8 Props That Were Originally Designed For Other Movies
1. The Sets & Props Were Made For 1963's Cleopatra - Carry On Cleo
1964's classically campy Brit comedy Carry On Cleo was released just 18 months after the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton-starring epic Cleopatra hit screens to wildly mixed reviews.
True to form for the Carry On franchise, the film had great fun sending-up the grandiosity of its over-budgeted Hollywood predecessor, though perhaps the funniest thing of all is the fact that the parody was actually able to use sets and costumes originally intended for the Taylor-Burton movie itself.
You see, the 1963 Cleopatra was originally supposed to be shot in London, but due to Taylor falling ill with pneumonia amid the harsh British weather, the decision was made to move the production to the warmer climate of Rome.
This resulted in the elaborate sets and props being left behind in London, as were seemingly ripe for the taking by the Carry On Cleo crew.
Inexplicably, the new set build in Rome required so much raw lumber that building materials were scarce throughout Italy for a short time afterwards.