Universal's top 10 movie moments

Universal commissioned its poll to coincide with its centenary.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Universal commissioned a poll to find the most memorable scenes from the studio's films. Watch our video and tell us about your favourite movie scenes in the comments at the end of the article.  

Universal have also compiled a list with 100 fun facts about the studio. We have chosen our top 15.  You can read the whole list here.

1. Universal Film Manufacturing Company was officially incorporated in New York on April 30, 1912. Company legend says Carl Laemmle was inspired to name his company Universal after seeing "Universal Pipe Fittings" written on a passing delivery wagon.

2. The word "dude" in The Big Lebowski is used approximately 161 times in the movie: 160 times spoken and once in text (in the credits for "Gutterballs" the second dream sequence). The F-word or a variation of the F-word is used 292 times. The Dude says "man" 147 times in the movie-that's nearly 1.5 times a minute.

3. American Graffiti's budget was exactly US$777,777.77, and it was delivered on time - and on budget.

4. Back to the Future's DeLorean time machine is actually a licensed, registered vehicle in the state of California. While the vanity license plate used in the film says "OUTATIME," the DeLorean's actual license plate reads 3CZV657.

5. In the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds, Tippi Hedren was actually cut in the face by a bird during the shooting of one sequence.

6. In the movie The Breakfast Club, the students ate the following for lunch: Andrew: A bag of chips, chocolate cookies, three sandwiches, milk, a banana and an apple. Claire: Sushi. Allison: Sandwich with Pixie Stix and Captain Crunch cereal. Brian: Soup, sandwich with peanut butter and jam and apple juice. Bender: Nothing.

7. When Bela Lugosi, star of the monster classic, Dracula, died in 1956, he was buried wearing a black silk cape similar to the one he wore in the film.

8. Neither Michelle Rodriguez nor Jordana Brewster had drivers' licenses or even learners' permits before production of the film in Fast and the Furious.

9. In the infamous shower scene in Psycho, the sound of the knife-stabbing actress Janet Leigh was made by plunging a knife into a melon.

10. Some of the props used in the 2005 version of King Kong were original props from the 1933 version. These props came from Peter Jackson's personal collection and include the Skull Island spears and brightly painted shield, and some of the drums from the sacrifice scene.

11. The first American film to show a toilet flushing on screen was Psycho.

12. Alfred Hitchcock did not choose to conclude the film, The Birds, with the usual "THE END" title because he wanted to leave the audience with the feeling of unending terror and uncertainty.

13. The children who sang the song, "Every Sperm is Sacred" in the Monty Python film, The Meaning of Life, later said they had no idea what sperm was or what they were singing about.

14. When you hear the sound of the crowd cheering, "Spartacus! Spartacus!" in the movie Spartacus, it was actually a pre-taped recording from a 1959 football game at Michigan State University's Spartan Stadium.

15. In The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the films that are watched by the "employees" in the Smar-Tech store are all produced by Universal.

- © Fairfax NZ News