History Film / TheRightStuff

** Then, later in testing, Shepard and another candidate are both at his mercy in a PottyEmergency, getting literally dragged to an elevator so they can go to a bathroom two floors up.[[note]]They had just been put through a test involving a balloon in their bladder; if they let go of a stopper, the balloon deflates and they [[PottyFailure immediately empty their bladder]].[[/note]] In the elevator, Gonzalez takes the time to give Shepard a good correction:

* SpeechImpededLoveInterest: Annie Glenn, John Glenn's wife, has a really bad stutter which turns out to be central to the plot, mainly through her adamantly refusing to be interviewed by the press due to a fear of public speaking. She ''very'' successfully completed therapy for it in 1973.

* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: Pancho Barnes' response to Gordo's FeFiFauxPas moment:

'''Pancho:''' I tell you, we got two categories of pilots around here. We got your prime pilots that get all the hot planes, and we got your pud-knockers who dream about getting the hot planes. Now what are you two pud-knockers gonna have?

* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: The bartender notes that they "got two categories of pilots around here: your prime pilots that get all the hot planes, and your pudknockers who dream about getting the hot planes."

* InnocentlyInsensitive: One of the plot threads is Alan Shepard's use of the José Jimenez accent. While in the waiting room for the first tests, he uses it as a joke, then says hi to a Hispanic orderly (played by real-life NFL player Anthony Muñoz), who tells him off.

'''Shepard:''' Oh, you're right! You're absolutely right!* InsistentTerminology:

* InsistentTerminology:

** No test pilot ever historically crashed with X-1.

* YourLittleDismissiveDiminutive: Shepard after "wetting his diaper".

* UnfortunateName: Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom. Not only was [[DoNotCallMePaul his first name]] ''[[DoNotCallMePaul personally]]'' [[DoNotCallMePaul embarrassing]], but [[EmbarrassingMiddleName his middle name would have been a]] ''[[RedScare propaganda]]'' [[EmbarrassingMiddleName embarrassment]]. This IS the UsefulNotes/ColdWar [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace Space Race]], after all.

Briefly considered to be a campaign promo for John Glenn's presidential aspirations in 1984 (though it actually didn't help much), the film provided [[StarMakingRole breakout roles]] for a number of now-established actors: Creator/ScottGlenn (unless you count ''Film/UrbanCowboy''), Creator/DennisQuaid (unless you count ''Film/BreakingAway''), Creator/FredWard (unless you count ''Film/EscapeFromAlcatraz''), and Creator/EdHarris (unless you count ''Knightriders''). And while Music/SamShepard never worked too hard to advance his acting career, if he can be said to have a had breakout role, this was it: he earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance.

''The Right Stuff'' is a 1983 [[TheFilmOfTheBook adaptation]] of Creator/TomWolfe's best-selling book, about the attempt to break the sound barrier and the subsequent [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace Space Race]]. Directed and written by Philip Kaufman, the film received eight UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominations, including Best Picture, and one for Music/SamShepard for Best Supporting Actor and won four.

Briefly considered to be a campaign promo for John Glenn's presidential aspirations in 1984 (though it actually didn't help much), the film provided [[StarMakingRole breakout roles]] for a number of now-established actors: Creator/ScottGlenn (unless you count ''Film/UrbanCowboy''), Creator/DennisQuaid (unless you count ''Film/BreakingAway''), Creator/FredWard (unless you count ''Film/EscapeFromAlcatraz''), and Creator/EdHarris (unless you count ''Knightriders''). Additionally, Music/SamShepard never worked too hard to advance his acting career, but if he can be said to have a breakout role, this is it: he was nominated for an Oscar.

Although the movie is centered around the men and their fast, expensive, and dangerous toys, the women in the movie receive a great deal of character development, from Pancho and Nurse Murch to all of the astronaut's wives.

''The Right Stuff'' is a 1983 [[TheFilmOfTheBook adaptation]] of Creator/TomWolfe's best-selling book, about the attempt to break the sound barrier and the subsequent [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace Space Race]]. Briefly considered to be a campaign promo for John Glenn's presidential aspirations in 1984, but it actually didn't help much. Directed and written by Philip Kaufman, the film received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and one for Music/SamShepard for Best Supporting Actor and won four.

This was a breakout role for many now-established actors: Creator/ScottGlenn (unless you count ''Film/UrbanCowboy''), Creator/DennisQuaid (unless you count ''Film/BreakingAway''), Creator/FredWard (unless you count ''Film/EscapeFromAlcatraz''), and Creator/EdHarris (unless you count ''Knightriders''). Additionally, Music/SamShepard never worked too hard to advance his acting career, but if he can be said to have a breakout role, this is it: he was nominated for an Oscar.

-->"They got some kind of brotherhood. They think they got the right stuff."

-->''[Interviewer asks Gordo Cooper, "who's the best pilot you ever saw?"]''\\

** That version of "La Bamba" that plays at the beginning of the club scene prior to the Mercury Seven's training room confrontation may not be familiar to people who grew up with the Music/RitchieValens version. At the time, "La Bamba", originally a Mexican folk song, was known to typically have improvised lyrics that varied widely. In fact, the Mercury Seven were chosen only two months after Valens' tragic death in a plane crash, and it was only after this that his own lyrics for the song became widely-known and popular.

** That version of "La Bamba" that plays at the beginning of the club scene prior to the Mercury Seven's training room confrontation may not be familiar to people who grew up with the Music/RitchieValens version. At the time, "La Bamba", originally a Mexican folk song, was known to typically have improvised lyrics that varied widely. In fact, the Mercury Seven were chosen months before [[UsefulNotes/TheDayTheMusicDied Valens' tragic death in a plane crash]], and it was only after this that his own lyrics for the song became widely-known and popular.

'''Yeager:''' Loan me some, will ya? I'll pay you back later.

-> Gordo Cooper: "Who's the greatest pilot you ever saw? You're lookin' at him!"
-> Chuck Yeager: "Hey Ridley, got any Beeman's [chewing gum]? I'll pay you back later"

* HilariousInHindsight: On seeing the capsule for the first time, the astronauts refer to themselves as "Spam in a can." Popular belief has it that Spam is short for "spiced ham." The name of the jimp who made the first flight? Ham.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_right_stuff_6.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Behold the TropeCodifier for PowerWalk.]]

Another adaptation of the novel, [[Series/TheRightStuff an 8-part miniseries]] produced by Magazine/NationalGeographic, will premiere in the fall of 2020 on Creator/DisneyPlus.

''The Right Stuff'' is a 1983 [[TheFilmOfTheBook adaptation]] of Creator/TomWolfe's best-selling book, about the attempt to break the sound barrier and the subsequent [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace Space Race]]. Briefly considered to be a campaign promo for John Glenn's presidential aspirations in 1984, but it actually didn't help much. Directed and written by Creator/PhilipKaufman, the film received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and one for Music/SamShepard for Best Supporting Actor and won four.

* CactusCushion: At one point, a man rides face-first into a cactus.

Another adaptation of the novel, an 8-part miniseries produced by Magazine/NationalGeographic, will premiere in the fall of 2020 on Creator/DisneyPlus.