Daily Dialogue — January 26, 2020
“Good morning, Vietnam! Hey, this is not a test. This is rock and roll. Time to rock it from the delta to the DMZ! Is that me, or does that sound like an Elvis Presley movie? Viva Da Nang. Oh, viva, Da Nang. Da Nang me, Da Nang me. Why don’t they get a rope and hang me? Hey, is it a little too early for being that loud? Hey, too late. It’s 0600 What’s the ‘0’ stand for? Oh, my God, it’s early. Speaking of early, how about that Cro-Magnon, Marty Dreiwitz? Thank you, Marty, for ‘silky-smooth sound.’ Make me sound like Peggy Lee. Freddy and the Dreamers! Wrong speed. We’ve got it on the wrong speed. For those of you recovering from a hangover, that’s gonna sound just right. Let’s put her right back down. Let’s try it a little faster, see if that picks it up a little bit. Those pilots are going, ‘I really like the music. I really like the music. I really like the music.’ Oh, it’s still a bad song. Hey, wait a minute. Let’s try something. Let’s play this backwards and see if it gets any better. Freddy is a devil. Freddy is a devil. Picture a man going on a journey beyond sight and sound. He’s left Crete. He’s entered the demilitarized zone. All right. Hey, what is this ‘demilitarized zone’? What do they mean, ‘police action’? Sounds like a couple of cops in Brooklyn going, ‘You know, she looks pretty to me.’ Hey, whatever it is, I like it because it gets you on your toes better than a strong cup of cappuccino. What is a demilitarized zone? Sounds like something out of The Wizard of Oz, Oh, no, don’t go in there. Oh-we-oh Ho Chi’Minh Oh, look, you’ve landed in Saigon. You’re among the little people now. We represent the ARVN Army The ARVN Army Oh, no! Follow the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Follow the Ho Chi Minh Trail. ‘Oh, I’ll get you, my pretty!’ Oh, my God. It’s the wicked witch of the north. It’s Hanoi Hanna! ‘Now, little GI, you and your little ‘tune-ooh’ too!’ ‘Oh, Adrian. Adrian. What are you doing, Adrian?’ Oh, Hanna, you slut. You’ve been down on everything but the Titanic. Stop it right now. Hey, uh, hi. Can you help me? What’s your name? ‘My name’s Roosevelt E. Roosevelt.’ Roosevelt, what town are you stationed in? ‘I’m stationed in Poontang.’ Well, thank you, Roosevelt. What’s the weather like out there? ‘It’s hot. Damn hot! Real hot! Hottest things is my shorts. I could cook things in it. A little crotch pot cooking.’ Well, can you tell me what it feels like. “Fool, it’s hot! I told you again! Were you born on the sun? It’s damn hot! I saw — It’s so damn hot, I saw little guys, their orange robes burst into flames. It’s that hot! Do you know what I’m talking about.’ ’What do you think it’s going to be like tonight? ‘It’s gonna be hot and wet! That’s nice if you’re with a lady, but it ain’t no good if you’re in the jungle.’ Thank you, Roosevelt. Here’s a song coming your way right now. Nowhere To Run To by Martha and the Vandellas. Yes! Hey, you know what I mean! Too much?”
— Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), written by Mitch Markowitz
The Daily Dialogue theme this week: Radio.
Trivia: The script went through several revisions after it was originally drafted by Adrian Cronauer in 1979. Cronauer first pitched it as a TV series, then a Movie-of-the-Week. It was the latter treatment that landed in the lap of Robin Williams, who realized the DJ role would be the perfect outlet for his brand of comedy. The original treatment by Cronauer was completely re-tooled for Williams.
Dialogue On Dialogue: According to legend, Robin Williams ad libbed each of the radio dee jay sessions including this one.
