MovieChat Forums > Good Morning, Vietnam (1988) Discussion > biggest goof

biggest goof

posted 9 years ago by EJF
7 replies | jump to latest

The biggest goof in the movie was identified by Adrian Cronauer himself, who said that apart from the fact that he was a morning DJ on Armed Forces Radio in Vietnam and opened his show with that "good morning" yell, everything else in the film was inaccurate, at least about him.

Even the "good morning" yell was different -- it was "Good Morning, Iraklion," which was the name of the air station from which he broadcast. The restaurant bombing was also sort of accurate, but he wasn't pulled from the place at the last minute: He witnessed the bombing from nearby.

Cronauer said the higher-ups didn't oppose him. They were more apathetic than anything else. And his humor was situational, not the kind of rapid one-liners that Robin Williams delivered. Williams was playing himself, not Adrian Cronauer. In fact, says Cronauer, "if I'd been that funny, I would have been in Hollywood."

Moreover, Cronauer has been a life-long "card-carrying Republican." He was very active in Bob Dole's and George W. Bush's presidential campaigns.

[–] BrianRaess_Is_FinallyGone 8 years ago

Everything you posted has been known since 1987. No one ever claimed that the movie was a documentary, or that it was an accurate portrayal of real events. The movie doesn't even claim it is "based on a true story."

[–] EJF 8 years ago

True, but I suspect most viewers don't realize that. Cronauer himself has said most people he meets are surprised when they hear the real story.

[–] pjpurple-1 8 years ago

Well it wasn't known by me. LOL Actually I had a feeling that a lot of Adrian was really "Robin". Not too many people are that rapid fire witty.

I read that the real Adrian never did most of the things that Robin Williams did in the movie. I always appreciate any background that people share!

[–] kaneforgov 8 years ago

Cronauer made a second career out of exploiting this film; doing paid appearances and paid speaking engagements based on the popularity of Robin Williams playing his character in the film (I saw him speak when the film was released to home video). He was in the movie and was a paid consultant on the shoot.

When the film was originally release it was widely known that it was highly fictionalized (after all, it's Robin Williams). Cronauer never had any problem with the artistic license taken or Barry Levinson’s liberal views while he was making money off the film.

[–] scubadivergeek 8 years ago

I think the real Adrian Cronauer said if he had done half the things that happen in the movie, he'd have been thrown in the stockade for the rest of the war.

[–] avortac4 (3743) 2 years ago

Irak Lion?

What a weird thing to scream in Vietnam. It might make sense in Irak, but that just sounds so wrong for Vietnam.

[–] BeaSouth (3284) 2 years ago

What the f is “Iraklion?” Guy clearly used “Good Morning Viet Nam!” when he went on the air
https://youtu.be/VoyYqOquv_k