16 Dizzying Facts About 'Labyrinth'
David Bowie in 'Labyrinth' (1986). | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
The story of a teenage girl losing her baby brother to a Goblin King resembling a rock star didn’t intrigue a lot of people when it first came out in theaters in 1986.
While Labyrinth initially only made back about half of its $25 million budget, a strong cult following that marveled at its storytelling and (then) impressive technical work had its say over time.
Here are some facts that will remind you of the babe with the voodoo.
1. THERE WERE 25 TREATMENTS AND VERSIONS OF SCRIPTS WRITTEN.
There were a lot of chefs in the Labyrinth kitchen. Illustrator Brian Froud first pitched Jim Henson his vision of a baby surrounded by goblins after a screening of The Dark Crystal.
Using a story written by Henson and Dennis Lee as a jumping off point, Monty Python’s Terry Jones and Fraggle Rock writer Laura Phillips each wrote a script.
Comedy legend and accomplished scriptwriter Elaine May did some revisions that helped humanize the characters. While Jones ended up credited as the lone screenwriter, because his version and the final version are so different, he didn’t feel “very close” to it.
2. A LOT OF NOW-FAMOUS ACTRESSES AUDITIONED FOR SARAH.
Jane Krakowski, Yasmine Bleeth, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mary Stuart Masterson, Laura Dern, Lili Taylor, Laura San Giacomo, Ally Sheedy, and Mia Sara all auditioned. Krakowski, Sheedy, and Maddie Corman were the top candidates until Jennifer Connelly won Henson over.
3. MICHAEL JACKSON WAS ALSO CONSIDERED TO PLAY JARETH.
In the early stages, The Goblin King was just going to be another non-human creature, and off of that, Terry Jones wrote a script where Jareth doesn’t show up until halfway through the movie.
He got a note from Henson that said Michael Jackson or David Bowie was now going to play Jareth, so he had to appear throughout the movie, singing.
Henson outlined the movie with Bowie and met with him a couple of times over two years to give him updates on the development of the film before Bowie agreed to the part.
4. MAURICE SENDAK WASN’T PLEASED WITH THE SIMILARITIES TO HIS WORK.
The plot of Labyrinth was close to the one in Sendak’s Outside Over There, and some creatures were going to be referred to as Wild Things (Sendak was the author of Where the Wild Things Are).
Sendak’s lawyers advised Henson to stop production and threatened consequences. In the movie’s credits, it reads that “Jim Henson acknowledges his debt to the works of Maurice Sendak." Sendak withdrew his objection, but apparently complained for years afterward.
5. IT WAS FILMED IN ENGLAND AND NEW YORK.
The opening scene was shot in Memorial Park in Nyack, New York. Most of the shooting took place at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England.
6. DARTH VADER WAS ON THE SET.
Executive producer George Lucas was on hand for the first day of filming, and surprised the cast and crew by arranging for Darth Vader to hand Jim Henson a good luck card.
7. IT WAS A HENSON FAMILY AFFAIR.
Jim’s son Brian Henson was the voice of Hoggle; his daughter Cheryl was a puppeteer for one of the Fireys.
8. JARETH’S "MAGIC DANCE" REFERS TO A CARY GRANT/SHIRLEY TEMPLE MOVIE.
In 1947’s The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer there’s a scene in which Grant tells Temple, “Hey, you remind me of a man.” Temple asked, “What man?” “Man with the power,” Grant replied.
“What power?” “Power of the hoodoo.” “Hoodoo?” “You do.” “Do what?” “Remind me of a man.” In “Magic Dance,” Bowie replaced “man” with “babe” and “hoodoo” for “voodoo” in the intro.
9. BOWIE DID HIS OWN BABY GURGLE STUNTS.
In “Magic Dance,” the baby in the recording studio was unwilling to gurgle more than once at a time, so Bowie had to do it himself.
10. BOWIE DID NOT DO HIS OWN CRYSTAL BALL JUGGLING STUNTS.
Choreographer Michael Moschen actually juggled the crystal balls without looking, hidden directly behind Bowie, sticking his arm underneath Bowie’s armpit.
11. TOBY DIDN’T MAKE A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION WITH JARETH.
Toby the baby was played by Brian Froud’s son, Toby. Now a puppeteer himself, in a 2014 interview with Portland Monthly, Froud admitted that he remembers very little about his experience on Labyrinth—except that he may have peed on Bowie the first time he met him.
12. THE GOBLINS DIDN’T SPEAK FROM THEIR MOUTHS.
Bowie was thrown off because all of the goblin words came from behind him or from the side of the set.
13. THE SHAFT OF HANDS SCENE WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO FILM.
Jennifer Connelly was on a harness 40 feet up, with nothing to hold on to. She was told that if she tried to touch the back of the shaft, her fingers would be chopped off by the hinges. Henson remembered having about 100 performers up a rig.
14. GEORGE LUCAS CO-EDITED THE MOVIE.
Henson did the first cut before Lucas got in there. Then Henson looked it over and did the post-production and audio. Henson said Lucas cuts dialogue tightly, whereas he is the opposite.
15. HOGGLE IS CURRENTLY IN ALABAMA.
At the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, a worker unpacking a large wooden crate got a scare when he unexpectedly came face-to-face with Hoggle. He has remained in that unclaimed baggage museum ever since.
16. HENSON WAS "DEVASTATED" BY THE FILM'S BOX OFFICE FAILURE.
Jim Henson | John Gooch/GettyImages
Henson's wife Jane said it felt to her husband like he was being personally rejected by audiences. But before his passing in 1990, Henson was made aware of—and very pleased about—the cult following that was forming around the movie.
