3/30. The didnt decide on Jamies gender right away. Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) gave birth to Jamie at the end of the fourth season. But the writers had not decided whether Jamie was going to be a boy or a girl, so they didnt reveal the babys gender until the following season. Jamie ended up being Malcolms fourth brother.
4/30. It was never spoken on the show, but Francis's name tag in the pilot read Wilkerson, and a joke cut from the episode had Malcolm confirming it was his surname. A running joke throughout the series became never giving the family a name, going so far as to have future name tags read Nolastname, and having the microphone screech the moment Malcolms last name was spoken in the series finale.
5/30. Aaron Paul (from Breaking Bad) desperately wanted to audition for the role of Francis, but producers didn't even let him audition. They thought he had the wrong look. Christopher Masterson, younger brother of That 70s Show's Danny Masterson, got the part.
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6/30. Frankie Muniz almost blew his audition. The character was originally written to be 9 years old, so the then-13-year-old Frankie Muniz was upset that he was too old and almost sabotaged himself, even giving his mother a thumbs down as soon as he came out of the audition room. The producers decided to make Malcolm around the age of 12 and give Muniz the part. When the young actor found out he got it, he freaked out and started running around his hotel room.
7/30. A Little House On The Prairie actor created the show, and based Malcolm on himself. Linwood Boomer played Mary Ingalls's husband, Adam Kendall, on the hit NBC series before moving behind the scenes. Boomer, like Malcolm, had a high IQ, was the second youngest of four boys, and witnessed his mother shaving his fathers body hair at the breakfast table. He gave Malcolm an IQ of 165, even though his mother never told Linwood what his IQ actually was. When she saw the show, she still wouldnt reveal the number, but did say it wasnt as high as her sons creation.
8/30. Bryan Cranstons audition took place while they were still building the sets. Boomer claimed that he literally fell out of his chair laughing when Cranston simply put a pipe in his mouth and pretended to look at Lois and one of the kids having an argument during his audition to play Hal. Boomer described Cranstons look as someone who looked like he was "building a rocketship in his head." Cranston was hired immediately. It was the actors idea to have Hal seem distant because he had a deep inner life. It was also Cranstons idea to have his character contrast Lois by being afraid of everything, and by being obtuse.
9/30. The monster seen rising from the water in the opening credits is the monster from "Clash of the Titans" (1981).
10/30. The hamster that Dewey releases in an earlier episode of the series can be seen in various episodes after, rolling past the screen (in its exercise ball) on the ground in the background.
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11/30. The producers made sure not to reveal Malcolms age at first. "We've decided not to say anything about his age on the show,'' Boomer said when the show was just getting started. It's like the city they live in. We're just saying he's attending middle school, not the actual grade level. We don't want to be locked into something. Kids are so protean with what they say, anyway. Sometimes they act like nine-year-olds and sometimes like 30-year-olds.'' Dad Hals actual profession was never mentioned either.
12/30. Krelboyne was a little shop of horrors reference. The nickname given to Malcolm and his fellow gifted students was a reference to the nerdy Seymour Krelboyne, the protagonist of the 1960 Roger Corman-directed film.
13/30. Masterson claimed some scenes with Cranstonwho directed six episodes himselftook much longer than usual to shoot because he cracked everyone up. "It is absolutely impossible to stop yourself from laughing," Masterson told the BBC. "These scenes take so long to shoot as Bryan makes everyone laugh over and over."
14/30. The 11 year-old niece of the shows costume designer came up with an idea for an episode. Alexandra Kaczenski got a "story by" credit on the season four episode If Boys Were Girls after writing a two-page outline about Lois fantasizing about raising daughters instead of sons. Linwood Boomer read it, loved it, and bought it soon after.
15/30. A privately owned home in Studio City was rented for $3000 to $4000 a day for the exterior shots of Malcolms home. The production company replaced the roof after a shingle was lost during a shoot. One family certainly lucked out!
