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Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
In director Barry Levinson's comedy war drama, the
story centered around the manic, partly ad-libbed, non-stop, and
improvised on-air broadcasts of a mid-1960s Vietnam-era Armed Forces
Radio DJ:
- the opening broadcast of radio DJ Adrian Cronauer
(Oscar-nominated Robin Williams) began with his wake-up catchphrase
salutation in his debut show at 6 am before a barrage of non-stop
humor: "Gooooooood
Mor-ning, Viet-naaaaaam! Hey, this is not a test! This is rock
and roll. Time to rock it from the Delta to the DMZ. Is that me,
or does that sound like an Elvis Presley movie? Viva Da Nang.
'Oh, viva Da Nang. Da Nang me, Da Nang me, why don't they get a
rope and hang me?' Hey, is it a little too early for being that
loud? Hey, too late. It's 0600. What's the 'O' stand for? Oh, my
God, it's early. Speaking of early, how about that Cro-Magnon Marty
Dreiwitz? Thank you, Marty, for 'silky-smooth sound'. Make me sound
like Peggy Lee"
- during his first break - DJ Cronauer gave an off-mike
question to his assistant PFC Edward Garlick (Forest Whitaker),
asking: "Too much?"
- DJ Cronauer compared the Vietnamese DMZ (DeMilitarized
Zone) to The Wizard of Oz: ("What
is a demilitarized zone? Sounds like something out of The Wizard
of Oz" -- (as Glinda) 'Oh no, don't go in there!' (as Winkies)
'Ohhh-wee-ohh, Ho Chi Minh.' (as Glinda) 'Oh, look, you've landed
in Saigon. You're among the little people now' (Munchkin voice) 'We
represent the ARVN Army, the ARVN Army. Oh, no. Follow the Ho Chi
Minh Trail! Follow the Ho Chi Minh Trail!' (as Witch) 'Oh, I'll get
you, my pretty!' (normal voice) 'Oh, my God, it's the Wicked Witch
of the North. It's Hanoi Hannah!' (as Witch) 'Now, little GI, you
and your little tutu, too!' (cackling) (accent as Woman) 'Oh, Adrian.
Adrian, what are you doing, Adrian?' (normal voice) 'Oh, Hannah,
you slut. You've been down on everything but the Titanic.
Stop it right now'")
- he continued on - pretending to talk to a listener
named Roosevelt: "Can you help me?" "What's your name?" (as
Black Man) "My name's Roosevelt E. Roosevelt." "Roosevelt,
what town are you stationed in?" "I'm stationed in Poontang." "Well,
thank you Roosevelt. What's the weather like out there?" "It's
hot, damn hot, real hot. Hottest things is my shorts. I could cook
things in it. Little crotch-pot cookin'." "Well, can you
tell me what it feels like?" "Fool, it's hot! I told you
again. Were you born on the sun? It's damn hot. I saw - It's so damn
hot, I saw these little guys their orange robes burst into flames.
It's that hot. Do you know what I'm talking about?" "What
do you think it's gonna be like tonight?" "It's gonna be
hot and wet! That's nice if you're with a lady, but it ain't no good
if you're in the jungle." "Thank you, Roosevelt"
- Adrian also made a joke about a "protective dike":
("The Mississippi River broke through a protective dike today." What
is a protective dike? Is that a large woman standing by the river,
goin' 'Don't go near there!' But Betty - 'Don't go near there! Get
away from the river! Stay away from there'... I know we can't use
the word 'dyke.' You can't even say 'lesbian' anymore, it's 'women
in comfortable shoes.' Thank You.")
- during the so-called "abbreviation"
scene, DJ Cronauer used Army jargon to imitate Lt. Steven Hauk
(Bruno Kirby) speaking about former Vice-President Nixon: "Excuse
me, sir. Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn't we keep
the P.C. on the Q.T.? 'Cause if it leaks to the V.C. he could end
up M.I.A., and then we'd all be put out in K.P."
- Cronauer also irreverently commented on the Pope's
bathsoap product: ("Also the Pope decided today to release Vatican-related
bath products. An incredible thing, yes, it's the new Pope On A Rope.
That's right. Pope On A Rope. Wash with it, go straight to heaven.
Thank you"); his assistant PFC Edward Garlick
broke up in laughter
- Nixon's real voice was broadcast in an irreverent "off-color
parody" - the DJ spliced in an embarrassing interview question
asked of Nixon during a taped press conference:
"I think I'd like to delve into something slightly more personal
for the men in the field. How would you describe your testicles?"
- Nixon answered - an actual quote from the press conference: "That
they're soft and they're very shallow and they serve no purpose...They
lack the physical strength"; Lt. Hauk reacted with dismay to the
broadcast
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DJ Cronauer's Manic Radio Broadcasts
The DJ's "Protective Dike" Joke
Using Army Jargon to the Fullest
PFC Edward Garlick's Reaction to Cronauer's "Pope
on a Rope" Joke
Lt. Hauk's Reaction to an Off-Color Nixon "Parody"
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