What other Timothy Dalton movie should we check out? JAMES BOND Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLQHhQlj8i5dp_oymDpZRwVEgCMP9fUpks.html HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS: th-cam.com/video/jT8eSVcmQLw/w-d-xo.html
Most guys around my age, have had a serious crush on Jennifer Connelly since we first saw her in ‘Labyrinth’. She’s such a talented, and beautiful, actress.
that's crazy that the sign was just advertising for Hollywoodland, & the land fell down. & everyone is like, "Oh. Hollywood. We should keep that up." if it hadn't fallen, we would never have the Hollywood sign how crazy & perfect is that???
@jollyjakelovell6822 i drew a blank for a moment when you said that but yes Scar from ''The Lion KING '' of course . if i had a mustache myself i'd be twirling it now lol!! love this movie and the great old timey comic look !
The other day i heard an interview with a person whose first big role was an extra in a scene. The director told him the role of background actors is to act in such a way to not distract the viewers from the main character's interaction.
@Serai3 Gene Wilder's version of Wonka is the supreme example of this concept. I was often told something to the effect of "shut up and listen more" while acting, though with more colourful metaphors.
I love this movie! I saw The Rocketeer in 70mm IMAX in 1991. At the beginning when the Hanger doors open it was amazing in IMAX. The Rocketeer is why Marvel chose Joe Johnson to direct the First Captain America movie.
Flying Jenny is slange by pilots I belive its a type of plane. Dalton character I belive is based on Errol Flynn a Hollywood Acter at that time who may had Nazi leanings.
*The choice in props was great.* It has a mix of 1900s to 1930s cars depending on the income of the people driving them. Choosing the the autogyro (1934's It Happened One Night) as the save. And I'm glad Disney allowed the violence associated with gangsters and Nazis. It wasn't gratuitous but enough to let kids know not to glorify these bad guys. (As opposed to today where Disney glorifies stormtroopers at their theme parks.)
@@brucebezold2714 *An unauthorized biography of Flynn alleged his Nazi leanings and bisexuality.* Flynn's friend David Niven and coworker Iron Eyes Cody, respectively, said these things were not true. Flynn was the quintessential swashbuckler of that era so any modern portrayals will likely be based on [the perception of] him.
I think it flew under the radar for many different kinds of audience simply because it was for younger audiences or families, being a Disney/Touchstone production. It's star studded in the age of mass marketing campaigns in franchise this and franchise that, product placing all the way in the 1990s but being more coy in the actual film, to keep the adults happy. The opening scenes with the orchestral overture is a direct reference to 1983's "The Right Stuff"; Chuck Yeager (Test Pilot) chewed Beeman's, too. The long term will prove this one of the "classic Disney" cult hits despite the lower ratings that polls give it. There are much worse films far more loved.
This movie has everything... Hollywoodland, Sword fighting, racing planes, FBI, the Mob, Nazis, locals, Howard Hughes, giant henchmen and a beautiful Jennifer Connelly💛! Can't ask for more! Thank you Jenny Valentine Murray for sharing your wonderful reaction! ❤️🌹
8:42 - "Look at this blimp." - Technically, a "blimp" is a football-shaped balloon, with a small control gondola underneath. What's shown in this movie are zeppelins. They differ in that the whole thing isn't filled with gas. It has gas bags inside it, but it also has cabins for passengers and other internal rooms. The gondola on the bottom is just the control room, most of the crew and passengers are up inside the main body. 8:50 - "I've always wanted to put a chair under a doorknob like that and see if it really works." - In my experience most doorknobs are higher than the back of most chairs. So while it works in theory, in practice, it usually doesn't. 27:44 - "Well there you go." - Hughes is referring to the "Spruce Goose", a large cargo plane built by Hughes' company, that only ever made one test flight, and even then, it only flew for a few seconds, less than 100 feet above the water. It was considered an impractical design. In that scene, Cliff is using a model of the plane to make his escape. 34:12 - "Let me know if there are more Timothy Dalton movies that I should check out." - Watch Flash Gordon (1980), it's classic 80s cheese.
This past September may have seen the end of the air races: the City of Reno kicked them out of Stead Field, so that developers can build up the surrounding land...bastards! They're in the process of searching for a new location, but as of now, even the best ones they've found are lacking support facilities (adequate hotel space, a nearby trauma center, etc.). They plan on starting up at a new location in a few years, but - I dunno...
The Reno races were not ended to develop the land. That was just the plan implemented after the races were ending anyway. They were on the ropes for over a decade after a plane went into the crowd. There were accidents on a regular basis and the insurance was getting too high. The association announced that last year would be the end. And the final race year was marked by another fatal crash cutting the event short.
@@mikearmstrong8483 Nope, The land surrounding Stead Field has been getting more & more crowded in the last 15 years. When the city decided to take one of the fields used for spectator parking and build a giant warehouse on it, everybody knew the days were numbered - the crash of The Galloping Ghost & the ensuing lawsuits were just the excuse to actually start the process. There have always been crashes at the air races, just never one involving spectators.
The headliner at The South Seas Club is, though unidentified, essentially, Artie Shaw, popular clarinettist and bandleader of the day. The interloper is W.C. Fields ( guess you haven't seen any of his movies yet ). The singer is Melora Hardin - remembered as Jan from "The Office".
Joe Johnston, in addition to directing some pretty successful movies, started his career as one of the primary concept artists behind the original Star Wars trilogy and the first two Indiana Jones films. He helped design things like the Tie Fighters, the Stormtroopers, Luke’s Landspeeder, and even Boba Fett’s outfit.
I consider this movie to be part of the MCU. Taking place a few years before Captain America The First Avenger. It works GREAT. Not only is Joe Johnston also the director of Captain America TFA, but if you imagine Howard Stark and Howard Hughes as rival inventors of aviation technologies, with Hughes inventing jet propulsion, while Howard Stark invented repulsor technology, it adds like an interesting backstory to both of the Howards. And of course Howard Stark is based on Howard Hughes to begin with, so making the two rivals makes perfect sense. And then you can imagine The Rocketeer as being the first superhero, and you can imagine that he worked with the SSR The Strategic Scientific Reserve (The precursor to SHIELD), so that Howard Stark and the Rocketeer actually worked together, and after Captain America went into the ice and Howard Stark founded Shield, perhaps Howard and Peggy Carter went and teamed up with The Rocketeer again because they didn't have a superhero to work with anymore, and they needed someone. So then maybe you can imagine that a young Tony Stark grew up listening to his dad's stories about The Rocketeer, and maybe Tony even met Cliff Secord and Jenny few couple times when he was young, and witnessed The Rocketeer in action on videos or whatever. So when it came time to become Iron Man how did he design his helmet? A noseless, mouthless gleaming golden face, with a red body to mimic The Rocketeer's red leather jacket. So that then retroactively turns The Rocketeer into basically the original Iron Man. And of course both of them are Disney movies. And Tony Stark eventually creates the first technological Spider-Man costume for Spider-Man, and instead of the JARVIS AI controlling Spider-Man's spidersuit it's KAREN (AKA "Suit Lady") who is playing by Connolly. Because maybe Tony Stark actually met Jenny alongside The Rocketeer when he was a kid/teen. And let me tell you something that's a cold hard fact: any boy who lays eyes on young Jennifer Connelly is never going to forget her for the rest of his life. So Tony Stark creating Karen as a tribute to Jenny, based off her voice and personality, would make PERFECT sense as something he would do as a gift to his teenage friend. With really just a couple little jumps of imagination, this movie can serve as a backstory for Tony Stark, Iron Man, Howard Stark, the SSR, SHIELD, and Spider-Man's spidersuit. And it all fits in perfectly. And actually there are several movies that I consider part of the MCU that aren't actually part of the MCU. The Indiana Jones movies are more, because Captain America TFA straight-up dieectly references the events of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Last Crusade, and Dial Of Destiny, with the Red Skull mocking Hitler for wasting time in the desert digging for magic treasures. So, in that way, you can imagine that while Indiana Jones is running around the desert fighting Nazis to keep them from getting their hands on the Ark, and the Holy Grail, and the Dial Of Destiny, etc, back in America The Rocketeer is ALSO battling Nazis, all before World War II actually breaks out and Captain America is created. In fact, this movie would be taking place at the same time as Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, in 1938.
Like putting batman in marvel, the rocketeer is currently owned by idw, and has never been associated with marvel ever since his first debut in the 50s
Lothar, the monstrous henchman, was a representation of a real life actor in the late 30's early 40's, Rondo Hatton. Rondo was a handsome athlete in college but then he came down with Acromegaly, a form of gigantism. Rondo is most famous for his role as The Creeper in The Pearl of Death, a Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movie. Everyone with acromegaly becomes disfigured in the same way.
In WW1, Rondo Hatton was an army engineer and handled mustard gas containers. He got a face full of the gas due to a leak and it hospitalized him. It’s believed that his Acromegaly was triggered by the event.
