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IMDbPro

The Right Stuff

  • 19831983
  • PGPG
  • 3h 13m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
62K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,780
1,160
The Right Stuff (1983)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer3:31
2 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureBiographyDrama
The U.S. space program's development from the breaking of the sound barrier to selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than ... Read allThe U.S. space program's development from the breaking of the sound barrier to selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than the program's more cautious engineers preferred.The U.S. space program's development from the breaking of the sound barrier to selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than the program's more cautious engineers preferred.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
62K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,780
1,160
    • Philip Kaufman
    • Philip Kaufman(written for the screen by)
    • Tom Wolfe(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Sam Shepard
    • Scott Glenn
    • Ed Harris
    • Philip Kaufman
    • Philip Kaufman(written for the screen by)
    • Tom Wolfe(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Sam Shepard
    • Scott Glenn
    • Ed Harris
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 212User reviews
    • 61Critic reviews
    • 91Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 4 Oscars

    Videos2

    The Right Stuff
    Trailer 3:31
    Watch The Right Stuff
    "The Right Stuff" History Download
    Clip 4:39
    Watch "The Right Stuff" History Download

    Photos130

    Barbara Hershey and Sam Shepard in The Right Stuff (1983)
    Ed Harris, Lance Henriksen, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn, Charles Frank, Scott Paulin, and Fred Ward in The Right Stuff (1983)
    Ed Harris, Lance Henriksen, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn, Charles Frank, Scott Paulin, and Fred Ward in The Right Stuff (1983)
    Sam Shepard in The Right Stuff (1983)
    Ed Harris, Lance Henriksen, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn, Charles Frank, Scott Paulin, and Fred Ward in The Right Stuff (1983)
    Kathy Baker, Veronica Cartwright, and Pamela Reed in The Right Stuff (1983)
    Dennis Quaid and Scott Paulin in The Right Stuff (1983)
    The Right Stuff (1983)
    The Right Stuff (1983)
    The Right Stuff (1983)
    Ed Harris, Lance Henriksen, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn, Charles Frank, Scott Paulin, and Fred Ward in The Right Stuff (1983)
    Ed Harris, Lance Henriksen, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn, Charles Frank, Scott Paulin, and Fred Ward in The Right Stuff (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sam Shepard
    Sam Shepard
    • Chuck Yeager
    Scott Glenn
    Scott Glenn
    • Alan Shepard
    Ed Harris
    Ed Harris
    • John Glenn
    Dennis Quaid
    Dennis Quaid
    • Gordon Cooper
    Fred Ward
    Fred Ward
    • Gus Grissom
    Barbara Hershey
    Barbara Hershey
    • Glennis Yeager
    Kim Stanley
    Kim Stanley
    • Pancho Barnes
    Veronica Cartwright
    Veronica Cartwright
    • Betty Grissom
    Pamela Reed
    Pamela Reed
    • Trudy Cooper
    Scott Paulin
    Scott Paulin
    • Deke Slayton
    Charles Frank
    Charles Frank
    • Scott Carpenter
    Lance Henriksen
    Lance Henriksen
    • Wally Schirra
    Donald Moffat
    Donald Moffat
    • Lyndon B. Johnson
    Levon Helm
    Levon Helm
    • Jack Ridley…
    Mary Jo Deschanel
    Mary Jo Deschanel
    • Annie Glenn
    Scott Wilson
    Scott Wilson
    • Scott Crossfield
    Kathy Baker
    Kathy Baker
    • Louise Shepard
    Mickey Crocker
    • Marge Slayton
      • Philip Kaufman
      • Philip Kaufman(written for the screen by)
      • Tom Wolfe(based on the book by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The mysterious "fireflies" observed by John Glenn on his first orbital flight were actually tiny flakes of frost illuminated by sunlight. As the spacecraft orbited into darkness behind the Earth, the sub-zero temperatures caused condensation on its skin to freeze. When warmed by the sun on the other side of the orbit, the temperature change caused some of this frost layer to break free and to be illuminated by the sun. This was confirmed by astronaut Scott Carpenter on the next Mercury flight when he banged on the craft's side, causing more of the flakes to break free and become visible.
    • Goofs
      During the second funeral sequence, Gordo Cooper is wearing decorations on his service dress uniform denoting service in the Korean War. In reality, Cooper was the only member of the "Original Seven" who was not a combat veteran.
    • 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.

    • Alternate versions
      ABC edited 5 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Edited into Waiting for Superman (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Southwestern Waltz
      Written by Vaughn Horton (uncredited)

      Performed by Bob Wills

      Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.

    User reviews212

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    The Best Picture of 1983
    This picture was selected as Best Picture of its year by 2 of the best movie reviewers in recent memory, Siskel & Ebert. They both chose this film because "it showed how things get done in America."

    This is one of my favorite films. If you remember the space race (and not fantasize you do like some other reviewers on this page) and the Mercury astronauts were your heroes too, then watching this movie is like going home again.

    As for the younger crowd? Watching this true story will be a lot of fun, and there are a lot of laughs. But more importantly, it will give you a look into a time when your country actually tried to do important things: not b/c they were easy, as President Kennedy said, but b/c they were hard. A concept so sadly lacking these days.

    Watch everyone, and enjoy. It's quite a ride, and it all really happened.
    helpful•14
    2
    • cagney00
    • Aug 21, 2001

    FAQ4

    • What is the "demon" the narrator talks about in the opening monologue?
    • Who is the man dressed in black seen throughout the movie?
    • What is up with the nurse with the dark hair having such a pronounced mustache? I had to check to see if this was classified as a comedy.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 17, 1984 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • Russian
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA
    • Production company
      • The Ladd Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 3 hours 13 minutes
      • Color

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