The ’60s Icon Who Lost Love And Endured Tragedy: Her Photos At 86
Connie Francis stands as one of the most influential and successful female vocalists in American music history—a performer whose unmistakable voice helped define the sound of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
With timeless classics such as “Who’s Sorry Now?”, “Stupid Cupid,” “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own,” and “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” she became an international sensation, captivating audiences around the world with her emotional delivery and remarkable vocal versatility.
Behind the glamour, however, was a life marked by extraordinary triumphs, heartbreaking loss, and an unwavering determination to survive challenges that would have broken many others.
Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, Connie showed musical talent from an early age. Recognizing her potential, her father became the driving force behind her career.
Fiercely ambitious and deeply determined to see his daughter succeed, he encouraged—and often pressured—her to perform from childhood.
Under his strict guidance, Connie appeared in talent competitions, television programs, and live performances while still very young.
Although his relentless efforts ultimately helped launch one of the most successful careers in popular music, they also created enormous emotional pressure.
Connie would later acknowledge that the discipline and expectations placed upon her during her formative years shaped both her incredible work ethic and many of the personal struggles she experienced later in life.
Her breakthrough arrived in 1958 with “Who’s Sorry Now?” At first, the song attracted little attention, but after legendary television host Dick Clark played it on American Bandstand, everything changed.
Almost overnight, Connie Francis became a household name.
The record climbed the charts not only in the United States but across Europe and beyond, transforming her into one of the world's first truly international female pop stars.
Over the following years, she dominated radio with a remarkable string of hit records, sold millions of albums, and performed in multiple languages, building an enormous global fan base that stretched far beyond English-speaking audiences.
While her professional life appeared glamorous, her personal life was often filled with heartbreak. One of the deepest emotional wounds came from her romance with fellow singer Bobby Darin.
Their relationship blossomed during the early years of their careers, and the pair reportedly envisioned a future together.
However, Connie's father strongly disapproved of the relationship and ultimately intervened, preventing the romance from continuing.
The separation devastated both young performers. Bobby Darin eventually moved on and married actress Sandra Dee, while Connie would later describe losing him as one of the greatest heartbreaks of her life.
Years afterward, she admitted that she often wondered how different her life might have been had they been allowed to remain together.
As the years passed, the tragedies continued to mount. In 1974, Connie became the victim of a horrific assault following a performance, an event that profoundly affected her emotionally and psychologically.
The traumatic experience left lasting scars and dramatically altered her confidence and sense of security.
Determined that others should not endure similar suffering without support, she later became an outspoken advocate for victims' rights, helping raise awareness about crime victims and encouraging improvements in victim assistance programs throughout the United States.
Not long afterward, another devastating blow struck when her beloved younger brother, George Franconero Jr., was murdered.
His death shattered the family and plunged Connie into overwhelming grief. Losing someone so close while still coping with previous trauma compounded her emotional struggles and made everyday life increasingly difficult.
The combination of public pressure, personal loss, and unresolved trauma gradually took a severe toll on her mental health.
During these painful years, Connie faced profound depression and experienced periods of emotional crisis.
She openly discussed her struggles with mental illness, including a suicide attempt, choosing to speak honestly about experiences that were rarely discussed publicly at the time.
Her willingness to share her story helped reduce stigma surrounding mental health and encouraged countless others to seek treatment and support. Rather than hiding her pain, Connie transformed it into a source of compassion for people facing similar battles.
As if those challenges were not enough, Connie also endured a devastating setback to the very gift that had made her famous—her voice.
Following nasal surgery intended to improve her breathing, complications temporarily robbed her of her ability to sing.
For an artist whose identity and livelihood depended upon her voice, the experience was emotionally crushing.
The fear that she might never perform again left her questioning whether her extraordinary career had reached its end.
Through months of rehabilitation, patience, and determination, she gradually regained her vocal abilities, demonstrating once again the remarkable resilience that had become a defining characteristic of her life.
Despite enduring repeated personal tragedies, Connie refused to let hardship define her legacy.
Throughout the years, she found strength in several enduring sources: her deep religious faith, the love she shared with her adopted son Joey, and the unwavering support of generations of devoted fans who continued to celebrate her music long after her chart-topping years had passed.
Their encouragement reminded her that her voice—and her story—continued to matter.
Professionally, Connie Francis achieved accomplishments that remain extraordinary by any standard.
She sold more than 80 million records worldwide, recorded songs in numerous languages, and became one of the first female solo artists to enjoy sustained international superstardom.
Her influence reached far beyond America, making her one of the most recognizable voices of her era.
Even decades after her biggest hits, her recordings continue to be rediscovered by new generations of listeners who appreciate the sincerity, warmth, and emotional depth she brought to every performance.
Today, at 87 years old, Connie Francis is remembered not only as a legendary singer but also as a symbol of perseverance.
Living a quiet life in Florida after retiring from the spotlight, she remains an enduring inspiration to fans around the world.
Her extraordinary journey serves as a reminder that fame does not shield anyone from heartbreak, loss, or personal struggle, but it also demonstrates the remarkable resilience of the human spirit.
Through unimaginable challenges, Connie continued to move forward with courage, dignity, and hope.
Her legacy extends far beyond the millions of records she sold or the timeless songs she recorded.
It lives on in her advocacy for victims' rights, her openness about mental health, and her willingness to transform personal pain into compassion for others.
Connie Francis is remembered not simply because she possessed one of the most recognizable voices of the twentieth century, but because she showed the world that true strength is measured not by the absence of suffering, but by the courage to keep singing after life has tested you again and again.