The Rocketeer is based on Dave Stevens's comic book creation of the same name. Steve was a great draftsman with the brush and is one of my all-time favorites as a comic book illustrator. Jenny is based on Bettie Page who was a very popular pinup gal from the late 40s, and 50s. She had lived a very interesting life and after Daves's "resurrection" of her name became a popular person in the comic book world. Currently, there is an ongoing comic book series from Dynamic Comics starring Bettie as the title Heroine of the series. Dave himself was a handsome fellow, the comic book Hero was modeled on his looks. Steve can be seen in the movie playing a cameo part as the German test pilot for the rocket
They're good fun. I should have added that a Bio-movie was made of Bettie Page not long ago, And I think it's worth everyone's time to do an image search and look at both Steve's work and what Bettie was up to along her life journey.@@RichardFay
They're good fun. I also should have added that there was a bio-movie on Bettie Page made not too long ago. Also, I hope everyone would image search Dave Stevens's work and Bettie Page to get an idea about their craft@@RichardFay
It's Bettie in the comic but Jenny is specifically not based on Bettie Page if you ask Disney's many, many IP lawyers. This is due in part to it being a Disney film and wanting it to be more family friendly as this came out under the Walt Disney banner and not their more adult Touchstone banner but that was probably more of an excuse to cover for the real reason. Disney being cheap and not wanting to pay for the rights to use the name Bettie Page.
@@kevinmoore2929 Indeed she does. It stands to reason there would be a fellow man of culture watching Jen's channel. I have some Olivia's in my collection. She is a talented artist.
An underrated classic. I love the simple, timeless, design of the costume. Campbell makes a great, handsome, earnest, protagonist. Dalton makes a great, smarmy, antagonist. Jennifer Connelly is sublime. Terry O'Quinn turns in a brief but charming turn as Hughes. Lothar's makeup was modeled after a real actor from the '30s and '40s, Rondo Hatton. Because he had acromegaly, he went from being voted handsomest boy of his senior class, to having a face that made him a horror film icon. And, yes, the Hollywood sign actually used to say Hollywoodland.
The Rocketeer was one of my favourites growing up I still have the vhs tape. The score by James Horner was amazing, plus Timothy Dalton’s in this and we all know how much Jen adores him.
for some reason stories set in 1920’s and 1930’s were very popular in the early 1990’s, and it totally worked on me. Indiana Jones, The Untouchables, The Rocketeer, The Phantom, Dick Tracy, The Shadow, Swing Kids, Dead Poets Society, Batman The Animated Series… even the movie White Squall had an impact on me for this time period. watching movies from this time period and learning about what truly happened are different things… because WOW! 😮
Jen, director Joe Johnston was Art Director for the original Star Wars trilogy, and helped design things like the Millennium Falcon. His other director’s credits include Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, Jumanji, Captain America: The First Avenger and October Sky.
The model which Cliff hangs on to is the Hughes H-4 Hercules, A.K.A. the Spruce Goose. Only one was ever built. It is massive and holds the record of being the world’s largest wooden built seaplane. It flew just once, in 1947. It is preserved and on display at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Oregon. The Rocketeer remains one of Disney’s most underrated films. It has an incredible soundtrack, Jennifer Connelly, and a mustachioed villain by way of Timothy Dalton. What is not to love? Gladdens my heart that Jen discovered this gem.
0:07 -- RE: The Strong Thematic Opening, "Classic Disney"; See also: "The Right Stuff" (1983) which epitomized the visual and musical style of films for several decades and certainly gave "The Rocketeer" a nice kick in the pants with musical help from Bill Conti.
6:10 - THE PILLARS OF ROOM. The locaton of this scene is not a filmset, it is the 'Ennis Brown House' and has been used as a bad guy's lair in many movies (over 80 screen appearances) inc. 'Karate Kid 3', 'Mulholland Drive', 'Rush Hour', 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Predator 2', 'Beverly Hills Cop II', and 'Blade Runner'. The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923 and was built in 1924.
24:03 The design of Neville Sinclair’s house is based on a real house in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, near Griffith Park (where the Observatory we see toward the end of the film is located), called the Ennis House, which was designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1923 and built in 1924. It has been seen in various other films and has sometimes had its interior recreated on studio soundstages, as was done in this film.
"You look like a lady in need of a quarter..." The movie you're thinking of is 'Career Opportunities'. I remember renting that movie and the tape acting screwy during the rocking horse scene because the tape had been paused and rewound so many times. I'm guilty too. lol.
The "licorice stick" (a clarinet) was very popular during the Big Band era of the '30s and '40s. Band leaders like Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey featured them a lot as soloists in their compositions. I only know because it was my "Dad's music" when I was growing up. As a rock-and-roll teen in the '70s I hated "Dad's music", but later learned to appreciate it and very much enjoy it today!
Yes! Was hoping you'd react to this one, at some point. One of my favorite movies, as a kid. 27:33 - Cliff escapes using a model of The Spruce Goose, here. It was a real plane Hughes designed during World War II. Materials were short due to the war, so he was tasked with finding cost cutting measures to create a massive plane for military troops and cargo transport. It was six times larger than any other aircraft at the time and made entirely of wood. It only flew one time.
First off mad props to the late great Dave Stevens for his one of a kind skills and artist talents that made this amazing under appreciated film possible. For those of you not familiar with him or his great body of work, give "Drawn to Perfection" a viewing, as it's a documentary on his life and is currently on Amazon Prime. And while this movie was meant to take place in old Hollywood, they couldn't have picked a better actress than Jennifer Connelly to represent the look of that time period. She was drop dead gorgeous in this film and was an amazing choice to represent Dave's amazing "pin-up" girl art style that he was mostly known for.
Max Grodenchik played the thief that hid the pack early in the film. He is better known for playing Rom on Deep Space 9. The Gee Bee is a replica of the 1932 Gee Bee Model R. It was first flown by Jimmy Doolittle (see Raid Over Tokyo) and he sold it because it was dangerous to fly.
@@ortizmo Max and Armin Shimmerman's portrayals of Ferrengi added so much depth to their species. Much like the Klingons in TOS, they were deemed to be a simple 2 dimensional bad guy for the series.
There is an old quote, from Captain A. G. Lamplugh, who was the Chief Inspector of Accidents for the British Air Ministry in the 1930s. The full quote is: "Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect."
This movies is in my top five movies. Absolutely love this movie. I watched this movie for the first time when I was about5 years old. We were visiting my Grandmother for a week and one day my dad rented this movie. We watched it together and had a fantastic time. The next day my dad went to a hobby shop and bought a model kit of the Gee Bee (the plane from the beginning and end). We built it together and painted it like the one from then end. This movie holds a special place in my hart.
27:36 - In case you missed it, Cliff made his escape using a mock-up of the Spruce Goose, a plane Hughes designed that nobody thought would fly because it was too big. On a related note, you should react to The Aviator if you haven't already.
Joe Johnson also directed October Sky, Jumanji, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III, and Captain America: The First Avenger. He started with effects work on Battlestar Galactica, also co-created the character Boba Fett, won an academy award for special effects for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and was the assistant producer on Willow.
Back in 1991, I was 11. This was one of my favorite films. On top of that, it was based in an comic book series from the 1980s by the late Dave Stevens. Inspired by Saturday Matinee serials and comic strips of the era. The director, Joe Johnston also directed Captain America:The First Avenger (2011) which was the same flavor. Great cast here. Bill Campbell (Cliff) & Jennifer Connelly (Jenny) were a real offscreen couple at the time and did have that quintessential archetype of pairings similar in that era of Hollywood. The late Alan Arkin as Peevy was hilarious. Timothy Dalton as an villain certainty had a good time and I thought he was great. Terry O' Quinn as Howard Hughes was perfect casting and I learned at that time, Mr. Hughes was the inspiration for Marvel's Iron Man. A summer, popcorn flick that I saw twice in the theaters. For me, it was all about Cliff in his outfit with the Rocket pack going into action. I was into the tie-in stuff like with Pizza Hut and M&Ms. Also loved playing the NES video game. My youngest nephew watched the animated series (2019-2020) on Disney Jr. He didn't know there was a Rocketeer movie, I showed it to him and he loved it. Another great adaptation of comic-material by Disney is Dick Tracy (1990).
How could you not fall in love with Jen, even while unabashedly gushing over Timothy Dalton 😂 her giddy girlish glee over clarinets and big explosions followed by a grandpa wheeze ..this channel must never end❤
Another true comics to film was *Dick Tracy* (1990) with Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, and Madonna, which also takes place in the 30s. Great music by *Danny Elfman* too! 🎶
This movie was one of the first movies I shared with my kids. When I was in high school The Rocketeer inspired me to write an extra credit paper on the fuel that might be used in such a device for my Chemistry class. My teacher was impressed by how much I got right compared to how much I got wrong. This was in the mid 90s, so the internet was not a thing. I settled on ethlocycloheptane as the fuel but my problem was that the energy output of the fuel wasn’t high enough, it didn’t pack enough bang for my buck… Enjoy the movie!
