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The Right Stuff (1983)

R 193 min  -  Adventure | Drama | History  -   21 October 1983 (USA)
7.9
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Ratings: 7.9/10 from 29,052 users  
Reviews: 160 user | 61 critic

The original US Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants approach to the space program.

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writers:

Tom Wolfe (book), Philip Kaufman (screenplay)
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Won 4 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 11 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Shepard ...
Scott Glenn ...
Ed Harris ...
Dennis Quaid ...
Fred Ward ...
Barbara Hershey ...
Kim Stanley ...
Veronica Cartwright ...
Pamela Reed ...
Scott Paulin ...
Charles Frank Charles Frank ...
Lance Henriksen ...
Donald Moffat ...
Lyndon B. Johnson
Levon Helm ...
Jack Ridley / Narrator
Mary Jo Deschanel ...
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Storyline

Tom Wolfe's book on the history of the U.S. Space program reads like a novel, and the film has that same fictional quality. It covers the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager to the Mercury 7 astronauts, showing that no one had a clue how to run a space program or how to select people to be in it. Thrilling, funny, charming and electrifying all at once. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Astronaut | Space Program | Fire | U.S. Space Program | Rocket  | See more »

Taglines:

By flying higher and faster than any other man had ever dared before, Chuck Yeager set the pace for a new breed of hero. Those that had just one thing in common...THE RIGHT STUFF. See more »

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Der Stoff aus dem die Helden sind See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,601,167 (USA) (23 October 1983) (229 Screens)

Gross:

$21,500,000 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ladd Company, The See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Pancho's was nicknamed the Happy Bottom Riding Club. The real name was "Pancho's Fly Inn". See more »

Goofs

Factual errors: When John Glenn communicates with the Mission Control beeps can be heard at the beginning and end of his transmissions as well as those from the ground to him. These 'Quindar tones' are used to activate and squelch the capsule radio so the crew isn't bothered by noise or static when not in use and only the ground to pilot transmissions would carry these tones. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: There was a demon that lived in the air. They said whoever challenged him would die. Their controls would freeze up, their planes would buffet wildly, and they would disintegrate. The demon lived at Mach 1 on the meter, seven hundred and fifty miles an hour, where the air could no longer move out of the way. He lived behind a barrier through which they said no man could ever pass. They called it the sound barrier.
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Connections

Referenced in Road Trip (2000) See more »

Soundtracks

"Southwestern Waltz"
Performed by Bob Wills
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc. See more »