Dan Aykroyd as Louis Winthorpe III and Eddie Murphy as Billy Ray Valentine on the poster for Trading Places
The Pickup star Eddie Murphy stands on the Mount Rushmore of comedy kings, a legend even the legends admire. But in Murphy’s early career as an emerging movie star during his Saturday Night Live days, the projects that became comedy classics had different established stars written in mind.
This was the case when Murphy and The Blues Brothers’ Dan Aykroyd replaced Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder to headline 1983’s Trading Places. Murphy’s second box office smash hit was released months after his cinematic debut in 48 HRS. Under the direction of John Landis, Murphy proved he had a knack for classical comedic timing, working alongside Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, and acting legends Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy. Though his next success, Beverly Hills Cop, made him an international star, Trading Places solidified Murphy as the heir to the throne that Pryor sat on. However, it took a tragic accident and a behind-the-scenes power play to pave the way for a comedy that remains one of Murphy’s best in his filmography. The Early Inspiration for ‘Trading Places' Close According to a 2013 retrospective in Business Insider, the script was originally titled Black and White by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod . The screenwriters were inspired by playing tennis with two arrogant, wealthy doctors who bickered about money in a cheap fashion. This sparked the general concept for what would become The Prince and the Pauper-influenced social tale of Trading Places: Philadelphia commodities firm owners, the Dukes , make a one-dollar bet to swap the lives of wealthy broker Louis Winthrope III and homeless con man Billy Ray Valentine . Sold to Paramount in the early ‘80s, Trading Places was viewed by the studio as the perfect third vehicle for Pryor and Wilder. The dynamic duo were the early pioneers of the buddy movie genre after their first unlikely pairing in 1976’s Silver Streak, in which Wilder’s book editor, framed for murder, gets help from Pryor’s jail escapee. They found greater success with Stir Crazy in 1980, playing lovable losers sent to prison for a crime they didn’t commit. Not only did their relationship on screen cross racial barriers, but they also shared a talent for mastering the screwball comedy stylings of many Howard Hawks films from the 30s and '40s. The cross-section of class and racial archetypes in Trading Places was the ideal setup for Pryor and Wilder to recreate their genius magic. As Landis recounted in the Business Insider piece, the script for Trading Places was brought to his attention just as Pryor suffered a near-fatal incident in June 1980. Pryor’s long recovery process stalled production on Trading Places for two years. In late 1982, Murphy landed Pryor’s intended role of Valentine after Paramount executives were impressed by early footage of his work in 48 HRS. Landis was not familiar with Murphy’s work prior to Trading Places’ production until Paramount showed him tapes of the comedian’s stand-up routine, and he was won over by the emerging talent. Paramount Did Not Want Dan Aykroyd in ‘Trading Places’ Because of John Belushi’s Death Murphy signing on to Trading Places was not as simple as Landis describes it, however. As detailed in the biography Eddie Murphy: The Life and Times of a Comic on the Edge by Frank Sanello, the young superstar initially refused to agree to the film unless Paramount rejected the idea of retaining Wilder as Winthrope, fearing he would be “too closely identified with Pryor’s screen persona.” This paved the way for director Landis to hire Aykroyd as Winthrope despite the studio’s resistance that the future Ghostbusters star and co-creator didn’t have much of a career left after the passing of close friend John Belushi. The pairing of Murphy and Aykroyd was a risk given how the SNL talents were still relative newcomers in movies when compared to Pryor and Wilder, both of whom had been active in show business since the '60s. Ultimately, Murphy and Aykroyd’s partnership worked on screen better than anyone could have hoped. Between Murphy bringing his street smarts to upper crust society and Aykroyd’s culture shock of being destitute, Trading Places went on to become one of the top-grossing movies of 1983, grossing $120 million on a $15 million budget. Pryor and Wilder did not work together again until 1989’s See No Evil, Hear No Evil. But by then, Pryor’s multiple sclerosis had taken a severe toll on his acting abilities, causing the magic chemistry with Wilder to slowly fade away. Though a Pryor-Wilder pairing in Trading Places had so much potential to be another unforgettable gem in their careers, their involvement would have prevented Murphy from becoming a box office draw and likely stunted Aykroyd from finding success alone. Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Your comment has not been saved Like Trading Places R Comedy Release Date June 8, 1983 Runtime 116 minutes Director John Landis Writers Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod Cast See All
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