One of my favorite movies ever. I saw this when it came out in theaters and loved it so much that I went to see it multiple times; I was 20 years old. I loved the score and the time period it was set in. Bill Campbell and Jennifer Connelly were amazing as Cliff and Jenny; Timothy Dalton was an excellent villain. And the late Paul Sorvino and the late Alan Arkin as Eddie Valentine and Peavy were outstanding. Watch the film closely and you can spot Ron Howard's brother, Clint Howard, as one of Eddie Valentine's men.
Thanks for the reacting to this, Jen. Jennifer Connelly is gorgeous in this, but doesn't really get to show her acting chops. Hope you'll someday get to one of her movies that really show her acting skills - perhaps "A Beautiful Mind," for which she won an Oscar.
Such a great balance of adventure, tone, and style! It was ahead of it's time in a couple of ways but most everyone who gives it a chance can see it's charm. Also one of the very few movies to feature the GeeBee racing planes!
I share the sentiments of many how underrated this movie is ... I read the original graphic novels/comics back in the day & saw it back when the film was first released. Loved it then, love it now. It breaks my heart that Stevens is no longer with us, dying of hairy cell leukemia in 2008. I got to meet him at a comic book convention back in the day ... I asked him the silly question if the little Dog Diner was based on a real building (it is). In the original graphic novel, Bettie (played by Connelly) was based on the classic pinup model Bettie Paige. Stevens based the character's appearance entirely on Paige, with his iconic art style helping create interest in Paige's photos again ... When Paige decided to reemerge, she wanted to meet Stevens & thank him personally. On Rondo Hatton, I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers him; I had always heard his acromegaly was caused by his exposure to mustard gas & the stain it caused his body to undergo.
Some trivia: - Timothy Dalton plays a fictionalised version of Errol Flynn in this film. Flynn was allegedly a real life Nazi sympathiser and possibly spy. - The duelling scene is based on that from The Adventures of Robin Hood where Robin Hood (Flynn) duels The Sheriff of Nottingham (Basil Rathbone). - The stabbing incident in The Rocketeer actually occurred in real life during the filming of The Adventures of Robin Hood, although it was Flynn who was stabbed by accident during a swordfight as the director had decided to use un-blunted swords for realism. - The original Rocketeer inspired the Marvel superhero, Torpedo, who has a very similar origin story
The Rocketeer is inspired by the Republic movie serials King of the Rocket Men (1949), Radar Men from the Moon (1952) and Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952 with Leonard Nimoy in a supporting role as a Martian). The name and background of the character changed with each serial. In Radar Men he was called Commando Cody, later adapted as a TV series, Commando Cody, Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953-55). All three serials are available on TH-cam.
I had to read up on it, and while Flynn was a real creep (several one-way mirrors in the bathrooms and guest room of his mansion) the allegations that he was a nazi spy were only made by one guy trying to sell books, and he had no real evidence.
Joe Johnston also directed the first Captain America movie, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Jumanji, but he's most well known for being a concept artist on the original Star Wars movies. He designed the costume for Boba Fett and the AT-ST Walker, amongst other things. Jet and rocket engines are different in that a jet gains its coolant via air intakes, whilst a rocket carries its own coolant, I believe in the form of liquids. As a result, a rocket can operate in atmospheres and in space, whilst jet engines are restricted to atmospheres. The plane seen at the beginning is a Gee Bee racing plane, built for low level air races. And yes, they still have air races, often using ex-WWII fighters. The comic the movie's based on is more adult than the movie, with Jennifer Connelly's character being a nude model {based on Bettie Page) rather than an actress. The concept of the backpack that allows you to fly like a fighter isn't as exaggerated as it might seem, because Yves Rossy had a jet powered pack developed and was successfully flown many times. The main difference is that Rossy can't take off from the ground. th-cam.com/video/x2sT9KoII_M/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/HZRp6iRjnhQ/w-d-xo.html 26:43 The Nazis weren't seen as evil when this supposedly took place, pre-WWII. As a matter of fact, Hitler was nominated "Man of the Year" by Time magazine in 1938. It was only during WWII that they were seen negatively, especially when the death camps were discovered in 1945.
Theres a couple of other films from the 90s based on old time hero characters - The Shadow (starring Alec Baldwin) and The Phantom (starring Billy Zane). In the 2000s there was an original film with a similar vibe - Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow (starring Jude Law).
I loved this movie when I was a kid. Joe Johnston also directed "Captain America: The First Avenger", and I was so happy in the lead up to its release to know that it was directed by the same guy who directed "The Rocketeer".
I saw this movie with my dad when it came out in the theaters. We both loved watching it as the hero was very much like the old comics and radio show heroes my dad had grown up with. He was a kid during the period of time this film took place, and I will never forget the times we spent together.
The patient that was murdered in the hospital, was in sister act, as the limo driver that was killed at the beginning of the movie, and for 7 seasons played on star trek deep space nine.
A fun film, I remember seeing it in the theater. Another great 80's movie with Timothy Dalton is Flash Gordon. Another plus is its soundtrack by Queen. FYI, this was released by Touchtone Pictures. It was an arm of Disney. It released PG-13 and R rated films like this, Dick Tracy and Armegeddon.
27:34 that is a model for the spruce goose that every one said would never fly. it fly for a few hundred feet. later in the 90’s i was housed in a dome in long beach, CA next to the queen Mary. it was later sold to evergreen aviation and moved to Oregon were it remains on display.
This film was so full of calls to the history of Los Angeles in the mid-war period that it's a treat for those familiar with the time and place. Here are some: Don't see a clarinet up front? Check out Tommy Dorsey's orchestra. The man coming up to the table ("doubly pleasured"), Bill, is referencing W.C. Fields. When Sinclair flies off the dirigible and blows up the Hollywood sign it is referencing that the sign was originally and advertisement for a housing development "Hollywoodland." The land part rotted out and fell before the rest thus giving us Hollywood. The camera looking up and the roof of the Griffith Observatory with Secord standing in front of the U.S. flag as the Rocketeer is a reference to the comic imagery of the original graphic novel. When Secord escapes from the FBI by gliding out of Hughes' Aircraft, the plane he uses is a model of the Hercules (Spruce Goose) which leads to Hughes state, "it will fly." Which references the claims by his detractors that the plane would never fly. While it did get off the water for a few miles on a high speed taxi test, the plane never got out of ground effect so we don't know if it would have flown as intended. The diner shaped as a dog references the many buildings as advertisement in Los Angeles in the mid war period through mid century.
I saw this in an Art Deco Theater when it was first released. I love this movie beyond words. I chewed Beeman's gum after watching it. The model plane Cliff grabbed was a Model of a wooden plane that was so huge Hughes wasn't sure it would fly. The AutoGyro plane at the end of the movie was a real plane as well. Love your reaction Jen! There are recent rumors of a reboot/sequel to this movie.
I first saw this movie as a guest at a special press screening: It was the first film to be shown at the newly remodeled and re-christened El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, which had just been painstakingly restored to its original 1920s design. So really it was the debut of both the film and the theater, and the pairing could not have been more perfect. It remains one of the top movie-going experiences of my life.
I was 9 when this movie was released and I can't count the number of times I watched it when I was young. I even had the soundtrack on tape that I regularly used as noise to fall asleep. Over 30 years later I still love this movie and still occasionally listen to the soundtrack to fall asleep.
27:42: Jen, the model Cliff escaped on was of Hughes’ “Spruce Goose”, the largest plane at that time. No one expected something that big to fly, hence his line.
I think I was the only kid in my school who loved this movie when it came out. Measure that kind of frustration of having a hero I couldn't talk about.
This was such a fun and overlooked movie. The director, Joe Johnston, later got to direct a certain other WWII retro-style superhero movie: "Captain America: The First Avenger". He also directed "Jumanji"
The yellow plane at the beginning of the movie is a Granville Brothers 'Gee Bee' Sportster, which would later be replaced by the Gee Bee 'R' series. By 1938, these planes were actually getting past their prime, and most would be re-built with bigger engines, and sometimes lengthened to carry more fuel for cross-country races. Look up Gee Bee 'R', the Gee Bee 'QED' which entered a race from Britain to Australia, flown by two pilots, one was Jackie Cochran, well worth looking up. She had to stop in Bulgaria, sadly. The Hawks 'Time Flies', was essentially the last Gee Bee design that flew. The few remaining are museum pieces or replicas. This film has replica planes in it, but much of the flying is real 1930s planes.
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If you want more Thimoty Dalton movies, you definitively should watch "Flash Gordon".
The Design of The Rocket Jet Pack is really from The 1930s/1940s.You can see the bolts and the weird details that probably wouldn't exist if it was made today.It seems like the designs from the people from the past are so much more stranger and cooler and awesome and pleasant than any from the people of today.If that Jet Rocket Pack was made today - I bet it would have some kind of digital I-pod-like design and with two single colors White and Black or something...
I’ve been in one of the Disney warehouses and saw about ten of Cliff Secord’s leather jackets that were used in the movie that were stored in the costume area.
