Gung Ho is a
1986-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle*Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
Ron HowardRonald William "Ron" Howard is an American film director and producer, as well as an actor. Howard came to prominence in the 1960s while playing Andy Griffith's TV son, Opie Taylor, on The Andy Griffith Show , and later in the 1970s as Howard Cunningham's son and Arthur Fonzarelli's best friend,...
comedyComedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in Ancient Greece...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
, released by
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
, and starring
Michael KeatonMichael John Douglas , better known as Michael Keaton, is an American actor, well known for his early comedic roles in films such as Night Shift, Mr...
and
Gedde WatanabeGedde Watanabe is an American theatre, film, and television actor.He was in several dramatic productions in high school, both acting and singing...
. The film's story portrayed the takeover of an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
carAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
plant by a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
corporationA corporation is a legal entity separate from the shareholders and employees. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate...
(although the title of the film is actually an Americanized
Chinese expression, for "work" and "together"). The film was rated PG-13 in the US and certified 15 in the UK.
When a Japanese
automakerThe automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles. In 2008, more than 70 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide....
takes over a failed American auto plant, differences between American and Japanese work ethics threaten to close the plant.
The local auto plant in Hadleyville,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
, which supplied most of the town's jobs, has been closed for nine months.
Gung Ho is a
1986-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle*Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
Ron HowardRonald William "Ron" Howard is an American film director and producer, as well as an actor. Howard came to prominence in the 1960s while playing Andy Griffith's TV son, Opie Taylor, on The Andy Griffith Show , and later in the 1970s as Howard Cunningham's son and Arthur Fonzarelli's best friend,...
comedyComedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in Ancient Greece...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
, released by
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
, and starring
Michael KeatonMichael John Douglas , better known as Michael Keaton, is an American actor, well known for his early comedic roles in films such as Night Shift, Mr...
and
Gedde WatanabeGedde Watanabe is an American theatre, film, and television actor.He was in several dramatic productions in high school, both acting and singing...
. The film's story portrayed the takeover of an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
carAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
plant by a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
corporationA corporation is a legal entity separate from the shareholders and employees. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate...
(although the title of the film is actually an Americanized
Chinese expression, for "work" and "together"). The film was rated PG-13 in the US and certified 15 in the UK.
Synopsis
When a Japanese
automakerThe automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles. In 2008, more than 70 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide....
takes over a failed American auto plant, differences between American and Japanese work ethics threaten to close the plant.
The local auto plant in Hadleyville,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
, which supplied most of the town's jobs, has been closed for nine months. Former foreman Hunt Stevenson (
Michael KeatonMichael John Douglas , better known as Michael Keaton, is an American actor, well known for his early comedic roles in films such as Night Shift, Mr...
) goes to Tokyo to try to convince the Assan Motors Corporation to reopen the plant. The Japanese company agrees, and upon their arrival in the U.S., they take advantage of the desperate work force to institute many changes. The workers are not permitted a
unionA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
, are paid lower wages, are moved around within the factory so that each man learns every job, and are held to seemingly impossible standards of efficiency and quality. Adding to the strain in the relationship, the Americans also find humor in the demand that they do
calisthenicsCalisthenics are a form of organized exercise consisting of a variety of simple movements––performed without weights or equipment––that are intended to increase body strength and flexibility using the weight of one's own body for resistance...
as a group each morning, and that the Japanese executives eat their lunches with
chopsticksChopsticks are small tapered sticks used in pairs of equal length as the traditional eating utensils of Greater China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Generally believed to have originated in ancient China, they can also be found in some areas of Tibet and Nepal that are close to Han Chinese populations...
and
bathe togetherPublic baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. Often the term public is misleading to some people, as they will have restrictions based upon who can use the facility — elite members of the culture, men only, religious only, etc...
in the river near the factory. The workers also display a poor work ethic and lackadaisical attitude towards quality control.
The Japanese executive in charge of the plant is Oishi Kazihiro (
Gedde WatanabeGedde Watanabe is an American theatre, film, and television actor.He was in several dramatic productions in high school, both acting and singing...
), who has been a failure in his business career thus far because he is too lenient on his workers. He has been given one final chance to redeem himself by making the American plant a success. Intent on becoming the strict manager his superiors expect, he gives Hunt a large promotion on the condition that he work as a
liaisonLiaison jobs are jobs that "link" two or more specialties. For example, "systems analyst" jobs work with customers and management to understand and document their automation needs and then transfer such information to computer programmers, who turn the collected information into working software...
between the Japanese management and the American workers, to smooth the transition and convince the workers to obey the new rules. More concerned with keeping his promotion than with the welfare of his fellow workers, Hunt does everything he can to trick the American workers into compliance, but the culture clash becomes too great and he begins to lose control of the men.