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16/30. Kaczmarek got to keep Loiss clothes after the show ended. One day soon after Malcolm had ended, she said she was watching an episode where Lois was wearing the same outfit she currently had on.
17/30. Masterson didnt think Francis matured. "Hes only grown older," Masterson said. "He has the same point of view hes always hadjust with a little more facial hair. Mastersons character appeared in fewer episodes in the shows final years, though he directed the season seven episode Hal Grieves."
18/30. Justin Berfield, Bryan Cranston, and Erik Per Sullivan are the only cast members to appear in every single episode.
19/30. Jane Kaczmarek in real life has given birth by way of Caesarian section three times. When it came time to simulate giving birth without a C-section in the episode "Baby Part Two," Kaczmarek just imitated every other birth she had seen on television.
20/30. Merrin Dungey (who plays Stevie's Mom, Kitty Kenarben) appeared in the first episode as Malcolm's teacher.
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21/30. In the episode where Hal and the boys go to the race track, they come home to discover that Lois had gone through all of their stuff, in that pile was a pack of Morley cigarettes, the same fake brand the Cigarette Smoking Man prefers to use on "The X-Files" (1993).
22/30. The show featured no laugh track, which was unusual for a live-action sitcom.
23/30. In the episode where Hal takes the boys to the race track, it is revealed that Malcolm was named after Hal's favourite NASCAR driver, Rusty Malcolm.
24/30. Episode Reese's Party season 4 While the Hal and Lois are out of town. A meth lab is set up in the garage against the will of kids, Bryan Cranston goes on to become the Meth kingpin in Breaking Bad.
25/30. Scenes from "One Million Years B.C." (1966) can be seen during the opening credits. In one of them, Raquel Welch is shown in the claws of a monster bird. The other scene shows the fight against a giant turtle.
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26/30. In the original version of the show, Otto Mannkusser and his wife are Germans. In the German-dubbed version, they are Danes.
27/30. The character of Reese was ranked #9 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 10 Biggest Brats" (27 March 2005 issue).
28/30. The character of Francis would all but disappear from the show entirely starting with Season 6. For the final two seasons, Francis appeared in less than 10 out of the 44 aired episodes, despite the fact that Christopher Masterson remained in the opening credits. The character itself was changed significantly, going from the significant strides he had made to land a great job and become a responsible young adult, to once more returning to delinquent, manipulative and two-timing behaviour. Christopher Masterson during this time took more of an interest in the production of the show, as he directed and wrote for much of Seasons 6 and 7 rather than starring as his character.
29/30. It was almost a UPN show. The broadcast network that debuted in 1995 was the original owner of "Malcolm in the Middle." After four months, UPN decided Malcolm wasnt a fit for their schedule after all and let it go. Fox picked the show up immediately.
30/30. Besides the cartwheel and the headstand, Bryan Cranston did all of his own stunts. After one of the shows writers asked jokingly whether he would be willing to wear a suit of live bees, Cranston said he wouldso they wrote a script around the idea. He ended up covered in 10,000 bees, and only got stung once. However, it was not Cranston's hairy back in the pilot that gets a shave, since the glue on the hair added to Cranstons back wouldnt let the razor go through it. A casting session for hairy backs similar to Cranstons body shape took place, and it was that mans back seen in the episode.
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For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.
Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.
The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.
Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:
"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"
Serious Danger
"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."
"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."
oofboof2020
Waiting for Food
"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."
"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."
nowhereboy1964
Captain Hobo to the Rescue
"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"
"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."
FartAttack911
Survival
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"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."
faithfulpoo
These Tsunami stories are just tragic.
On the Sand
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"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."
oyloff
Be Clever
"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."
OstneyPiz
Bad Jokes
"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."
Alegan239
YOU
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"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"
PrettyLola2004
Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.
No one should talk to others in the dark though.
Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen
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What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
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Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
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Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official
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Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...