What a rollicking and rocketing adventure ! [was that too obvious !!?🤔] I love the old timey comic look , Dalton sneering away as the mustache twirling villain , Billy Campbell is great as the lead and of course Jennifer is practically glowing in this . awesome score i always appreciate that all the ingredients for a perfect JEN reaction loved it !
8:30 -- RE: "This is 1938."; A little earlier, if the HIndenberg's still in the news and it's not burning. But otherwise, yeah, they were getting popular for around 15 years with large gains in the last 5 of those.
Hi Jen ,, Joe Johnston also directed "Captain America : The First Avenger" as well as "Jumanji" , "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" , "Jurassic Park III" , and others .. ps The model plane that cliff hanglides on is a model of The Spruce Goose aka the Hughes H-4 Hercules , the largest Flying boat ever Built (built out of wood due to wartime restrictions on Aluminum) , it only ever made one flight on november 2nd 1947 & now has a home at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in Oregon ...
Before this was released, they promoted it with "The Making Of" documentary. It wasn't until years later that I got to see the actual movie. The Phantom, will Billy Zane, came out around the same time! Also a fun film!
Such a great film, I saw this when it first came out. Joe Johnston directed Captain America: The first Avenger. Which makes sense, there’s a lot of cross bleed of tone between both films. The music is astounding, in the comic, Jennifer Connelly’s character is actually Betty Page, Dave Stevens the creator loved her look and drew her as Cliff’s lady, later in life, he met an became friends w/ Betty. There’s a great doc on prime about it. One of my favorite scenes, Cliff putting on the Rocket and Peavey trying to convince him to Not put it on and Cliff perfectly says “Cut it out, Will’ya! I’m scared Enough as it is!” Perfect snapshot of this character, Scared-Still does the right thing. Also, Love LA anytime it’s shown in the past, always feels dream like. Disney at the time swung for the live action, this and “The Three Musketeers” had that same action like vibe.
Yes, weapons at the beginning were “Tommy guns.” The Thompson submachinegun in .45 caliber. “The Chicago Typewriter, “ it was sometimes called, due to the period of gangster activity in that city. By the time this movie is set, laws regulating their possession were in place, but criminal elements still got them.
This is the film that got Joe Johnson the gig directing Captain America because he could do an authentic period story & action. Always loved Dave Stevens comic
There are SO MANY wonderful details & references in this film, that it would take me forever to list them all. The filmmakers had an obvious adoration of the period in general, and period Los Angeles in particular. Dave Stevens' comic was the same way. It is one of my favorite films, and it is a shame how overlooked it is.
13:33 -- RE: Are there Airplane Races Now?; A: Yes ma'am, with perhaps the best known one of all occurring in Reno, Nevada. That's the one with all the hot warbirds c. 1940s, for example.
I love this movie, and was so glad to see you react to it. Several others have recommended Flash Gordon to you, another one in which Timothy Dalton plays a very Errol Flynn-like character, and I strongly agree with them. You might also possibly be interested in the historical film The Doctor and the Devils, based on the Burke and Hare murder case from the early 19th century, with all the names changed to protect the guilty. (That case was ultimately instrumental in bringing about the end of the reason for grave robbery.) Dalton also appears as Heathcliff in a 1970 film version of Wuthering Heights, but I cannot recommend that one.
Oh Jen! You are in for a treat with this one! I know you are going to have a blast with this. Your boy Timothy Dalton playing the heavy, with a very young Bill Campbell and a young super gorgeous Jennifer Connelly. Loads of Fun, good script, GREAT Soundtrack, I know you enjoyed this one!! Super Thanks!
Others have mentioned Rondo Hatton, who inspired the henchdude in this. The real guy made quite an impression on screen, especially as his condition advanced and his face became more disfigured. Hatton didn’t have the longest life but by accident or by design he managed to take best advantage of his misfortune and became something of a Hollywood horror icon of the ‘40s. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons! Jen really needs to add “The Lion in Winter” to her list, maybe around Christmas time. Little Timmy Dalton made his cinematic debut when he was around 21 and goes toe to toe with none other than Anthony Hopkins, also making his debut, and both of them share the screen with the great Peter O’Toole and the even greater Katharine Hepburn. John Barry wrote a kick ass score that proved to the industry that he wasn’t just good for Bond films. One of my favorite movies. 😊
Absolutely amazing movie! I have very fond memories of going to see this at the Movie Theater and seeing it on the huge silver screen. Went with my Dad who has now been passed away for a while now. Yes it was just as fantastic as you would imagine it would be to see it in the theater. The one and only reason this wasn't a really huge hit at the boxoffice was because there was very fierce competition that year and it kinda got lost in the shuffle and ended up just doing ok. So sooo wanted a sequel to this as it was set up perfectly for one. Alas . . . all we have are the comics and our imaginations. Those comics are absolutely amazing BTW. I highly recommend them, even to those who are not normally into comics. Easily found on Kindle Nook etc and there is a physical book that collects them all together. Thank you so much for reacting even to the films that weren't always the biggest success. Thanks for bringing back such great memories. Brought a smile to my face.
"Punch him in his gorgeous face!" 🤣 Still the best lines, Jen! Glad you enjoyed Dalton. Many of us were charmed (doubly) by Jen Connelly 😍 I think it was director Joe Johnston's work on this movie that got him the Captain America: The First Avenger gig
What other Timothy Dalton movie should we check out?
JAMES BOND Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLQHhQlj8i5dp_oymDpZRwVEgCMP9fUpks.html
HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS: th-cam.com/video/jT8eSVcmQLw/w-d-xo.html
flash gordon is the only one that springs to mind jen but hes fantastic in it so highly recommend it
I'm guessing you've done Hot Fuzz already?
yes jens done hot fuzz its on her channel , check it out its fantastic@@weirdcritter
Strange comic book movie Brenda Starr from 1989. Title character is played by Brooke Shields.
THE NANNY THE MOVIE
Jen watching Jen playing Jen: it's JENCEPTION!
Most guys around my age, have had a serious crush on Jennifer Connelly since we first saw her in ‘Labyrinth’. She’s such a talented, and beautiful, actress.
Yeah, that's true... pretty much every lady I ever dated was a brunette. Make of that what you will. 😉
Jennifer Connelly, Elizabeth Shue and Ally Sheedy
@@nataliefaust7959, very true. I apologize for forgetting about the ladies. 😔
@@nataliefaust7959, unfortunately, there are far too many out there that would be rude, but I didn’t really mean any offense by my omission.
A literal fact, my first girlfriend looked like a young Jen, I only did everything to get her attention lmao
I love how they explained how the Hollywoodland sign was shortened.
Hmm. Had the first "d" been spared. They would have called it "Hollywoo."
that's crazy that the sign was just advertising for Hollywoodland,
& the land fell down.
& everyone is like, "Oh. Hollywood. We should keep that up."
if it hadn't fallen, we would never have the Hollywood sign
how crazy & perfect is that???
The best mustache twirling villain performance turned in by Timothy Dalton this side of Jeremy Iron's Scar.
And in Hot Fuzz.
@jollyjakelovell6822 i drew a blank for a moment when you said that but yes Scar from ''The Lion KING '' of course .
if i had a mustache myself i'd be twirling it now lol!!
love this movie and the great old timey comic look !
And here he even had a mustache that he could twirl.
He's a slasher!!!
(... of prices)
@@harveylee51 well I'll be twirling it right up to the moment when I'm yelling yowch........
"Acting is acting like you're not acting. So act, but don't act like you're acting." Best acting advice ever.
The other day i heard an interview with a person whose first big role was an extra in a scene. The director told him the role of background actors is to act in such a way to not distract the viewers from the main character's interaction.
That means that Jennifer and Timothy had to act like they were acting like they weren't acting. Lol
@r7899 A woman I took class with used to tell us never to assume your character is telling the truth. It was a revelation to hear that.
@Serai3 Gene Wilder's version of Wonka is the supreme example of this concept. I was often told something to the effect of
"shut up and listen more" while acting, though with more colourful metaphors.
Who would want a life like that?
Good film! The Spruce Goose actually flew! Films with Timothy Dalton ... might want to watch Flash Gordon (1980).
Oh yes, definitely Flash Gordon
Saw that in a theater when it was released, lol!
Oh yes! Perfect, Flash Gordon it must be!
⚡️⚡️Flash, a-ah! Savior of the universe!⚡️⚡️
(Music by Queen!)
"Maybe my favourite James Bond."
So happy to hear these words. He's my favourite Bond for shure.
I love this movie! I saw The Rocketeer in 70mm IMAX in 1991. At the beginning when the Hanger doors open it was amazing in IMAX. The Rocketeer is why Marvel chose Joe Johnson to direct the First Captain America movie.
Marvel: "Joe, have you ever worked on a good movie?"
Joe: "I made The Rocketeer."
Marvel: *hands him blank check*
Howard Hughes = Howard Stark 8) hahahah, didn't realise the comparison till just now. 8)
Flying Jenny is slange by pilots
I belive its a type of plane.
Dalton character I belive is based on Errol Flynn a Hollywood Acter at that time who may had Nazi leanings.
