B121: You Never Know What You're Gonna Get

Forrest Gump

​One of the best things about the Christmas holidays is that you have time to revisit some of your favourite movies.  This year I got to watch the almost 30-year-old film “Forrest Gump” again – one of my all-time favourites.  Yep…it really did come out in 1994!!  When Forrest says that line “My momma always said ‘life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get’, no one ever spoke a truer word. The film superbly plays on emotion throughout, finely balancing comedy and tragedy and to me that’s a good description of life in general….comedy and tragedy.  

And Tom Hanks was brilliant as Forrest; totally deserving his Academy Award for Best Actor.  And the film won Best Picture!

In March 2009, I got to visit San Francisco with Charlie and of course that first night we had to visit the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. on Pier 39.  It even has a bench outside like Forrest sat on in the movie to take photos on.  Inside, we enjoyed looking at the fun menu and chose Forrest’s Seafood Feast.

Bench outside Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. on Pier 39

Inside Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in San Francisco - 29 Mar 2009

From the Bubba Gump Menu

There are so many things I love about Forrest the movie and the clever way Forrest’s life is interwoven with world events.  Forrest Gump's charm lies in its deliberate disregard for historical accuracy, serving as a neutral tour guide through major events.  The movie adjusts factual occurrences for dramatic effect, blending Forrest into real telecasts and events for a compelling story.
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I’ve listed "8 Things I love about Forrest" in this week’s blog ... including the brilliant soundtrack.  That soundtrack has some of the best music of the 60's and 70's.  Thirty years ago, I had a Sony Walkman MiniDisc Player and the double-disc 32-track “Forrest Gump” soundtrack was nearly worn out by my playing it daily.  Of course, MiniDiscs were one of those inventions that never caught on as they were overtaken by streaming services.  However, I still have my Player and a few Mini-Discs…including the Forrest soundtrack today; one day it may become a collector’s item!  Nowadays it’s so much easier to listen to it on Spotify but there was something special about having the full soundtrack in one place!!

My Sony Walkman MiniDisc Player & Forrest Gump The Soundtrack MiniDiscs

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​8 Things I love about Forrest Gump 

1. Forrest The Inspiration for Elvis Hip Gyrations

Forrest Dances for Elvis

When Forrest is still a child, a yet-to-be-famous Elvis Presley comes to stay at his house. One day, Forrest (with the metal braces supporting Forrest's weak back still on) began to dance to Elvis playing guitar. His dance, which consisted of shaky legs and rapid hip movements, was later adapted by Elvis, making it his signature move in his claim to fame. Forrest Gump's Elvis also sings a rough version of what would become his major hit “Hound Dog.” A bit later Forrest and his mother see Elvis performing the song and dance on TV, to which Forrest’s mother is mortified.

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2. Forrest Meets JFK

Forrest Meets JFK

As a successful player at the University of Alabama, Forrest travels with the Collegiate All-American Football Team to meet President John F. Kennedy at the White House in 1963. As when recounting most historical events, Forrest Gump splices between Forrest in faux newscasts and his physical presence at the event. Forrest is amazed by all the free food and drinks at the event, drinking at least 15 bottles of Dr Pepper.
 
By the time the football team individually meets the President, Forrest can only muster up “I have to pee” as he shakes JFK’s hand. He then recounts how a few weeks later the President was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.

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3. Alabama University Admitting First Black Students

Forrest with George Wallace at Alabama University

​Forrest witnesses Alabama Governor George Wallace’s infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” where he attempted to bar two admitted black students from entering the school. The event took place on June 11, 1963, as desegregation was being enacted within the resisting South. What Forrest Gump didn’t depict was President John F. Kennedy’s Executive Order sending the Alabama National Guard to physically remove George Wallace. He eventually moved after continuing to spout racist ideals, and Vivian Malone and James Hood successfully registered as the first two Black students at the University of Alabama.

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4. Forrest is used in ping pong diplomacy

Forrest Playing Ping Pong in China

While recovering from his Vietnam injury in the army hospital, Forrest becomes a talented ping-pong player. He graduates from crushing other soldiers to playing against himself, eventually being sent by President Richard Nixon to play on the All-American Ping-Pong Team in China.

The event became known as “ping-pong diplomacy” due to its instrumental nature in healing the relationship between the U.S. and China. Forrest was in one of the first U.S. groups to enter China in over 20 years and came home as an international ping-pong master and celebrity.

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5. Forrest Inspires “Imagine”

Forrest Inspires "Imagine"

Forrest’s ping-pong skills turn him into a national celebrity garnering him a spot being interviewed on The Dick Cavett Show alongside The Beatles’ John Lennon. Forrest Gump inserts Forrest into the real-life interview, editing it in a way that Forrest, John, and Dick’s remarks inspire the lyrics to Lennon’s hit song “Imagine.” 

