Xanadu (film) actual order in the film: The plot of the 1947 film "Down to Earth" was used as the basis for "Xanadu". In the film, Rita Hayworth played Terpsichore, opposite male lead Larry Parks, who played a producer of stage plays. The film was originally conceived as a relatively low-budget roller disco picture. As a number of prominent, A-list performers joined the production, it evolved into a much larger project, while retaining rollerskating as a recurring theme, especially in the final scenes of the club's opening night. Earlier versions of the story established that Sonny was the artist who created the
Xanadu (Citizen Kane) suite after she leaves him. Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York was used for some exterior shots of Xanadu (particularly of the formal gardens) seen in the opening newsreel. However, most shots of Xanadu were surrealistic, highly stylized matte paintings. Xanadu makes great use of Gothic architecture and, except in the opening newsreel, it always appears in the film at night with fog surrounding it, giving it an ominous look; for Kane, Xanadu becomes more of a prison than a refuge. Very little of the interior was shown, presumably due to the film's limited budget and the fact that little