*The choice in props was great.* It has a mix of 1900s to 1930s cars depending on the income of the people driving them. Choosing the the autogyro (1934's It Happened One Night) as the save. And I'm glad Disney allowed the violence associated with gangsters and Nazis. It wasn't gratuitous but enough to let kids know not to glorify these bad guys. (As opposed to today where Disney glorifies stormtroopers at their theme parks.)
@@brucebezold2714 *An unauthorized biography of Flynn alleged his Nazi leanings and bisexuality.* Flynn's friend David Niven and coworker Iron Eyes Cody, respectively, said these things were not true. Flynn was the quintessential swashbuckler of that era so any modern portrayals will likely be based on [the perception of] him.
legit one of the most ignored and underrated pictures of all time.
I loved it as a kid
I think it flew under the radar for many different kinds of audience simply because it was for younger audiences or families, being a Disney/Touchstone production. It's star studded in the age of mass marketing campaigns in franchise this and franchise that, product placing all the way in the 1990s but being more coy in the actual film, to keep the adults happy. The opening scenes with the orchestral overture is a direct reference to 1983's "The Right Stuff"; Chuck Yeager (Test Pilot) chewed Beeman's, too. The long term will prove this one of the "classic Disney" cult hits despite the lower ratings that polls give it. There are much worse films far more loved.
They're making a sequel
This movie has everything... Hollywoodland, Sword fighting, racing planes, FBI, the Mob, Nazis, locals, Howard Hughes, giant henchmen and a beautiful Jennifer Connelly💛! Can't ask for more! Thank you Jenny Valentine Murray for sharing your wonderful reaction! ❤️🌹
You forgot about The Jet Pack!
Rest In Peace, Paul Sorvino and Alan Arkin . 🥀🥀
8:42 - "Look at this blimp." - Technically, a "blimp" is a football-shaped balloon, with a small control gondola underneath. What's shown in this movie are zeppelins. They differ in that the whole thing isn't filled with gas. It has gas bags inside it, but it also has cabins for passengers and other internal rooms. The gondola on the bottom is just the control room, most of the crew and passengers are up inside the main body.
8:50 - "I've always wanted to put a chair under a doorknob like that and see if it really works." - In my experience most doorknobs are higher than the back of most chairs. So while it works in theory, in practice, it usually doesn't.
27:44 - "Well there you go." - Hughes is referring to the "Spruce Goose", a large cargo plane built by Hughes' company, that only ever made one test flight, and even then, it only flew for a few seconds, less than 100 feet above the water. It was considered an impractical design. In that scene, Cliff is using a model of the plane to make his escape.
34:12 - "Let me know if there are more Timothy Dalton movies that I should check out." - Watch Flash Gordon (1980), it's classic 80s cheese.
after i win the lottery, i'm bringing back zeppelins for air travel
The Rocketeer was the great adventure movie of my childhood. Everyone did so well. Absolutely loved Alan Arkin's character.
Same here, I was born in 83 and grew up on this as well!
I saw The Rocketeer 7x in the theatre.
@@reesebn38 Dang, I saw it in the hospital where i had a major surgery, the nurses let me watch it on loop as much as i wanted!
RIP Alan Arkin.
Me too. I love the cut to Arkin's face as Cliff is "pushing" the car with the jet back. Priceless!
William Campbell (The Rocketeer) was one of the finalists for the role of Will riker when tNG was beginning.
Yup! Think he was 2nd in line after Jonathan Frakes.
And he shows up as a swashbuckling rogue who turns up in multiple crew quarters in a TNG episode.
"William"?
@@timlukko3815 He amd Jeff Combs (Shran, Weyoun, Brunt) were the runners up among others.
@@miller-joelThat’s his full first name.
this movie really deserved much more love. it's a timeless classic.
"I don't think it's the kind of gangster movie where people get shot and it's gruesome."
Lothar has entered the hospital.
LOL Disney was a bit darker back then.
Disney was dark, is still dark, but it used to be too… usually to parental units.
The actor behind him always m smirk,, because of the characters he plays and his contrary stage name… Tiny Ron.
Yes. Air races still go on. The Reno Air Racing Association has been organizing the National Championship Air Races for over 60 years.
I was gonna suggest to Jen: look up Red Bull Air Races
This past September may have seen the end of the air races: the City of Reno kicked them out of Stead Field, so that developers can build up the surrounding land...bastards!
They're in the process of searching for a new location, but as of now, even the best ones they've found are lacking support facilities (adequate hotel space, a nearby trauma center, etc.). They plan on starting up at a new location in a few years, but - I dunno...
The Reno races were not ended to develop the land. That was just the plan implemented after the races were ending anyway. They were on the ropes for over a decade after a plane went into the crowd. There were accidents on a regular basis and the insurance was getting too high. The association announced that last year would be the end. And the final race year was marked by another fatal crash cutting the event short.
@@mikearmstrong8483 Nope,
The land surrounding Stead Field has been getting more & more crowded in the last 15 years. When the city decided to take one of the fields used for spectator parking and build a giant warehouse on it, everybody knew the days were numbered - the crash of The Galloping Ghost & the ensuing lawsuits were just the excuse to actually start the process.
There have always been crashes at the air races, just never one involving spectators.
The headliner at The South Seas Club is, though unidentified, essentially, Artie Shaw, popular clarinettist and bandleader of the day. The interloper is W.C. Fields ( guess you haven't seen any of his movies yet ). The singer is Melora Hardin - remembered as Jan from "The Office".
The plane that crashed at the air show was supposed to be a Curtis JN-4 trainer. It was known as the Jenny!
Joe Johnston, in addition to directing some pretty successful movies, started his career as one of the primary concept artists behind the original Star Wars trilogy and the first two Indiana Jones films. He helped design things like the Tie Fighters, the Stormtroopers, Luke’s Landspeeder, and even Boba Fett’s outfit.
I consider this movie to be part of the MCU.
Taking place a few years before Captain America The First Avenger.
It works GREAT.
Not only is Joe Johnston also the director of Captain America TFA, but if you imagine Howard Stark and Howard Hughes as rival inventors of aviation technologies, with Hughes inventing jet propulsion, while Howard Stark invented repulsor technology, it adds like an interesting backstory to both of the Howards.
And of course Howard Stark is based on Howard Hughes to begin with, so making the two rivals makes perfect sense.
And then you can imagine The Rocketeer as being the first superhero, and you can imagine that he worked with the SSR The Strategic Scientific Reserve (The precursor to SHIELD), so that Howard Stark and the Rocketeer actually worked together, and after Captain America went into the ice and Howard Stark founded Shield, perhaps Howard and Peggy Carter went and teamed up with The Rocketeer again because they didn't have a superhero to work with anymore, and they needed someone.
So then maybe you can imagine that a young Tony Stark grew up listening to his dad's stories about The Rocketeer, and maybe Tony even met Cliff Secord and Jenny few couple times when he was young, and witnessed The Rocketeer in action on videos or whatever.
So when it came time to become Iron Man how did he design his helmet? A noseless, mouthless gleaming golden face, with a red body to mimic The Rocketeer's red leather jacket.
So that then retroactively turns The Rocketeer into basically the original Iron Man.
And of course both of them are Disney movies.
And Tony Stark eventually creates the first technological Spider-Man costume for Spider-Man, and instead of the JARVIS AI controlling Spider-Man's spidersuit it's KAREN (AKA "Suit Lady") who is playing by Connolly.
Because maybe Tony Stark actually met Jenny alongside The Rocketeer when he was a kid/teen.
And let me tell you something that's a cold hard fact: any boy who lays eyes on young Jennifer Connelly is never going to forget her for the rest of his life.
So Tony Stark creating Karen as a tribute to Jenny, based off her voice and personality, would make PERFECT sense as something he would do as a gift to his teenage friend.
With really just a couple little jumps of imagination, this movie can serve as a backstory for Tony Stark, Iron Man, Howard Stark, the SSR, SHIELD, and Spider-Man's spidersuit.
And it all fits in perfectly.
And actually there are several movies that I consider part of the MCU that aren't actually part of the MCU.
The Indiana Jones movies are more, because Captain America TFA straight-up dieectly references the events of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Last Crusade, and Dial Of Destiny, with the Red Skull mocking Hitler for wasting time in the desert digging for magic treasures.
So, in that way, you can imagine that while Indiana Jones is running around the desert fighting Nazis to keep them from getting their hands on the Ark, and the Holy Grail, and the Dial Of Destiny, etc, back in America The Rocketeer is ALSO battling Nazis, all before World War II actually breaks out and Captain America is created.
In fact, this movie would be taking place at the same time as Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, in 1938.
Don't forget the other Howard, The Duck!
@@Britcarjunkie Pretty hard to fit Howard The Duck into the MCU when there's already a completely different MCU version.
@@ieyke Feels safe to assume they were talking about the one that's already in the MCU.
Like putting batman in marvel, the rocketeer is currently owned by idw, and has never been associated with marvel ever since his first debut in the 50s
@@bardock1541 Irrelevant.
They both Disney.
And it works FLAWLESSLY.