​The real interview took place on September 8, 1971, and had Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono in Forrest’s place, where they discussed why The Beatles broke up. The Forrest Gump version of the Dick Cavett interview has Dick ask questions about Forrest’s service and time in Vietnam, which were recorded alongside Tom Hanks in 1994 and digitally rendered into the 1971 John Lennon interview.  Very cleverly done!

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6. Forrest Uncovers Watergate

Richard Nixon Meets Forrest

Forrest tells us how the U.S. ping-pong team was invited to the White House to meet President Richard Nixon, where Nixon personally sends him to a “nicer” hotel at the Watergate complex. That night, Forrest sees men in an adjacent building searching through an office with flashlights. Thinking the men are struggling to find a fuse box, Forrest phones the hotel to inform them to send maintenance.

Forrest's next scene cuts to Nixon’s televised resignation speech, insinuating that Forrest was responsible for reporting the Watergate Scandal.  The Watergate Scandal is an infamous political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters in Washington D.C.. An investigation of Watergate and Nixon was conducted after whistle-blowers gave information to national newspapers that it was sanctioned by the President, and Nixon resigned from office. 

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7. Forrest invests in Apple Computers

Forrest Invests in Apple

​Lt. Dan informs Forrest, who is now home with his dying mother, that they invested in a "fruit company", known as apple, which soon takes off as a national hit.  This ensures the financial security of Forrest.

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8. The Soundtrack

MiniDisc #1 of Forrest Gump The Soundtrack

MiniDisc #2 of Forrest Gump The Soundtrack

As I said at the introduction, I really love Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack which is the soundtrack album based on the Academy Award-winning film Forrest Gump, and contains music from many well-known American artists. The score, composed by Alan Silvestri, was released separately (as Forrest Gump – Original Motion Picture Score) on the same day.

Track listing
Disc one

1. "Hound Dog" (1956) performed by Elvis Presley – 2:16
2. "Rebel Rouser" (1958) performed by Duane Eddy – 2:21
3. "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" (1961) performed by Clarence "Frogman" Henry – 2:18
4. "Walk Right In" (1963) performed by the Rooftop Singers – 2:33
5. "Land of 1000 Dances" (1966) performed by Wilson Pickett – 2:25
6. "Blowin' in the Wind" (1976) performed by Joan Baez – 2:49
7. "Fortunate Son" (1969) performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival – 2:18
8. "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" (1965) performed by the Four Tops – 2:43
9. "Respect" (1967) performed by Aretha Franklin – 2:27
10. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" (1966) performed by Bob Dylan – 4:35
11. "Sloop John B" (1966) performed by the Beach Boys – 2:56
12. "California Dreamin'" (1966) performed by the Mamas & the Papas – 2:39
13. "For What It's Worth" (1966) performed by Buffalo Springfield – 2:38
14. "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (1965) performed by Jackie DeShannon – 3:13
15. "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" (1967) performed by the Doors – 2:28
16. "Mrs. Robinson" (1968) performed by Simon & Garfunkel – 3:51

Disc two

1. "Volunteers" (1969) performed by Jefferson Airplane – 2:04
2. "Get Together" (1966) performed by The Youngbloods – 4:37
3. "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" (1967) performed by Scott McKenzie – 2:58
4. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" (1965) performed by the Byrds – 3:54
5. "Medley: Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (1969) performed by the 5th Dimension – 4:48
6. "Everybody's Talkin'" (1968) performed by Harry Nilsson – 2:44
7. "Joy to the World" (1970) performed by Three Dog Night – 3:16
8. "Stoned Love" (1970) performed by the Supremes – 2:59
9. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (1969) performed by B. J. Thomas – 3:00
10. "Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)" (1974) performed by Randy Newman – 2:46
11. "Sweet Home Alabama" (1974) performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd – 4:43
12. "Running On Empty" (1978) performed by Jackson Browne - 4:56 (Additional Bonus track on Collector's Edition CD 2001)
13. "It Keeps You Runnin'" (1976) performed by the Doobie Brothers – 4:13
14. "I've Got to Use My Imagination" (1973) performed by Gladys Knight & the Pips – 3:30
15. "Go Your Own Way" (1977) performed by Fleetwood Mac – 3:39 (Additional Bonus track on Collector's Edition CD 2001)
16. "On the Road Again" (1980) performed by Willie Nelson – 2:29
17. "Against the Wind" (1980) performed by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band – 5:33
18. "Forrest Gump Suite" (1994) composed and conducted by Alan Silvestri – 8:48

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Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog post 121
​Number 74(a) - Experiences - Pick 8 Favourite Films

• Forrest Gump

Number 74(b) - Experiences - Pick 80 Songs/ Pieces of Music

• Soundtrack of Forrest Gump

​Other Blog Posts
Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia
Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China
Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China
Blog 19 - California, USA
Blog 27 - Scotland
Blog 28 - Barbados
Blog 29 - Canada

Do you have a favourite film?  Tell me about it in the comments section below.
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