20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn’t Know About Groundhog Day

8. The Inspirations For One Key Scene

As well as Ned Ryerson being based on a real person, Phil took some of his more colourful moments from real life events. According to the film production's mythology, actor Paul Lynde was the inspiration for one of the film's more famous sequences.

After a high-speed chase through the San Fernando Valley one night when he was driving recklessly while intoxicated, the Hollywood Squares veteran crashed his car. When the police came to the wrecked vehicle, he lowered his window and said, "I'll have a cheeseburger, hold the onions, and a large Sprite."

A conflicting story suggests that the scene was in fact inspired by an incident involving comedian Shecky Greene in Las Vegas. Again, he crashed his car into the fountain outside Caesar's Palace one night while drunk. As he was pulled out, with water from the fountain raining down onto his car, he shouted, "Clean the floor mats and no hot wax!"