Random stuff about this great movie

I'm probably breaking a rule here...but my Dad is gonna post some stuff about this movie. When I turned 15, he bought the movie and sat with me to watch it. The movie meant a lot to him for a few important reasons (as you'll see), and he wanted to explain some of it to me.

I flew fighters in the Marine Corps for 9-years. I flew the F-4, as did the Bull Meechum character in the movie. I knew many of the pilots used as extras in the film, all members of VMFA-312 in Beaufort, SC ("VMFA" stands for "Fixed-wing, Marine, Fighter-Attack" sqauadron). To prepare for the role, Robert Duvall followed a squadron commander around for a couple of weeks to get the flavor of our bearing and our jargon. The pilot he followed was "Deeg" Kiley, who had a lot of "Santini" qualities himself!

The Marine Corps cooperated with the fiming of the movie only when granted the right to edit the script. They required only one significant change: They changed the dialog between Bull and Col Varney. They made Bull state that he'd been "passed over" for promotion after the "soup can incident" earlier in the film. The Marine Corps wanted to make it clear that Bull's behavior was not normal or approved. It's a bit of an inside joke in the Corps, since no officer would be allowed to command a fighter squadron if his behavior (as presented in the movie) had been subject to ANY discipline!

The impact of the movie on me and my life was significant. Seeing it for the first time caused me to question how I would set the priorities in my life. Had there not been a lot of accuracy in Conroy's writing, or Duvall's portrayal, I might have dismissed it as "not a factor". But there was. I didn't want to end up as an old man with a family, friends, and memories...having sacrificed the first two for the third.

Don't get me wrong. I loved the Marine Corps, my comrades, flying fighters (the ultimate physical thrill...PERIOD!), and serving my country. If I didn't have kids, I'd still be on active duty...flying fighters, shouting "Dead Bug!" in the O'Club (An accurate scene. If/When "Dead Bug" is shouted, all officers must fall to their backs and writhe like a loon) I was stationed in Hawaii and Southern California; great places to live.

When my first daughter was born, I thought I had it wired. I had no doubts I could handle a family and a full-immersion career. Then I was sent on my third overseas deployment without my family. After a few months I flew them out for a visit, and my daughter was a afraid of me. Yikes! I decided at that moment to get out.

I left as a Major, and am now an airline pilot. I have no regrets. I have a great, healthy family.

Other interesting stuff:

In the book, Bull flies the F-8 "Crusader". Since they were no longer in the inventory, the film used the F-4 "Phantom". The F-8 is a single-seat fighter. The F-4 has a pilot and a Radar Intercept Officer. When Bull crashes, he is flying solo (no R.I.O.). That was NEVER done! A little "Hollywood license".

When Col Don Conroy (the author's father) read the manuscript of hte book, he approved of everything except the death of the "hero".

The speech Bull gives to his new squadron ("I want to think of me as....God") is spot on! When I checked into my first F-4 squadron, the Commanding Offficer gave us essentially the exact same speech.

Nicole van der Heyde (who played the object of Ben's affection in the movie) lived near us at a base in Texas. She and my wife became friends. "Santini" was her first and only film, but she went on to establish herself in regional theater.

Duvall wore the uniform, with ribbons and badges, accurately. The "technical advisor" made sure that all those portraying Marines had the proper haircut and uniform.

Duvall was given special permission to ride in an F-4 during the filming of the flying scenes. (As was Tom Cruise later in "Top Gun")