Dedication to Art Scholl
In the movie “Top Gun”, there is an iconic scene during which a jet plane gets hit by fire and starts to crash. This forces both pilots to eject from the plane. One of the pilots gets thrust into the plane during the ejection and faces his death before even hitting the ocean.
In order to make the flying scenes as realistic as possible, 53-year-old stunt pilot Art Scholl was brought in for in-flight camera work. Scholl had previously worked on other films, like “The Right Stuff”, “Blue Thunder”, and “Baa Baa Black Sheep”. Unfortunately on September 16, 1985, tragedy showed up when Scholl was performing a stunt while filming. He attempted to perform a flat spin, but he lost control and his plane went into a tailspin, crashing straight into the Pacific Ocean close to San Diego. His body and aircraft weren’t recovered and as a result, “Top Gun” was dedicated to the stuntman’s memory.
A Killer Soundtrack
"The Danger Zone" was almost performed by a different artist instead of Kenny Loggins. "Top Gun's" director, Jerry Bruckheimer approached soundtrack producer Giorgio Moroder to write him a song for the scene of planes landing on the ship in the ocean. Moroder composed the song "Danger Zone" along with songwriter Tom Whitlock. Columbia Records wanted "Danger Zone" performed by an artist signed to the label.
Kenny Loggins had already a slew of great successes with soundtracks, including an Academy Award nomination for the popular soundtrack to the 1984 movie "Footloose" starring Kevin Bacon. After the release of Loggins's single "Danger Zone", "Top Gun" album sales exploded, selling 7 million in the United States alone. For a greater part of the 80s and 90s, Loggins was known as the Soundtrack King.
Don't Forget the Music Video
The music video for "Danger Zone" was released in May 1986 with the intention of promoting "Top Gun" by featuring dramatic clips from the movie. However, the U.S. Navy unintentionally reaped benefits along the way. The U.S. Navy said of the video that it was “the most effective recruiting poster ever produced.”
But, the music video wasn't the only way in which the Navy attracted new recruits. They also set up booths outside of theaters in order to encourage moviegoers to join the Navy. It worked! When recruiters talked to applicants, about 90% of them said they had seen the movie. In its 1987 "Join the Navy" commercial, The Navy also brought in “Danger Zone” —sounding music and Top Gun-esque shots.
A Problematic Tony Scott
The film's director, Tony Scott, is the brother of the more well-known director, Ridley Scott. Ridley has directed such films as "Blade Runner", "The Martian", and "Gladiator". Ridley and Tony worked together as movie producers for decades. Sadly, Tony tragically lost his life in 2012. "Top Gun" was for sure Tony Scott's biggest hit.
He was fired from the film three times during the filming. It was reported that one of the times he was fired for his controversial styling of Kelly McGillis. When Paramount told "Top Gun‘s" director Tony Scott that they didn’t like the filters he was using while filming the movie, he went behind their backs and carried on anyway. While they eventually brought him back, it is believed that Scott was fired on two other occasions; once for the way that he made Kelly McGillis dress for certain scenes and secondly for obscuring the actors’ faces during crucial cockpit scenes.
More Love Scenes
The love scene that occurred between Tom Cruise and actress Kelly McGillis wasn't filmed until after filming for the movie had already wrapped. After initial test screenings, moviegoers complained that there wasn't a love scene. They felt like they needed more of a reason to be convinced of the feelings between the two actors. The company was quick to agree.
If you pay close attention, you will notice that McGillis's hair is a bit darker in the scene. This is because she had already been working on another film for which she had to dye her hair darker. To conceal her darker hair, the scene is tinted blue. You can also see in the added-on scene that the timing is off if you take a close look at the longer length of Tom Cruise’s hair, especially noting how long it hangs in the front. Despite the clear changes, the love scene worked its magic on moviegoers and convinced them of Cruise's and McGillis's feelings for one another in the film.