50 Fun Facts About Top Gun
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Take the 50-question quizWho directed Top Gun?
He was hired on the strength of a Saab commercial that raced a 900 turbo against a Viggen jet.
Who stars as Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell?
Producers wanted him after Risky Business; he was in London shooting Legend when offered the part.
What is the callsign of Maverick's radar intercept officer, played by Anthony Edwards?
He dies after ejecting and hitting the jettisoned canopy during Hop 31.
Who plays Maverick's rival, Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky?
He found the script silly but was contractually obliged, and reprised the role 34 years later.
Who plays civilian instructor Charlotte 'Charlie' Blackwood?
She went shoeless in her scenes to match her co-star's height.
At which naval air station is the Fighter Weapons School set?
The base in San Diego nicknamed itself Fightertown USA.
On which aircraft carrier are Maverick and Goose stationed?
Carrier deck shots were mostly of normal operations; the crew took what they could get.
Which fighter do Maverick and Goose fly?
One of the jets used, BuNo 160694, now sits in the USS Lexington Museum in Corpus Christi.
What real aircraft portrayed the fictional enemy MiG-28?
The MiG-28 does not exist; the opening dogfight was moved to international waters at the Navy's request.
Who plays Commander Mike 'Viper' Metcalf?
The character was based on Rear Admiral Pete 'Viper' Pettigrew, the film's technical advisor.
Who plays instructor Rick 'Jester' Heatherly?
His surname nods to Charles 'Heater' Heatley, who shot the aerial photos for the original article.
Which future Oscar winner plays RIO Sam 'Merlin' Wells?
Merlin flies with Cougar, then with Maverick in the climax.
Who plays Goose's wife, Carole Bradshaw?
Their son Bradley was played by twins Aaron and Adam Weis.
What is the callsign of Maverick's first wingman, who resigns after the opening dogfight?
John Stockwell played him; his departure gives Maverick and Goose the Top Gun slot.
Who plays CAG 'Stinger', commander of the carrier air group?
He sends Maverick and Goose to Top Gun with a reprimand for ignoring the landing order.
Which magazine published the 1983 article that inspired the film?
Ehud Yonay's 'Top Guns' featured aerial photography by Charles 'Heater' Heatley.
Who wrote the screenplay for Top Gun?
Epps sat in on declassified Top Gun classes and was flown in an F-14 for research.
A commercial for which carmaker got the director the job?
It showed a Saab 900 turbo racing a Saab 37 Viggen fighter; Cronenberg and Carpenter had declined.
Which actor turned down Maverick for political reasons and made Full Metal Jacket instead?
He felt the film's pro-military stance clashed with his politics.
Who persuaded the reluctant star to take the part of Maverick?
The director's brother talked him round while he was filming Legend in London.
Where was the opening dogfight originally set before the Navy asked for a change?
It was moved to international waters; a carrier-deck crash scene was scrapped too.
Why was Charlie rewritten from a sailor into a civilian contractor?
The character was based on Christine 'Legs' Fox, a mathematician at the Center for Naval Analyses.
Which real-life civilian analyst inspired the character of Charlie?
She specialised in Maritime Air Superiority tactics for carrier defence.
Maverick's character was loosely based on which Vietnam ace?
Viper, by contrast, was modelled on Pettigrew, who cameos as a colleague of Charlie.
In which coastal city did filming begin on June 26, 1985?
The Graves House there became Charlie's home and is now a pie shop called High Pie.
Which numbered Navy carrier air wing supplied the F-14s and crews?
Its squadrons VF-51 Screaming Eagles and VF-111 Sundowners both get nods in the film.
How much did the director pay by cheque to have the carrier turned for five more minutes?
The captain had told him that was what it cost to turn the ship.
Which future NASA astronaut flew the jet that 'buzzes the tower'?
He was also the pilot flipping the bird in the opening sequence.
Where were most of the aircraft-over-land sequences shot?
Ground-mounted cameras were used; air-to-air footage mostly came from a Learjet.
Why was the film shot in the Super 35 format?
External F-14 camera mounts had been built by Grumman for The Final Countdown.
To whose memory is the film dedicated?
The aerobatic pilot's Pitts Special went into a flat spin and crashed off Carlsbad in September 1985.
Why did McGillis wear a baseball cap in the elevator scene?
Reshoots clashed with Made in Heaven, for which she had gone brunette.
Which San Diego bar hosted the Great Balls of Fire piano scene?
A 2008 kitchen fire destroyed much of its memorabilia, but the original piano survived.
Which band's 'Take My Breath Away' won the Academy Award for Best Original Song?
Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock wrote it; the soundtrack went 9× Platinum.
Who performs 'Danger Zone' on the soundtrack?
He also sings Playing with the Boys; album sales exploded after the single.
Which band was originally meant to record 'Danger Zone' before a legal dispute?
Their song Only You was also dropped from the film.
Which singer declined the soundtrack because he felt the film glorified war?
Berlin, Loggins and Harold Faltermeyer filled the gap.
Who composed the score, including 'Top Gun Anthem'?
He had worked with Simpson and Bruckheimer on Beverly Hills Cop; Steve Stevens plays guitar on the Anthem.
Which 1950s song plays on the jukebox in the film's final bar scene?
It and Great Balls of Fire were added to the soundtrack on its 2000 re-release.
What was Top Gun's production budget?
It grossed $177 million domestically and was the top film of 1986 worldwide.
On what date did Top Gun open in US cinemas?
Opening a week before Memorial Day weekend was considered a gamble.
How many VHS units did Top Gun eventually sell, a record at the time?
It was the first new blockbuster priced at $26.95, backed by a Diet Pepsi tie-in ad.
In which year was Top Gun added to the National Film Registry?
The Library of Congress called it culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Which 1991 comedy spoofed Top Gun?
Team America: World Police also parodied it in 2004.
Which line made the AFI's list of 100 greatest movie quotes at number 94?
The quote also inspired the name of the Need for Speed racing games.
What grade did CinemaScore audiences give the film?
Critics were cooler: Rotten Tomatoes sits at 55%.
How many departures from naval procedure did ex-RIO Ward Carroll count in 2019?
He still called it, jokingly, the greatest movie ever made.
Which 2013 animated film features the Iceman and Goose actors in a Top Gun homage?
The DisneyToon film cast both as voice actors.
Which 1991 Navy scandal did a Pentagon inspector link to behaviour depicted in Top Gun?
The report argued the film's sexism made assault more likely in the real military.
Who directed the 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick?
Scott had died in 2012; Kosinski had directed Cruise in Oblivion and dedicated Maverick to Scott.
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