Trivia
Tiny Ron's character Lothar is made-up to look like Rondo Hatton who played similar characters in the "B" movies which inspired The Rocketeer. Ron can be seen out of makeup in a cameo as one of two Good Old Boys. He gapes as his companion marvels at the "Big gopher!"
Share this
Disney had a special mechanism built especially for this film. Called the "Shaky-cam", it was designed to be the exact opposite of the "Steady-cam", that is, to introduce vibrations into the picture. This was used in the scenes filmed inside the Zeppelin to give the impression of the power of the engines. When the movie went to video, the effect didn't transfer too well, and was therefore steadied.
Share this
A scene where Neville Sinclair sends a message to Berlin (coded first on an authentic Enigma machine found for the production) was filmed, but cut due to running time constraints.
Share this
The character of Neville Sinclair is loosely modeled after Errol Flynn, the swashbuckling actor who for a while was suspected of being a Nazi spy.
Share this
Stunt man Jimmy Medearis suffered serious head injuries during a failed stunt. He and fellow stunt man Michael J. Sarna both hit a tree when a truck pulling their harness-rig drove too far.
Share this
Billy Campbell, who once studied commercial art, made sure to read the Dave Stevens graphic novel on which this film was based. He got the part after getting a haircut to make himself look identical to the character in the graphic novel.
Share this
The original inventor of the rocket pack was thirties pulp novel hero Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, in the original graphic comic book by Dave Stevens. However, because licensing considerations, Disney did not seek permission from Conde Nast, the copyright holder of Doc Savage, and opted to substitute Doc Savage with the flamboyant billionaire Howard Hughes.
Share this
The plane flown by Cliff in the opening is the Gee Bee racer, specifically Model "Z" from 1931. It was built by the Granville Brothers Aircraft Company (brothers Zantford, Thomas, Robert, Mark, and Edward), hence the plane's initials "G.B." The R-1 was for a time the fastest land-plane in the world, essentially a cockpit, wings, and tail built around an 800 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine. James Doolittle (who would lead the bombing raid over Tokyo in 1942) won the 1932 Thompson Trophy race flying a Gee Bee R-1 at a speed of 252.686 miles per hour.
Share this
Originally was supposed to be preceded in theaters by a Roger Rabbit cartoon called "Hare in my Soup", unfortunately the cartoon was never made.
Share this
The song "The Flying Circus" is featured in Epcot's Fountain of Nations soundtrack at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Share this
In the original graphic novel, Cliff Secord's girlfriend is called Betty Page, not Jenny Blake. Dave Stevens (the creator of the comic novel) based the character "Betty Page" upon his real-life friend, 50's pin-up girl Bettie Page.
Share this
The reproduction of the Gee Bee racer flown by Cliff Secord is currently on display at the Museum Of Flight in Seattle, WA. The original Gee Bee this aircraft was based on was painted in the same color scheme as the one used in the movie, however the original was named the "City of Springfield" and was flown by pilot Lowell Bayles. Bayles flew barefoot, as he said it gave him a better feel of the rudder. He was killed flying this airplane while making a record speed attempt in December 1931.
Share this
When Eddie Valentine and his gang learn that Neville Sinclair is a Nazi, they quit working for him and join up with the FBI agents against the Nazi thugs hidden in the shadows. This reflects the attitude of real-life American gangsters during this era, in that they did not like fascism, particularly because Benito Mussolini persecuted the Sicilian Families back in the Old Country. Nor did any Jewish mobsters like Adolf Hitler. In fact, organized crime was one of the biggest allies the American government and law enforcement had when it came to rooting out Nazi spies and collaborators.
Share this
Cameo
Dave Stevens:
the man in the test flight movie who has the rocket pack strapped to his back (the test pilot)
Share this
Spoilers
The model that Cliff glides with to escape from Howard Hughes's warehouse resembled "The Spruce Goose", a plane built by Hughes which was so huge that many people doubted it would ever fly. This explains his "It does fly!" comment. At the time the film was made, Disney owned the Spruce Goose, and it's rumored that they placed this part in the film as a promotion for that attraction, which (apart from the Queen Mary) was the only money losing Disney attraction in the US.
Share this
One of Neville Sinclair's final lines is "I'll miss Hollywood" - and he does, as he crashes into the "land" portion of the "Hollywoodland" sign, which is now the "Hollywood" sign. It was built in 1923 to promote real estate property, in 1945 it was given to the city of Los Angeles. In 1949 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce began a contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign. The contract stipulated that "LAND" be removed to spell "Hollywood" and reflect the district, not the "Hollywoodland" housing development.
Share this
