Episode 68: The Right Stuff (1983)

By the time 1983 rolled around, it seemed inevitable that someone would make a movie about the space race.  The Right Stuff (1983) is Philip Kaufman's practically exhaustive retelling of Tom Wolfe's book chronicles NASA's Mercury program, which trained the first seven astronauts how to travel in space.  Cast with a bunch of then unknowns (including Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, and the recently departed Sam Shepard), the film was a hit with critics (despite a disappointing return at the box office) but remains something of a cult classic today. Look out for appearances by Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, Veronic Cartwright, and Chuck Yeager himself as a bartender, not to mention special effects and sound editing that could blow your socks off even in 2017. Have a question or a comment for the host?  Email Sean at [email protected], follow him on Twitter via @1001MoviesPC, or look for the podcast's Facebook page.