In an attempt to solve the problem, Hunt makes a deal with Kazihiro: if the plant can produce 15,000 cars in one month, thereby making it as productive as any Japanese auto plant, then the workers will all be given raises and jobs will be created for the remaining unemployed workers in the town. However, if the workers fall even one car short, they will get nothing. When Hunt calls an assembly to tell the workers about the deal, they balk at the idea of making so many cars in so short a time. Under pressure from the crowd, Hunt lies and says that if they make 13,000, they will get a partial raise. After nearly a month of working long hours toward a goal of 13,000—despite Hunt's pleas for them to aim for the full 15,000—the truth is discovered and the workers
strikeStrike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to perform work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became important in factories and mines...
.
Because of the strike, Assan Motors plans to abandon the factory again, which would mean the end of the town. Hunt responds by addressing his observations that the real reason the workers are facing such difficulties is because the Japanese have the work ethic that too many Americans have abandoned. While his audience is not impressed, Hunt, hoping to save the town and atone for his deception, and Kazihiro, desperate to show his worth to his superiors, go back into the factory and begin to build cars by themselves. Inspired, the workers return and continue to work toward their goal, and pursued it with the level of diligence the Japanese managers had encouraged. Just before the final inspection, Hunt and the workers line up a number of incomplete cars in hopes of fooling the executives. The ruse fails, but the strict CEO is nonetheless impressed by the workers' performance and declares the goal met.
As the end credits roll, the workers and management have compromised, with the latter agreeing to partially ease up on their requirements while the workers agree to be more cooperative, such as participating in the morning calisthenics.
Other media
The film spawned a short-lived
TV series of the same nameGung Ho was a short-lived TV series, based on the 1986 film of the same name. The series aired on ABC during the 1986-87 season.-Synopsis:...
. Almost all of the Asian actors reprised their roles from the movie.
Clint HowardClinton E. "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a seasoned character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films, usually noted for his unusual appearance. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard...
was the only caucasian actor from the film to appear in the TV show.
The movie was released in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
under the title "Working Class Man", which was also the title of one of the songs in the movie sung by Australian rocker
Jimmy BarnesJimmy Barnes is a popular Australian rock singer, with a unique vocal style. He was born James Dixon Swan on 28 April 1956 in Glasgow, Scotland. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer...
.
Main cast
- Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known as Michael Keaton, is an American actor, well known for his early comedic roles in films such as Night Shift, Mr...
- Hunt Stevenson
- Gedde Watanabe
Gedde Watanabe is an American theatre, film, and television actor.He was in several dramatic productions in high school, both acting and singing...
- Oishi Kazihiro, the plant manager
- George Wendt
George Robert Wendt is an American actor, best known for the role of Norm Peterson on the television show Cheers.-Early life:...
- Buster, a factory worker and Hunt's friend
- John Turturro
John Michael Turturro is an American actor, writer, and director best known for his performances in Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , and O Brother, Where Art Thou?...
- Willie, another worker, also Hunt's friend
- Mimi Rogers
Mimi Rogers is an American movie actress and competitive poker player.-Personal life:Rogers was born Miriam Spickler in Coral Gables, Florida, the daughter of Philip J. Spickler, a civil engineer. Rogers, whose father was Jewish and mother Episcopalian, became a member of the Church of...
- Audrey, Hunt's girlfriend
The film also features small supporting roles by
Clint HowardClinton E. "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a seasoned character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films, usually noted for his unusual appearance. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard...
,
Rick OvertonRichard "Rick" Overton is an American screenwriter, actor, and comedian. His writing credits include Dennis Miller Live, and his acting credits include Willow and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne.-Biography:...
,
Sab ShimonoSab Shimono is a Japanese American actor. He has appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, in character roles ranging from the coroner "Painless" Kumagai in 1990's Presumed Innocent to Mister Sparkle on an episode of The Simpsons.-Personal life:Shimono was born Saburo Shimono in...
,
Michelle JohnsonMichelle Johnson is an American actress, probably best known for her role in Blame It on Rio.-Career:Director Stanley Donen signed her to appear as Michael Caine's love interest in the romantic comedy film Blame It on Rio. The movie was notable as Johnson's first starring role...
,
Rance HowardRance Howard is an American actor who has starred in film and on television.-Biography:Howard was born Harold Rance Beckenholdt in Oklahoma, the son of Ethel Cleo and Engel Beckenholdt, a farmer. He changed his name to "Rance Howard" when he became an actor. He married Jean Speegle Howard in...
