery shopping on his own, Donnie insulting an entire world religion and aligning himself with far-right hate groups.
“Donnie wanted a scene where he just ran round putting his hand up ladies’ skirts, but we explained to him that it really wasn’t that kind of film.”
Sadly though, the film was never to see the light of day.
“No, I think that when it came down to it, the whole thing was just a bit too unbelievable,” remembered Mr Hughes.
“I mean – a nine year old kid fending for himself and seeing off a couple of burglars, no problem.
“But Donald Trump being left in charge of a country? That would just be crazy.”
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