FILMFACTS
TRIVIA
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Is It A Game....Or Is It Real?
Sheedy's role was originally small, but she played so well it was expanded
Totally Trivia
Film facts for the 1983 Thriller movie starring Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Dabney Coleman
Barry Corbin, Juanin Clay, Michael Madsen, Kent Williams, Dennis Lipscomb, Joe Dorsey, Irving Metzman, Michael Ensign, William Bogert, Susan Davis, James Tolkan Update Cast
We believe the following trivia is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.
Rewind Archive
Matthew Broderick's character hacks into his high school's computer system. He performs this same function in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).Thanks to Chachi / C.T. Warren
John Lennon was apparently in mind to play Professor Falken prior to his murder in 1980.The original script had Professor Falken confined to a wheelchair (in tribute to Dr. Stephen Hawking) and played by John Lennon. The writers were actually working on his scenes when they heard the news of John's murder.
It would seem that the character was named Stephen after Dr. Hawking, and that John Wood's appearance was crafted so that Professor Falken resembles Lennon.
Thanks to C.T. Warren
WarGames was the main inspiration for Introversion Software to create the 2007 bestselling computer game DEFCON. In it, you are in command of one of six regions of the world and must strategically prepare to defend it from up to five other players(online or PC-generated), while attacking their forces & cities. In a salute to WarGames, between the credits and information on the history of nuclear warfare, DEFCON's opening screen display occasionally lists the Protovision catalog of upcoming games (including Falken's Maze), and often flashes the last line of the movie:"HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF CHESS?"
...By the way, if anyone wants to play, I log in as "Prof. Falken"!
Thanks to C.T. Warren
After the 80's ended and the popularity of Brat Packers faded (Matthew was never really counted as one anyway), Broderick expanded his repetoire into acting in on Broadway.He's won two Tony awards for playing J. Pierpont Finch in the mid-90's revival of "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying", and for playing Eugene Jerome in "Brighton Beach Memoirs".
He also starred in the 2005 film version of Mel Brooks's "The Producers", alongside Nathan Lane, Will Ferrell, and Uma Thurman. Currently, Matthew lives in New York with his wife (another 80's teen star) Sarah Jessica Parker, and their three children.
Thanks to Harry Hol
There is a slight editing glitch in the arcade sequence. When David is playing and notices he is late for school, the little boy takes over his game, there is a noticable jump, like a part of the scene had been cut out.Rewind Archive
Reservoir Dog, Michael Madsen played Steve, the airman in the missile silo who is forced to threaten his colleague when he refuses to fire the missiles. This was his very first role in film and his very first day on set.Thanks to Mark
The actor portraying the airmen who refused to go through with the launch in the opening scene is John Spencer, who was a regular on 'L.A. Law', appeared in later thrillers such as "The Rock" and "The Negotiator", and played White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on 'The West Wing'.Sadly, John suffered a fatal heart attack in December of 2005.
Thanks to Sanjeev
The actor John Wood who played Dr Falken also played a cardinal or high ranking religious person in another well known 80's film also starring Broderick... "Ladyhawke".Rewind Archive
The NORAD mainframe to which Broderick's character finds a backdoor was called "W.O.P.R." in the movie. In the late '70s, NORAD's central processor was named "B.U.R.G.R."Thanks to Matthew Smith
Sales of computer modems jumped some 500 percent in the months following WarGames release.Thanks to Cameron Dittman
It's not too well known, but 'Colecovision' released 'Wargames' in the late '80's for their console. It was by far the most complicated game I owned, being as how you had to use every button on the controller. (for those Atari people Coleco's controller was a vertical rectangle with a small joystick and two buttons on the side, on the front was a 1-9 digit keypad.) It's premise was, you were really fighting the war that W.O.P.R. started and had to defend all areas of america with all manner of equipment (satelite's, planes, ground attacks). I had already seen the movie, so playing this game was an experience I will never forget.Thanks to Oscar E. Hasten
I worked at the Byte Shop in Seattle, WA, when the movie came out. We had a joint marketing deal, with the theaters and we supplied the Apple II computers to run the War Games software in the lobby of the theaters. Got free tickets and publicity. I have many fond memories of that time and of the movie.Bogus Trivia
There's often fake stuff floating round, y'know? -Like the 'ghost boy' that can allegedly be seen in "Three Men And A Baby".
But, nothing bogus that we know yet for "WarGames".
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