,
Rodney KageyamaRodney Kageyama is an American stage, film and TV actor. He is a Nisei Japanese American .In 2007, Kageyama was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and as of spring 2008 was declared cancer-free.-Theatre:...
and
Patti YasutakePatti Yasutake is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in the Star Trek universe....
.
Filming
Though the cars used in the movie were supposedly built by the fictional Assan Motors, they are actually made by
FiatFiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also...
and the most commonly-seen model is the
Fiat RegataThe Fiat Regata was the saloon version of the Fiat Ritmo small family car, produced by Italian automaker Fiat. It was produced from 1983 to 1990, corresponding to the post-facelift Ritmo. The Regata had a choice of three gasoline and two diesel engines...
. Some cars in the movie bore resemblance to the
Dodge Omni/Plymouth HorizonThe Dodge Omni and the similar Plymouth Horizon were front wheel drive cars introduced by the Dodge and Plymouth divisions of Chrysler Corporation in North America in 1978, and were based on a European Simca-based design of the same name...
twins (which were still in production at the time of the movie's release), while the car on the official movie poster bore some resemblance to the front end of the then-current model of the
Chevrolet CavalierThe Chevrolet Cavalier, also known as the Savvy Cavy, was a compact automobile produced from 1982 to 2005 by General Motors. Built on the company's J platform, the Cavalier was one of the best-selling cars in the United States throughout its life....
. Coincidentally, the Cavalier was manufactured at
Lordstown AssemblyThe Lordstown Complex is part of a General Motors automobile factory in Lordstown, Ohio. The plant opened in 1966 and currently produces the compact Delta platform cars...
, a short drive from where the bulk of
Gung Ho was filmed.
The factory where the cars were produced was shot in Rosario, Argentina, while the majority of the rest of the movie was shot in central
Beaver County, PennsylvaniaBeaver County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the population was 181,412.Beaver County was created on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny and Washington Counties. Its county seat is Beaver....
near
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
, mostly in
BeaverBeaver is a borough in and the county seat of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, at the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio Rivers. As of the 2000 census, the borough population was 4,775, having dropped from 5,641 in 1940....
, as well as neighboring
BridgewaterBridgewater is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 739 at the 2000 census. It is best known as the home of the Bruster's Ice Cream chain. A few scenes in the 1986 movie Gung Ho were also shot in Bridgewater...
and
RochesterRochester is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 4,014 at the 2000 census....
. Other portions of the movie, including shots of the Assan Motors plant were filmed at the old Mesta Machine Plant in
West Homestead, PennsylvaniaWest Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 8 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, on the Monongahela River. Heavy industries associated with nearby steel mills had existed here. Established were axle works, brickworks, and manufactories of machinery, car wheels, etc. In 1910, 3,009...
.
Many references to Pittsburgh were made in the movie. Keaton, a native of nearby
CoraopolisCoraopolis is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 6,131 at the 2000 census. In 1940 the population peaked at 11,086. It is a small community located to the west of Pittsburgh, along the Ohio River. The borough is noted for its steep topography, numerous brick...
closer to the city of Pittsburgh, would mention constantly in the movie (much to the chagrin of his friends) about leading the town's
high schoolHigh school is the name used in some parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, Northern America and Oceania, to describe an institution that provides all or part of secondary education...
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
team to the state championship in Pittsburgh. In reality, most
PIAAThe Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. is one of the governing bodies of high school and junior high school sports for the state of Pennsylvania, United States....
state championships in
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
are played in
Hershey'Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated...
, which is more geographically central in the state and is near the state capital of
HarrisburgHarrisburg is the capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and...
. The
WPIALThe Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is colloquially known as "WIP-ee-al"...
, a division of the PIAA whose jurisdiction covers the Pittsburgh metropolitan area (except for
Pittsburgh Public SchoolsPittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and adjacent Mount Oliver.The combined land area of these municipalities is with a population of 342,503 according to the 2000 census. As of August 2005, the superintendent is Mark Roosevelt and on December...
, which has their own championships in PIAA District 8), does play their championship games in Pittsburgh, however. In addition, many
extrasAn extra, also called a background actor, is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
in the movie are seen wearing
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions, in addition to the distinction of playing in the first modern World Series. The Pirates are also often...
hats and
Pittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
apparel. One worker is even shown wearing a
WDVEWDVE is a Classic rock music formatted radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA at 102.5 MHz. It is often referred to by Pittsburghers as simply "DVE" WDVE's transmitter is located on Pittsburgh's North Side...
t-shirtA T-shirt is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless, collarless, and pocketless, with a round neck and short sleeves. The sleeves of the T-shirt extend at least slightly over the shoulder but not completely over the elbow...
, in reference to the popular
classic rockClassic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock format in the early-1980s...
station in the city.