Covering some 15 years, The Right Stuff recounts the formation of America's space program, concentrating on the original Mercury astronauts. Scott Glenn plays Alan Shepard, the first American in space; Fred Ward is Gus Grissom, the benighted astronaut for whom nothing works out as planned; and Ed Harris is John Glenn, the straight-arrow "boy scout" of the bunch who was the first American to orbit the earth. The remaining four Mercury boys are Deke Slayton (Scott Paulin), Scott Carpenter (Charles Frank), Wally Schirra (Lance Henriksen) and Gordon Cooper (Dennis Quaid). Wolfe's original book related in straightforward fashion the dangers and frustrations facing the astronauts (including Glenn's oft-repeated complaint that it's hard to be confident when you know that the missile you're sitting on has been built by the lowest bidder), the various personal crises involving their families (Glenn's wife Annie, a stutterer, dreads being interviewed on television, while Grissom's wife Betty, angered that her husband is not regarded as a hero because his mission was a failure, bitterly declares "I want my parade"), and the schism between the squeaky-clean public image of the Mercury pilots and their sometimes raunchy earthbound shenanigans. Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Genre: Drama
- Category Docudrama
- Theme: Space Travel, Underdogs, Military Life
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run Time: 03 hr 13 min
- Language: English, French
- Subtitle Language: French, Spanish, English
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: DVD
- Release Date: June 10, 2003
- Lead Actor: Sam Shepard, Fred Ward, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid
- Supporting Actor: Gen. Chuck Yeager, William Hall, O-Lan Jones, Bob Elross, Tom Dahlgren, Richard Duppell, Maureen Coyne, Darryl Henriques, John Ryan, Anthony Munoz, Jane Dornacker, Scott Beach, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, Jim Haynie, David Clennon, Royal Dano, Mittie Smith, Susan Kase, Mickey Crocker, Kathy Baker, Scott Wilson, Mary Jo Deschanel, Donald Moffat, Katherine Conklin, Kaaren Lee, Eric Sevareid, Edward Anhalt, Ed Holmes, Ed Corbett, David Gulpilil, Michael Pritchard, Levon Helm, William Russ, Mary Apick, John Dehner, Robert Beer, John X. Heart, Lance Henriksen, Charles Frank, Scott Paulin, Pamela Reed, Veronica Cartwright, Kim Stanley, Barbara Hershey, James Brady
- Director: Philip Kaufman
awards
- Awards: Academy Awards (4)
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Original Score, 1983, Bill Conti
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Sound, 1983, Tom Scott, David MacMillan, Randy Thom, Mark Berger
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 1983, Glenn Farr
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Sound Effects, 1983, Jay Boekelheide
- Nominations: Academy Awards (5)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor, 1983, Sam Shepard
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Cinematography, 1983, Caleb Deschanel
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 1983, Lisa Fruchtman, Tom Rolf, Stephen A. Rotter, Douglas Stewart
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Art Direction, 1983, W. Stewart Campbell, Geoffrey Kirkland, Richard J. Lawrence, George R. Nelson, Peter Romero, Pat Pending
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Picture, 1983, Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler
