Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

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Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
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Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

In director Barry Levinson's comedy war drama, centering around the manic, partly ad-libbed 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) - beginning with his 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"
  • his comparison of the DMZ 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's 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.")
  • the abbreviation scene when 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."
  • and the DJ's commentary 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 (Forest Whitaker) broke up in laughter
  • the broadcast of Nixon's real voice 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



Manic Broadcasts

Protective Dike Joke

Army Jargon Scene

PFC Edward Garlick's Reaction to the "Pope on a Rope" Joke

Lt. Hauk's Reaction to Off-Color Nixon "Parody"

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