This has been brought up a number of times on this board. The following is my response to a previous post concerning the REAL Cronauer vs. the film version:
The movie presents a VERY highly fictionalized version of the real life Adrian Cronauer and his experiences as an Armed Forces DJ (with heavy doses of ad-libbing from Robin Williams).
For example, in real life, Cronauer DID incorporate elements into his radio broadcasts which were, by military standards, considered innovative for that time (e.g. running characters, different voices, etc.). However, his style was EXTREMELY mild compared to Williams' depiction (In fact, Cronauer once said that movie audiences would probably have been BORED by his real life broadcasts.)!
Also, contrary to the film, Cronauer was NEVER in conflict with the military authorities over his broadcasts. Mostly the higher-ups were indifferent to them. If they didn't want something to go out over the air (and they certainly wouldn't have allowed the vulgarities, mocking of authority figures, etc. that's shown in the film), it would have simply not gone out.
In an interview, when he was asked (as he often is) about how close the movie was to reality, Cronauer remarked, "Anyone who has spent any time in the military at all, knows that if I had done half of the things that Robin Williams did in the movie, I would still be in Leavenworth.".
Thanks, and have a great day.
Sam
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Wesley108
17 years ago
Thanks Sam.
What about the relationship b/w Cronauer and Tuan (and Trinh)? Was that completely poetic license or was there accounts of those relationships too?
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grandsammer
17 years ago
You are very welcome!
As I mentioned in my original post, when the film was first released, Adrian Cronauer was often asked in interviews about his real life experiences.
While discussing the movie's depiction of him, I recall him saying (this is almost a direct quote), "I never chased women through the streets of Saigon, and, to the best of my knowledge, none of my Vietnamese friends were Viet Cong.".
Thus, it would seem that the relationships with Tuan and Trinh were purely fictional.
As the statement above indicates, Cronauer did indeed have a number of Vietnamese friends, and he also actually did teach an English class (it is safe to assume, however, that he did not really teach his students 1960s street slang, vulgarities, etc.).
Thanks, and have a great day.
Sam
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