Lothar, the monstrous henchman, was a representation of a real life actor in the late 30's early 40's, Rondo Hatton. Rondo was a handsome athlete in college but then he came down with Acromegaly, a form of gigantism. Rondo is most famous for his role as The Creeper in The Pearl of Death, a Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movie. Everyone with acromegaly becomes disfigured in the same way.
That's awesome somebody else knows about that guy. I loved that Sherlock Holmes movie...I have the whole collection of Basil Rathbone as Holmes.
The other thug was made up to look like former cowboy star and sometimes gangster's henchman Bob Steele.
In WW1, Rondo Hatton was an army engineer and handled mustard gas containers. He got a face full of the gas due to a leak and it hospitalized him. It’s believed that his Acromegaly was triggered by the event.
@@TheJabbate1 Never heard that theory before. I've been interested in Rondo Hatton all my life because my dad had acromegaly too.
It was the mustard gas.
The Rocketeer is based on Dave Stevens's comic book creation of the same name. Steve was a great draftsman with the brush and is one of my all-time favorites as a comic book illustrator. Jenny is based on Bettie Page who was a very popular pinup gal from the late 40s, and 50s. She had lived a very interesting life and after Daves's "resurrection" of her name became a popular person in the comic book world. Currently, there is an ongoing comic book series from Dynamic Comics starring Bettie as the title Heroine of the series. Dave himself was a handsome fellow, the comic book Hero was modeled on his looks. Steve can be seen in the movie playing a cameo part as the German test pilot for the rocket
I've read some of those, and i liked them; especially the inclusion of Doc Savage and the Shadow under different names.
They're good fun. I should have added that a Bio-movie was made of Bettie Page not long ago, And I think it's worth everyone's time to do an image search and look at both Steve's work and what Bettie was up to along her life journey.@@RichardFay
They're good fun. I also should have added that there was a bio-movie on Bettie Page made not too long ago. Also, I hope everyone would image search Dave Stevens's work and Bettie Page to get an idea about their craft@@RichardFay
It's Bettie in the comic but Jenny is specifically not based on Bettie Page if you ask Disney's many, many IP lawyers. This is due in part to it being a Disney film and wanting it to be more family friendly as this came out under the Walt Disney banner and not their more adult Touchstone banner but that was probably more of an excuse to cover for the real reason. Disney being cheap and not wanting to pay for the rights to use the name Bettie Page.
@@kevinmoore2929 Indeed she does. It stands to reason there would be a fellow man of culture watching Jen's channel.
I have some Olivia's in my collection. She is a talented artist.
An underrated classic.
I love the simple, timeless, design of the costume.
Campbell makes a great, handsome, earnest, protagonist.
Dalton makes a great, smarmy, antagonist.
Jennifer Connelly is sublime.
Terry O'Quinn turns in a brief but charming turn as Hughes.
Lothar's makeup was modeled after a real actor from the '30s and '40s, Rondo Hatton. Because he had acromegaly, he went from being voted handsomest boy of his senior class, to having a face that made him a horror film icon.
And, yes, the Hollywood sign actually used to say Hollywoodland.
The Rocketeer is such good fun and Dalton is terrific and clearly having a great time in his villain role. Also one of Horner's best scores.
5:34 😅 she squeaks, “THERE HE IS! … With a sword … he’s so handsome.”
Too Cute 🥰
The Rocketeer was one of my favourites growing up I still have the vhs tape. The score by James Horner was amazing, plus Timothy Dalton’s in this and we all know how much Jen adores him.
for some reason stories set in 1920’s and 1930’s were very popular in the early 1990’s, and it totally worked on me.
Indiana Jones, The Untouchables, The Rocketeer, The Phantom, Dick Tracy, The Shadow, Swing Kids, Dead Poets Society, Batman The Animated Series… even the movie White Squall had an impact on me for this time period.
watching movies from this time period and learning about what truly happened are different things… because WOW! 😮
Disney didn't want to do it as a period movie
which makes NO sense?
One of my favorites. Also check out Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow (2004).
Jen, director Joe Johnston was Art Director for the original Star Wars trilogy, and helped design things like the Millennium Falcon. His other director’s credits include Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, Jumanji, Captain America: The First Avenger and October Sky.
Also the first Jumanji film.
Honey I shrunk the kids
The model which Cliff hangs on to is the Hughes H-4 Hercules, A.K.A. the Spruce Goose. Only one was ever built. It is massive and holds the record of being the world’s largest wooden built seaplane. It flew just once, in 1947. It is preserved and on display at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Oregon.
The Rocketeer remains one of Disney’s most underrated films. It has an incredible soundtrack, Jennifer Connelly, and a mustachioed villain by way of Timothy Dalton. What is not to love? Gladdens my heart that Jen discovered this gem.
0:07 -- RE: The Strong Thematic Opening, "Classic Disney"; See also: "The Right Stuff" (1983) which epitomized the visual and musical style of films for several decades and certainly gave "The Rocketeer" a nice kick in the pants with musical help from Bill Conti.
Timothy Dalton also played Rhett Butler in the mini-series, "Scarlet."
6:10 - THE PILLARS OF ROOM. The locaton of this scene is not a filmset, it is the 'Ennis Brown House' and has been used as a bad guy's lair in many movies (over 80 screen appearances) inc. 'Karate Kid 3', 'Mulholland Drive', 'Rush Hour', 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Predator 2', 'Beverly Hills Cop II', and 'Blade Runner'. The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923 and was built in 1924.
24:03 The design of Neville Sinclair’s house is based on a real house in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, near Griffith Park (where the Observatory we see toward the end of the film is located), called the Ennis House, which was designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1923 and built in 1924. It has been seen in various other films and has sometimes had its interior recreated on studio soundstages, as was done in this film.
I LOVE Jennifer Connelly in the 80s movie "Career Knockers...Oops! I mean Opportunities"😂❤🔥
"You look like a lady in need of a quarter..."
The movie you're thinking of is 'Career Opportunities'. I remember renting that movie and the tape acting screwy during the rocking horse scene because the tape had been paused and rewound so many times. I'm guilty too. lol.
haha omg
18:30 - W.C. FIELDS - (JaN 29, 1880 - Dec 25, 1946), was an American actor, comedian, juggler, and writer.
Its fun reliving all these gems! Hail!
Thanks, glad you're enjoying! :)
The "licorice stick" (a clarinet) was very popular during the Big Band era of the '30s and '40s. Band leaders like Glenn Miller and Jimmy Dorsey featured them a lot as soloists in their compositions. I only know because it was my "Dad's music" when I was growing up. As a rock-and-roll teen in the '70s I hated "Dad's music", but later learned to appreciate it and very much enjoy it today!
Yes! Was hoping you'd react to this one, at some point. One of my favorite movies, as a kid.
27:33 - Cliff escapes using a model of The Spruce Goose, here. It was a real plane Hughes designed during World War II. Materials were short due to the war, so he was tasked with finding cost cutting measures to create a massive plane for military troops and cargo transport. It was six times larger than any other aircraft at the time and made entirely of wood. It only flew one time.
All us young boys had huge crushes on Jennifer Connelly after this movie. 😄 For more Timothy Dalton, check out Flash Gordon!
First off mad props to the late great Dave Stevens for his one of a kind skills and artist talents that made this amazing under appreciated film possible. For those of you not familiar with him or his great body of work, give "Drawn to Perfection" a viewing, as it's a documentary on his life and is currently on Amazon Prime. And while this movie was meant to take place in old Hollywood, they couldn't have picked a better actress than Jennifer Connelly to represent the look of that time period. She was drop dead gorgeous in this film and was an amazing choice to represent Dave's amazing "pin-up" girl art style that he was mostly known for.
Max Grodenchik played the thief that hid the pack early in the film. He is better known for playing Rom on Deep Space 9.
The Gee Bee is a replica of the 1932 Gee Bee Model R. It was first flown by Jimmy Doolittle (see Raid Over Tokyo) and he sold it because it was dangerous to fly.
The role of Rom starts out small but he grows into a much loved and expanded hero as the years go by.
@@ortizmo Max and Armin Shimmerman's portrayals of Ferrengi added so much depth to their species. Much like the Klingons in TOS, they were deemed to be a simple 2 dimensional bad guy for the series.
There is an old quote, from Captain A. G. Lamplugh, who was the Chief Inspector of Accidents for the British Air Ministry in the 1930s. The full quote is:
"Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect."
I seen this in theatre it was packed back in 91. Suprized to learned it bombed...
Clarinet is very contemporaneous. A lot of Glen Miller music featured that instrument. You really earned your thumbs up.
👍👍
This movies is in my top five movies. Absolutely love this movie. I watched this movie for the first time when I was about5 years old. We were visiting my Grandmother for a week and one day my dad rented this movie. We watched it together and had a fantastic time. The next day my dad went to a hobby shop and bought a model kit of the Gee Bee (the plane from the beginning and end). We built it together and painted it like the one from then end. This movie holds a special place in my hart.
