“Warriors, Come Out to Pla-yay!”
Combined, these very five words are widely known and regarded as the most famous line in all of “The Warriors” films. A line famously spoken by Luther (played by David Patrick Kelley) whilst clinking together glass bottles in his hand, this statement is one known by almost every fan of this iconic movie. But did you know that this line was actually improvised?
As the story goes, in this particular scene, Kelley knew he wanted his character to say something not only in an eerie manner but also taunting. As such, Kelley allegedly drew the inspiration for this legendary line from an experience in his childhood that involved one of his neighbors, who often terrifyingly chanted these very words at him as a child.
The Greek Epic Behind the Novel
Though all true Warriors fans know of the film’s novel roots, little are aware that the book written by Sol Yurick is actually an adaptation of one Ancient Greek tale: Anabasis. It is within this particular story that some ten thousand mercenaries, were hired by a man by the name of Cyrus the Younger, with the hopes that they could help him seize the throne of Persia.
However, following the unexpected murder of Cyrus, the mercenaries were left hopeless. With no direction nor supplies, not to mention 1,000 miles behind their enemy’s lines, this group of men was left with no other choice but to march towards the enemy, in order to fight their way through and out of enemy territory. Sound familiar? We thought so too.
Ganging Up
When filmmakers began shooting "The Warriors", they soon ran into a major problem: the areas of New York City in which they desired to shoot the film’s scenes in were actually very dangerous. On a few occasions, whilst shooting the movie the actors present on set would often find themselves taunted by real-life gang members.
To combat this major problem, the makers of the movie decided to turn to real-life, gang leaders to help control the risk of surrounding gangs by hiring them as gang advisors. The film’s creators even hired a real-life gang by the name of 'The Mongrels' to ensure the safety of those on the film’s set. The gang members would ardently guard the movie’s film trucks for a fee of $500 a day!
“The Warriors” vs. “The Wanderers”
During the filming of "The Warriors", there was actually another rival gang film in the works at the same time. Known by the very similar name of "The Wanderers", it was this very film that had the filmmakers under constant stress, working diligently and arduously around the clock, to ensure their film would be released before their competitors'.
The editors of "The Warriors" worked around the clock. Thankfully, the tireless work of the film’s post-production crew ultimately paid off. In February of 1979, "The Warriors" would make its first debut in theaters, beating out the release of their rival movie, "The Wanderers" (released in July of that same year) by five months.
Hiding the Leading Lady’s Injuries
While all fans know and love the ‘tough-as-nails’ character Mercy, few people know that Deborah Van Valkenburgh, the actress that portrayed her, was actually involved with what is largely considered the film’s ultimate heist. Widely known as Swan's love interest, she goes on to follow the gang throughout their long, perilous journey home.
It is during this dangerous voyage that she is ultimately able to prove herself and her worth to the rest of the gang. But Valkenburgh unluckily and unexpectedly broke her wrist while on set and the makers of the film had to come up with a way to cover up this injury, and fast. If you watch the film you'll notice they did so by covering her arm with her baggy clothing.