Steven Spielberg’s Unplanned Candy Swap in E.T. and a Free Library Screening Featuring Peter Lawson Jones
Steven Spielberg did not originally plan for Reese’s Pieces to appear in E. T., a choice shaped by a studio rights impasse that reshaped the film’s candy moment. This week, that kind of film-driven local engagement reappears on the ground in Ohio, where the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County will host actor Peter Lawson Jones for a free screening at the Brilliant Branch.
Steven Spielberg and the Reese's Pieces decision in E. T.
The 1982 film E. T. initially featured a different confection in its script: director Steven Spielberg’s preferred candy, M&Ms. Mars, Inc. balked at granting permission when the production would not share the script, creating a catch-22 that producer Kathleen Kennedy later described: the studio wanted to see the screenplay, but Spielberg declined to provide it. That refusal meant the production could not use M&Ms and instead turned to The Hershey Company’s Reese’s Pieces.
The move had measurable commercial and production context. Reese’s Pieces had debuted in 1978 and had experienced a sales dip in the years that followed, even as Hershey was building a new manufacturing facility for its panned, sugar-coated product. Jack Dowd, then-Director of New Products Development for Hershey, committed the company to a significant marketing push, recounting an agreement to spend $1 million on the film placement despite not being able to see the script or the creature at the time. The choice came at a moment when Spielberg’s last hit, Raiders of the Lost Ark, had earned four Oscars and topped the box office the previous year—details that underscored studios’ appetite for cautious negotiation over rights.
Because Mars declined permission under conditions of script secrecy, Spielberg asked what his next favorite candy was, and Hershey agreed to allow Reese’s Pieces to be used. The effect was straightforward: a corporate decision about rights produced a different on-screen prop, and that prop became an indelible part of the film’s imagery and of popular culture. What makes this notable is how a single licensing choice altered which brand gained decades of visible association with one of the era’s most famous family films.
Peter Lawson Jones at the Brilliant Branch Library for Ohio Goes To The Movies
The Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County has leveraged film programming in its participation in America 250‑Ohio’s Ohio Goes To The Movies initiative. Actor Peter Lawson Jones, who plays a major supporting role in the title being shown, is scheduled to appear at the Brilliant Branch Library for a 1 p. m. screening on March 12. Because of licensing restrictions, the library will not release the movie title in print; patrons who want the title are asked to inquire directly with the library or to reserve seats by phone at 314-4309.
Jenn Cesta, the library’s public relations coordinator, said the screening is part of a broader program that schedules a movie for each branch and includes two outdoor community movies—one in June and another in September at the amphitheater of Historic Fort Steuben. Jones will watch the film with attendees, then discuss aspects of its filmmaking and sign autographs, an official engagement designed to deepen local interest and attendance. He has traveled to several venues in the state under the Ohio Goes To The Movies banner and previously served as master of ceremonies at the program’s kickoff in Milan.
