The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

193 mins | Drama, Adventure, History | Oct. 20, 1983

A chronicle of the original Mercury astronauts in the formation of America's space program: Alan Shepherd, the first American in space; Gus Grissom, the benighted astronaut for whom nothing works out as planned; John Glenn, the straight-arrow 'boy scout' of the bunch who was the first American to orbit the earth; and the remaining pilots: Deke Slayton, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, and Gordon Cooper.

The Right Stuff

193 mins | Drama, Adventure, History | Oct. 20, 1983

The Right Stuff
A chronicle of the original Mercury astronauts in the formation of America's space program: Alan Shepherd, the first American in space; Gus Grissom, the benighted astronaut for whom nothing works out as planned; John Glenn, the straight-arrow 'boy scout' of the bunch who was the first American to orbit the earth; and the remaining pilots: Deke Slayton, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, and Gordon Cooper.
IMDb rating 7.8
Producers The Ladd Company
Original title The Right Stuff
Directors Alice Tompkins, Philip Kaufman
Writers Tom Wolfe, Philip Kaufman

Cast

Sam Shepard

as Chuck Yeager

Scott Glenn

as Alan Shepard

Ed Harris

as John Glenn

Dennis Quaid

as Gordon Cooper

Fred Ward

as Gus Grissom

Barbara Hershey

as Glennis Yeager

Kim Stanley

as Pancho Barnes

Veronica Cartwright

as Betty Grissom

Pamela Reed

as Trudy Cooper

Scott Paulin

as Deke Slayton

Charles Frank

as Scott Carpenter

Lance Henriksen

as Wally Schirra

Donald Moffat

as Lyndon B. Johnson

Levon Helm

as Jack Ridley / Narrator

Mary Jo Deschanel

as Annie Glenn

Scott Wilson

as Scott Crossfield

Kathy Baker

as Louise Shepard

Mickey Crocker

as Marge Slayton

Susan Kase

as Rene Carpenter

Mittie Smith

as Jo Schirra

Royal Dano

as Minister

David Clennon

as Liaison Man

Jim Haynie

as Air Force Major

Jeff Goldblum

as NASA Recruiter

Harry Shearer

as NASA Recruiter

Scott Beach

as Chief Scientist

Jane Dornacker

as Nurse Murch

Anthony Munoz

as Gonzales

John P. Ryan

as Head of Program

Darryl Henriques

as Life Reporter

Eric Sevareid

as Himself

William Russ

as Slick Goodlin

Drew Letchworth

as The Permanent Press Corps

Christopher P. Beale

as The Permanent Press Corps

Richard Dupell

as The Permanent Press Corps

William Hall

as The Permanent Press Corps

John X. Heart

as The Permanent Press Corps

Ed Holmes

as The Permanent Press Corps

Jack Bruno Tate

as The Permanent Press Corps

Edward Anhalt

as Grand Designer

Mary Apick

as Woman Reporter

Robert Beer

as Dwight D. Eisenhower

Erik Bergmann

as Eddie Hodges

James Brady

as Aide to Lyndon B. Johnson

Katherine Conklin

as Woman TV Reporter

Maureen Coyne

as Waitress

Tom Dahlgren

as Bell Aircraft Executive

John Lion

as Bell Aircraft Executive

Peggy Davis

as Sally Rand

John Dehner

as Henry Luce

Robert Elross

as Review Board President

Drew Eshelman

as Assistant Scientist

Robert J. Geary

as Game Show M.C.

Royce Grones

as 1st X-1 Pilot

David Gulpilil

as Aborigine

Anthony Wallis

as Australian Driver

Kaaren Lee

as Young Widow

Sandy Kronemeyer

as Cocoa Beach Girl

Frankie Di

as Cocoa Beach Girl

Ed Corbett

as Texan

O-Lan Jones

as Girl at Pancho's

Mark Todd

as Astronaut Trainee

Allen Gebhardt

as Astronaut Trainee

Chuck Yeager

as Fred

Mimi Sarkisian

as New Mexico Nurse in Lobby (uncredited)