The Rocketeer (1991)

A young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high flying masked hero.

Director:

Joe Johnston

Writers:

Dave Stevens (graphic novel "The Rocketeer"), Danny Bilson (story)

Stars:

Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Campbell	...	Cliff (as Bill Campbell)
Jennifer Connelly	...	Jenny
Alan Arkin	...	Peevy
Timothy Dalton	...	Neville Sinclair
Paul Sorvino	...	Eddie Valentine
Terry O'Quinn	...	Howard Hughes
Ed Lauter	...	Fitch
James Handy	...	Wooly
Robert Miranda	...	Spanish Johnny (as Robert Guy Miranda)
John Lavachielli	...	Rusty
Jon Polito	...	Bigelow
Eddie Jones	...	Malcolm
William Sanderson	...	Skeets
Don Pugsley	...	Goose
Nada Despotovich	...	Irma

Storyline

Straight from the pages of a pulp comic from a past era, the Rocketeer recreates 1930's Hollywood, complete with gangsters, Nazi spies, and the growth of the Age of Aviation. Young pilot Cliff Secord stumbles on a top secret rocket-pack and with the help of his mechanic/mentor, Peevy, he attempts to save his girl and stop the Nazis as The Rocketeer.

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Plot Keywords:

dieselpunk | jet pack | based on comic book | superhero | female stockinged legs | 

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Taglines:

Three years before the United States declares war, Cliff Secord leads America's first battle against the Nazis.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

21 June 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rocketeer

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,600,754, 23 June 1991, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$46,704,056

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures,Touchstone Pictures,Silver Screen Partners IV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Robin Williams, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Ron Perlman, and Tom Hanks were considered to play Cliff.

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Goofs

When Cliff says, "How do I look?", the chinstrap on his helmet is undone, but immediately afterwards, when Peabody says, "Like a hood ornament," it is fastened.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Peevy: [as they bring the Gee Bee out for its maiden flight] Keep her straight, keep her level. It's your first time up, so don't do anything interesting.
Cliff Secord: Who, me?
Peevy: And remember, she stalls out at about a hundred. So keep the air speed up. Otherwise, you're gonna be drifting around all over the sky. And if the ailerons start to shimmy...
Cliff Secord: Peevy, I have flown a plane or two in my life.
Peevy: Not like this one, you haven't. This one's... This one's a handful. You sneeze in this thing and you're ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Golden Girls: Hey, Look Me Over (1991)

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Soundtracks

ANY OLD TIME
Written by Artie Shaw
Performed by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra
Vocals by Billie Holiday
Courtesy of Bluebird / RCA / BMG record labels

User Reviews

wonderful, old-fashioned movie

I've always surprised when people don't like this movie. It was one of my favorites at the time, and it has aged very well. It's a real "retro 30's" picture, like "The Shadow", instead of being a modern reinterpretation of such movies like the Indiana Jones films (which I also like very much).

The reviews cover the plot enough, and there are no real surprises here, but it's great family fun. My kids really love this movie, and I end up watching it every year or two, and I have never tired of it. When it came out there were apparently sequels planned, but it got killed at the box office by T2, which ran over everything that summer, so Disney never did anything with the show. They have recycled the atmosphere and the music in the "Soaring over California" ride at DCA, and I have to say it always makes me wistful that the movie never got a sequel.

By the way, the movie doesn't follow the comics that closely, which I don't mind, but if you are a purist and a fan of the "graphic novels", you might keep that in mind.