27:36 - In case you missed it, Cliff made his escape using a mock-up of the Spruce Goose, a plane Hughes designed that nobody thought would fly because it was too big. On a related note, you should react to The Aviator if you haven't already.
Joe Johnson also directed October Sky, Jumanji, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III, and Captain America: The First Avenger. He started with effects work on Battlestar Galactica, also co-created the character Boba Fett, won an academy award for special effects for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and was the assistant producer on Willow.
Back in 1991, I was 11.
This was one of my favorite films.
On top of that, it was based in an comic book series from the 1980s by the late Dave Stevens.
Inspired by Saturday Matinee serials and comic strips of the era.
The director, Joe Johnston also directed Captain America:The First Avenger (2011) which was the same flavor.
Great cast here.
Bill Campbell (Cliff) & Jennifer Connelly (Jenny) were a real offscreen couple at the time and did have that quintessential archetype of pairings similar in that era of Hollywood.
The late Alan Arkin as Peevy was hilarious.
Timothy Dalton as an villain certainty had a good time and I thought he was great.
Terry O' Quinn as Howard Hughes was perfect casting and I learned at that time, Mr. Hughes was the inspiration for Marvel's Iron Man.
A summer, popcorn flick that I saw twice in the theaters.
For me, it was all about Cliff in his outfit with the Rocket pack going into action.
I was into the tie-in stuff like with Pizza Hut and M&Ms.
Also loved playing the NES video game.
My youngest nephew watched the animated series (2019-2020) on Disney Jr.
He didn't know there was a Rocketeer movie, I showed it to him and he loved it.
Another great adaptation of comic-material by Disney is Dick Tracy (1990).
How could you not fall in love with Jen, even while unabashedly gushing over Timothy Dalton 😂 her giddy girlish glee over clarinets and big explosions followed by a grandpa wheeze ..this channel must never end❤
Another true comics to film was *Dick Tracy* (1990) with Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, and Madonna, which also takes place in the 30s.
Great music by *Danny Elfman* too! 🎶
This movie was one of the first movies I shared with my kids. When I was in high school The Rocketeer inspired me to write an extra credit paper on the fuel that might be used in such a device for my Chemistry class. My teacher was impressed by how much I got right compared to how much I got wrong. This was in the mid 90s, so the internet was not a thing.
I settled on ethlocycloheptane as the fuel but my problem was that the energy output of the fuel wasn’t high enough, it didn’t pack enough bang for my buck…
Enjoy the movie!
That's so cool! I've always had fun conjecturing on the fuel myself, but I am neither a chemist nor an aviator, so I don't get very far.
@@Johnny_Socko me neither :)
One of my favorite movies ever. I saw this when it came out in theaters and loved it so much that I went to see it multiple times; I was 20 years old. I loved the score and the time period it was set in. Bill Campbell and Jennifer Connelly were amazing as Cliff and Jenny; Timothy Dalton was an excellent villain. And the late Paul Sorvino and the late Alan Arkin as Eddie Valentine and Peavy were outstanding. Watch the film closely and you can spot Ron Howard's brother, Clint Howard, as one of Eddie Valentine's men.
Thanks for the reacting to this, Jen. Jennifer Connelly is gorgeous in this, but doesn't really get to show her acting chops. Hope you'll someday get to one of her movies that really show her acting skills - perhaps "A Beautiful Mind," for which she won an Oscar.
Such a great balance of adventure, tone, and style! It was ahead of it's time in a couple of ways but most everyone who gives it a chance can see it's charm.
Also one of the very few movies to feature the GeeBee racing planes!
I share the sentiments of many how underrated this movie is ... I read the original graphic novels/comics back in the day & saw it back when the film was first released. Loved it then, love it now. It breaks my heart that Stevens is no longer with us, dying of hairy cell leukemia in 2008.
I got to meet him at a comic book convention back in the day ... I asked him the silly question if the little Dog Diner was based on a real building (it is).
In the original graphic novel, Bettie (played by Connelly) was based on the classic pinup model Bettie Paige. Stevens based the character's appearance entirely on Paige, with his iconic art style helping create interest in Paige's photos again ... When Paige decided to reemerge, she wanted to meet Stevens & thank him personally.
On Rondo Hatton, I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers him; I had always heard his acromegaly was caused by his exposure to mustard gas & the stain it caused his body to undergo.
Some trivia:
- Timothy Dalton plays a fictionalised version of Errol Flynn in this film. Flynn was allegedly a real life Nazi sympathiser and possibly spy.
- The duelling scene is based on that from The Adventures of Robin Hood where Robin Hood (Flynn) duels The Sheriff of Nottingham (Basil Rathbone).
- The stabbing incident in The Rocketeer actually occurred in real life during the filming of The Adventures of Robin Hood, although it was Flynn who was stabbed by accident during a swordfight as the director had decided to use un-blunted swords for realism.
- The original Rocketeer inspired the Marvel superhero, Torpedo, who has a very similar origin story
The Rocketeer is inspired by the Republic movie serials King of the Rocket Men (1949), Radar Men from the Moon (1952) and Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952 with Leonard Nimoy in a supporting role as a Martian). The name and background of the character changed with each serial. In Radar Men he was called Commando Cody, later adapted as a TV series, Commando Cody, Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953-55).
All three serials are available on TH-cam.
I had to read up on it, and while Flynn was a real creep (several one-way mirrors in the bathrooms and guest room of his mansion) the allegations that he was a nazi spy were only made by one guy trying to sell books, and he had no real evidence.
Rocket man burnin' out his fuse up here alone. 💜
Joe Johnston also directed the first Captain America movie, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Jumanji, but he's most well known for being a concept artist on the original Star Wars movies. He designed the costume for Boba Fett and the AT-ST Walker, amongst other things.
Jet and rocket engines are different in that a jet gains its coolant via air intakes, whilst a rocket carries its own coolant, I believe in the form of liquids. As a result, a rocket can operate in atmospheres and in space, whilst jet engines are restricted to atmospheres.
The plane seen at the beginning is a Gee Bee racing plane, built for low level air races. And yes, they still have air races, often using ex-WWII fighters.
The comic the movie's based on is more adult than the movie, with Jennifer Connelly's character being a nude model {based on Bettie Page) rather than an actress.
The concept of the backpack that allows you to fly like a fighter isn't as exaggerated as it might seem, because Yves Rossy had a jet powered pack developed and was successfully flown many times. The main difference is that Rossy can't take off from the ground.
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26:43 The Nazis weren't seen as evil when this supposedly took place, pre-WWII. As a matter of fact, Hitler was nominated "Man of the Year" by Time magazine in 1938. It was only during WWII that they were seen negatively, especially when the death camps were discovered in 1945.
Theres a couple of other films from the 90s based on old time hero characters - The Shadow (starring Alec Baldwin) and The Phantom (starring Billy Zane). In the 2000s there was an original film with a similar vibe - Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow (starring Jude Law).
I loved this movie when I was a kid. Joe Johnston also directed "Captain America: The First Avenger", and I was so happy in the lead up to its release to know that it was directed by the same guy who directed "The Rocketeer".
I saw this movie with my dad when it came out in the theaters. We both loved watching it as the hero was very much like the old comics and radio show heroes my dad had grown up with. He was a kid during the period of time this film took place, and I will never forget the times we spent together.
The patient that was murdered in the hospital, was in sister act, as the limo driver that was killed at the beginning of the movie, and for 7 seasons played on star trek deep space nine.
A fun film, I remember seeing it in the theater. Another great 80's movie with Timothy Dalton is Flash Gordon. Another plus is its soundtrack by Queen. FYI, this was released by Touchtone Pictures. It was an arm of Disney. It released PG-13 and R rated films like this, Dick Tracy and Armegeddon.
Love that film!
27:34 that is a model for the spruce goose that every one said would never fly. it fly for a few hundred feet. later in the 90’s i was housed in a dome in long beach, CA next to the queen Mary. it was later sold to evergreen aviation and moved to Oregon were it remains on display.
This film was so full of calls to the history of Los Angeles in the mid-war period that it's a treat for those familiar with the time and place. Here are some:
Don't see a clarinet up front? Check out Tommy Dorsey's orchestra.
The man coming up to the table ("doubly pleasured"), Bill, is referencing W.C. Fields.
When Sinclair flies off the dirigible and blows up the Hollywood sign it is referencing that the sign was originally and advertisement for a housing development "Hollywoodland." The land part rotted out and fell before the rest thus giving us Hollywood.
The camera looking up and the roof of the Griffith Observatory with Secord standing in front of the U.S. flag as the Rocketeer is a reference to the comic imagery of the original graphic novel.
When Secord escapes from the FBI by gliding out of Hughes' Aircraft, the plane he uses is a model of the Hercules (Spruce Goose) which leads to Hughes state, "it will fly." Which references the claims by his detractors that the plane would never fly. While it did get off the water for a few miles on a high speed taxi test, the plane never got out of ground effect so we don't know if it would have flown as intended.
The diner shaped as a dog references the many buildings as advertisement in Los Angeles in the mid war period through mid century.
