Natgeo remaking The Right Stuff for TV

Natgeo remaking The Right Stuff for TV

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FourWheelDrift

Original Poster:

89,635 posts

291 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
The story of the USAs race to space https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2019/07/space-race-...

Is it needed? I know they might make use of better effects and such.


Eric Mc

122,856 posts

272 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
Why not.

The book goes into a lot more detail than the 1983 movie. And, in many ways, the movie goes a bit too much for laughs. I love the original movie but I think a "box set" treatment might still deliver a lot more of the book content.

anonymous-user

61 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
Yes but the movie has Chuck Yeager in it.

Eric Mc

122,856 posts

272 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
El stovey said:
Yes but the movie has Chuck Yeager in it.
He's still with us so, in theory, he could be in this version too.

FourWheelDrift

Original Poster:

89,635 posts

291 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
He could play Eisenhower.

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

268 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Why not.

The book goes into a lot more detail than the 1983 movie. And, in many ways, the movie goes a bit too much for laughs. I love the original movie but I think a "box set" treatment might still deliver a lot more of the book content.
+1

One of my favourite films but as you say tries to shoehorn a bit of comedy in. On the other hand it does show the Mercury program respectfully while still managing to take the piss a little bit, a tricky combination to pull off.

Eric Mc

122,856 posts

272 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
One of the first DVDs I ever bought. I still watch it now and then. It did more to create a mythology around astronauts than almost anything else in American culture.

In some ways, it can be quite misleading - like creating the myth that the US space programme was entirely dependent on Germans. That is simply not true.

FourWheelDrift

Original Poster:

89,635 posts

291 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
What's a Jimp?

Eric Mc

122,856 posts

272 months

Wednesday 24th July 2019
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
What's a Jimp?
Yes it's funny.
As is the mis-pronunciation of "specimen".


But completely inaccurate - as the Mercury capsule was pretty much an all - American affair - as was the Atlas that put it into orbit.

The German contribution to Project Mercury was limited to the Redstone rocket which was used for the sub-orbital flights and Gunther Wendt, who was the Launch Director.

Incidentally, none of that jokey type of dialogue based on misunderstanding German accents exists in the book.