#82 - "Platoon" (1986) with JB Huffman from "Manly Movies" Podcast

80s Flick Flashback

Since its release this 80’s flick is still considered by many to be one of the best war movies ever made. The director — who himself was wounded twice while serving with the US Army in Vietnam — famously put his cast through a grueling "boot camp” to help immerse them in the world of their fictional characters. With an all-star cast and loads of visually striking practical effects, this Vietnam War epic won more awards than any other film during the 59th Academy Awards. So prepare for digging foxholes, waking up with ant bites and surviving ambush duty as Tim Williams and guest co-host JB Huffman from "Manly Movies" Podcast discuss “Platoon” from 1986 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback Podcast!

Here are some additional behind-the-scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

• Big Harold falls and rolls down a hill during the opening credits. Forest Whitaker claims it was a real, unintentional fall.
• When they are cleaning the latrines, you can hear "Good morning Vietnam". A recording of the real Cronauer. This film came out a year before that movie.
• Military advisor Dale Dye witnessed Oliver Stone suffer an attack of post-traumatic stress disorder on-set while filming the village scene. He claimed that they had a good cry together afterwards, based on their mutual experience in Vietnam.
• The final battle in the movie was a recreation of an actual event that was witnessed by technical advisor Dale Dye, who was a combat correspondent with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines.
• Toward the end of the film, when the reinforcements arrive after the battle, Rhah reaches into a dead VC's breast pocket, pulls something out, and keeps it, while looking around nervously. The item he is removing is heroin, which VC soldiers used as a painkiller. Many heroin-addicted U.S. troops did the same thing. The scene implies that Rhah's mystical quality is a symptom of a larger problem.

Sources:

Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes

https://coffeeordie.com/5-things-platoon

"A Tour of the Inferno: The Making of Platoon" (2002) Documentary

"Brothers In Arms: The Making of Platoon" (2018) Documentary

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