Robin Williams was one of the most beloved comedic talents of his time, and understandably. Robin Williams written big and bright in credits was a major part of many childhoods, thanks to Jumanji and Mrs Doubtfire, and his warm personality captured hearts in some of the best drama movies, too (Good Will Hunting).
But the story behind one of the best Robin Williams movies is absorbing, because during the trials and tribulations of getting the project made, it was originally intended to be a TV series.
So, here goes the tale of how one of Williams’ best movies, Good Morning, Vietnam, ended up released as a comedy flick with the other new movies of 1987 instead of as a television pilot.
Adrian Cronauer, who shopped the project around for years before ever meeting Williams, told Urgentcomm his script attracted the attention of the actor and his agent, Larry Brezner, who bought an option on a 1979 screenplay Cronauer had written as a TV sitcom. Initially, Cronauer had significant trouble getting it produced, “I guess it was just a little too close in time; nobody believed you could do a comedy about Vietnam.”
Williams saw the potential, “He read it and said, ‘Oh, disk jockey, [a] chance to do all my comic shtick. Every year they’d renew the option. About four years later, they called me up and said, ‘We’ve decided to throw away the original and start over again.’”
“It went through five different versions. I’d noodle some suggestions for additions and deletions and changes; a few of them they accepted; most of them they ignored,” he said. The end product was successful, though. Cronauer recalled thinking, “‘Son of a gun, they actually made a movie out of this thing.’”
For more laughs, we’ve got lists of the best comedy movies, the best comedy series, and a lovely story about how Williams had Mrs Doubtfire makeup on when he met Pierce Brosnan. Or, if you’re ready to enter the game’s world again, here’s what we know about the Jumanji 4 release date.