I saw this in an Art Deco Theater when it was first released. I love this movie beyond words. I chewed Beeman's gum after watching it. The model plane Cliff grabbed was a Model of a wooden plane that was so huge Hughes wasn't sure it would fly. The AutoGyro plane at the end of the movie was a real plane as well. Love your reaction Jen! There are recent rumors of a reboot/sequel to this movie.
I first saw this movie as a guest at a special press screening: It was the first film to be shown at the newly remodeled and re-christened El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, which had just been painstakingly restored to its original 1920s design. So really it was the debut of both the film and the theater, and the pairing could not have been more perfect. It remains one of the top movie-going experiences of my life.
I was 9 when this movie was released and I can't count the number of times I watched it when I was young. I even had the soundtrack on tape that I regularly used as noise to fall asleep. Over 30 years later I still love this movie and still occasionally listen to the soundtrack to fall asleep.
27:42: Jen, the model Cliff escaped on was of Hughes’ “Spruce Goose”, the largest plane at that time. No one expected something that big to fly, hence his line.
Yet it actually flew just ONCE in its entire existence.
I think I was the only kid in my school who loved this movie when it came out. Measure that kind of frustration of having a hero I couldn't talk about.
Thanks, Jen! Super fun as always. Loved the comics of this in the 80s. This is a really faithful adaptation. 😄
Ah, Captain Okona. 🖖😊
This was such a fun and overlooked movie. The director, Joe Johnston, later got to direct a certain other WWII retro-style superhero movie: "Captain America: The First Avenger". He also directed "Jumanji"
17:18 This huge guy was in the Dick Tracy movie. You'd love that one Jen. It has Warren Beatty and Madonna.
There’s currently a Dave Stevens/Rocketeer exhibit in San Francisco.
a great movie, great actors, and a great music score, RIP James Horner
The yellow plane at the beginning of the movie is a Granville Brothers 'Gee Bee' Sportster, which would later be replaced by the Gee Bee 'R' series.
By 1938, these planes were actually getting past their prime, and most would be re-built with bigger engines, and sometimes lengthened to carry more fuel for cross-country races.
Look up Gee Bee 'R', the Gee Bee 'QED' which entered a race from Britain to Australia, flown by two pilots, one was Jackie Cochran, well worth looking up.
She had to stop in Bulgaria, sadly.
The Hawks 'Time Flies', was essentially the last Gee Bee design that flew.
The few remaining are museum pieces or replicas. This film has replica planes in it, but much of the flying is real 1930s planes.
If you want more Thimoty Dalton movies, you definitively should watch "Flash Gordon".
Flash ahhh ahhh
The Design of The Rocket Jet Pack is really from The 1930s/1940s.You can see the bolts and the weird details that probably wouldn't exist if it was made today.It seems like the designs from the people from the past are so much more stranger and cooler and awesome and pleasant than any from the people of today.If that Jet Rocket Pack was made today - I bet it would have some kind of digital I-pod-like design and with two single colors White and Black or something...
The Fictional Invention designs from The Past really looked - "Mechanical" and even "Off-World"...
I’ve been in one of the Disney warehouses and saw about ten of Cliff Secord’s leather jackets that were used in the movie that were stored in the costume area.
As a lifelong Iron Man fan, this was as close it got to being a shell head movie for me, till 2008 anyway
What a rollicking and rocketing adventure ! [was that too obvious !!?🤔]
I love the old timey comic look , Dalton sneering away as the mustache twirling villain , Billy Campbell is great as the lead and of course Jennifer is practically glowing in this .
awesome score i always appreciate that
all the ingredients for a perfect JEN reaction
loved it !
8:30 -- RE: "This is 1938."; A little earlier, if the HIndenberg's still in the news and it's not burning. But otherwise, yeah, they were getting popular for around 15 years with large gains in the last 5 of those.
Hi Jen ,, Joe Johnston also directed "Captain America : The First Avenger" as well as "Jumanji" , "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" , "Jurassic Park III" , and others ..
ps
The model plane that cliff hanglides on is a model of The Spruce Goose aka the Hughes H-4 Hercules , the largest Flying boat ever Built (built out of wood due to wartime restrictions on Aluminum) , it only ever made one flight on november 2nd 1947 & now has a home at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in Oregon ...
Before this was released, they promoted it with "The Making Of" documentary.
It wasn't until years later that I got to see the actual movie.
The Phantom, will Billy Zane, came out around the same time! Also a fun film!
Definitely Flash Gordon. Queen. Timothy Dalton. Brian Blessed. Max Von Sydow . Many good reasons to watch. Plus it’s great fun.
Such a great film, I saw this when it first came out. Joe Johnston directed Captain America: The first Avenger. Which makes sense, there’s a lot of cross bleed of tone between both films. The music is astounding, in the comic, Jennifer Connelly’s character is actually Betty Page, Dave Stevens the creator loved her look and drew her as Cliff’s lady, later in life, he met an became friends w/ Betty. There’s a great doc on prime about it. One of my favorite scenes, Cliff putting on the Rocket and Peavey trying to convince him to Not put it on and Cliff perfectly says “Cut it out, Will’ya! I’m scared Enough as it is!” Perfect snapshot of this character, Scared-Still does the right thing. Also, Love LA anytime it’s shown in the past, always feels dream like. Disney at the time swung for the live action, this and “The Three Musketeers” had that same action like vibe.
Yes, weapons at the beginning were “Tommy guns.” The Thompson submachinegun in .45 caliber. “The Chicago Typewriter, “ it was sometimes called, due to the period of gangster activity in that city. By the time this movie is set, laws regulating their possession were in place, but criminal elements still got them.
This is the film that got Joe Johnson the gig directing Captain America because he could do an authentic period story & action. Always loved Dave Stevens comic
There are SO MANY wonderful details & references in this film, that it would take me forever to list them all. The filmmakers had an obvious adoration of the period in general, and period Los Angeles in particular. Dave Stevens' comic was the same way. It is one of my favorite films, and it is a shame how overlooked it is.
13:33 -- RE: Are there Airplane Races Now?; A: Yes ma'am, with perhaps the best known one of all occurring in Reno, Nevada. That's the one with all the hot warbirds c. 1940s, for example.
I love this movie, and was so glad to see you react to it. Several others have recommended Flash Gordon to you, another one in which Timothy Dalton plays a very Errol Flynn-like character, and I strongly agree with them. You might also possibly be interested in the historical film The Doctor and the Devils, based on the Burke and Hare murder case from the early 19th century, with all the names changed to protect the guilty. (That case was ultimately instrumental in bringing about the end of the reason for grave robbery.) Dalton also appears as Heathcliff in a 1970 film version of Wuthering Heights, but I cannot recommend that one.
Oh Jen! You are in for a treat with this one! I know you are going to have a blast with this. Your boy Timothy Dalton playing the heavy, with a very young Bill Campbell and a young super gorgeous Jennifer Connelly. Loads of Fun, good script, GREAT Soundtrack, I know you enjoyed this one!! Super Thanks!
Bill Campbell. Bruce Campbell played Ash in the Evil Dead films.
Thanks I stand corrected! Very Much appreciated!@@Madbandit77
I love how Jen called the "Scram!" lines even before they happened, LOL *chef's kiss*
Others have mentioned Rondo Hatton, who inspired the henchdude in this. The real guy made quite an impression on screen, especially as his condition advanced and his face became more disfigured. Hatton didn’t have the longest life but by accident or by design he managed to take best advantage of his misfortune and became something of a Hollywood horror icon of the ‘40s. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!
Jen really needs to add “The Lion in Winter” to her list, maybe around Christmas time. Little Timmy Dalton made his cinematic debut when he was around 21 and goes toe to toe with none other than Anthony Hopkins, also making his debut, and both of them share the screen with the great Peter O’Toole and the even greater Katharine Hepburn. John Barry wrote a kick ass score that proved to the industry that he wasn’t just good for Bond films. One of my favorite movies. 😊
A very overlooked film, even by me as a kid. But over the years I've come really appreciate it - really captures the flavour of vintage comic books.
Absolutely amazing movie!
I have very fond memories of going to see this at the Movie Theater and seeing it on the huge silver screen. Went with my Dad who has now been passed away for a while now. Yes it was just as fantastic as you would imagine it would be to see it in the theater.
The one and only reason this wasn't a really huge hit at the boxoffice was because there was very fierce competition that year and it kinda got lost in the shuffle and ended up just doing ok. So sooo wanted a sequel to this as it was set up perfectly for one. Alas . . . all we have are the comics and our imaginations. Those comics are absolutely amazing BTW. I highly recommend them, even to those who are not normally into comics. Easily found on Kindle Nook etc and there is a physical book that collects them all together. Thank you so much for reacting even to the films that weren't always the biggest success. Thanks for bringing back such great memories. Brought a smile to my face.
"Punch him in his gorgeous face!" 🤣 Still the best lines, Jen!
Glad you enjoyed Dalton. Many of us were charmed (doubly) by Jen Connelly 😍
I think it was director Joe Johnston's work on this movie that got him the Captain America: The First Avenger gig