History Trivia / FirstBlood

** Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Creator/GeneHackman were both considered to play the role of Teasle, mostly likely for the novel's sympathetic JerkassWoobie depiction of the character than the movie's actual final product of the man. Interestingly, Duvall [[ActorSharedBackground was a Korean War veteran]] much like Teasle and fits more into the novel's physical profile of Teasle than Dennehy's barrel-chested and imposing physique shown in the movie, as Teasle in the novel was described as being a smaller man, around 5'7 in height and average weight with Duvall's appearance being the closest to that description, while Hackman would later appear in director Ted Kotcheff's ''Film/UncommonValor'', playing a character who's also a Korean War veteran.

* DeletedScene: A scene was filmed but never used where Rambo, while in the cave after dispatching Teasle and his men, has another flashback: he and his buddies are in a bar in Vietnam, being entertained by the local women. Rambo takes one to a back room and they make love. The scene then flashes to the present, and Rambo begins to cry.

* ThrowItIn: The end of the chase between Rambo (on a motorcycle) and Sheriff Teasle, where Teasle's police car rolls off an embankment and flips over upside down, was not scripted this way, but when the car ended up in that position, Ted Kotcheff liked the result so much that he continued shooting the scene and had Brian Dennehy get into the police car while it was still upside down, and filmed the scene as it appears in the movie.

* ActorSharedBackground: Teasle's Korean War military background reflects on his actor Brian Dennehy's service in the United States Marines in TheFifties. Interestingly, the [[AllThereInTheManual DVD's Survival Mode]] profiles Teasle to have specifically served in the Marines like Dennehy, which means that the shadow box in Teasle's office should have a Navy Cross instead of the Distinguished Service Cross. In the novel, Teasle was explicitly stated to have been a Marine.

* ActorSharedBackground: Teasle's Korean War military background reflects on his actor Brian Dennehy's service in the United States Marines in TheFifties. Interestingly, the [[AllThereInTheManual DVD's Survival Mode]] profiles Teasle to have specifically served in the Marines like Dennehy.
** Which means that the shadow box in Teasle's office should have a Navy Cross instead of the Distinguished Service Cross.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Brian Dennehy plays a DirtyCop who is FantasticRacist against Vietnam veterans, Dennehy in real life had no qualms against Vietnam veterans and when later on it's revealed Dennehy lied about his Vietnam service, Dennehy apologized (unlike the unapologetic and remorseless Teasle) for stealing valor:

** Creator/SydneyPollack considered doing the film in late 1974 with Creator/SteveMcQueen as Rambo and Creator/BurtLancaster as the sheriff. However ultimately he decided against it.

* IronyAsSheIsCast: Jack Starrett plays a DirtyCop who is FantasticRacist toward Vietnam vets, while Starett himself had before directed the Vietnam War motorcycle movie ''Film/NamsAngels''.

* IronyAsHeIsCast: Jack Starrett plays a DirtyCop who is FantasticRacist toward Vietnam vets, while Starett himself had before directed the Vietnam War motorcycle movie ''Film/NamsAngels''.

** Creator/JeffBridgesCreator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/MichaelDouglas, Creator/ClintEastwood, Creator/PaulNewman, Creator/NickNolte, Creator/ChuckNorris, Ryan ONeal and Creator/JohnTravolta were all considered for Rambo.

* RevisedEnding: The originally ended like the novel, with Rambo begging Col. Trautman to kill him and he obliges. Test audiences thought this was too depressing, so it was changed.

* ReCut: The first rough cut was over three hours, possibly three and a half hours long and according to Creator/SylvesterStallone, it was so bad that it made him and his agent sick. Creator/SylvesterStallone wanted to buy the movie and destroy it thinking that it was a career killer. After heavy re-editing, the film was cut down to 93 minutes; this version was ultimately released in theatres.

** Creator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/MichaelDouglas, Creator/ClintEastwood, Creator/PaulNewman, Creator/NickNolte, and Creator/JohnTravolta were all considered for Rambo.

* RetroactiveRecognition: A young Creator/DavidCaruso plays Mitch, one of the deputies.

* ReCut: The first rough cut was over three hours, possibly three and a half hours long and according to Sylvester Stallone, it was so bad that it made him and his agent sick. Creator/SylvesterStallone wanted to buy the movie and destroy it thinking that it was a career killer. After heavy re-editing, the film was cut down to 93 minutes; this version was ultimately released in theatres.

* DeletedScene: A scene was filmed but never used where Rambo, while in the cave after dispatching Teasle and his men, has another flashback: he and his buddies are in a bar in Vietnam, being entertained by the local women. Rambo takes one to a back room and they make love. The scene then flashes to the present, and Rambo begins to cry.

* EnforcedMethodActing: Rambo's horrific scream when landing on a tree branch was ''not'' acting; Stallone broke a few ribs on that impact.

** Creator/DustinHoffman was the first choice for John Rambo with MikeNichols directing. He turned down the role because he felt the script was too violent. Actually, just about every Hollywood A-lister was considered for the role at one time or another (it was in DevelopmentHell for years). And '''Kirk Douglas''' was attached to direct at one point.
** Creator/KirkDouglas was actually cast as Colonel Trautman for a little while, but he walked off the set and Richard Crenna was called in to replace him due to disagreements with the director and producers over the film's ending. The DVD extras of ''First Blood'' contain marketing stills of Kirk Douglas wearing Trautman's signature uniform.

* ActorSharedBackground: Teasle's Korean War military background reflects on his actor Brian Dennehy's service in the United States Marines in TheFifties. Interestingly, the [[AllInTheManual DVD's Survival Mode]] profiles Teasle to have specifically served in the Marines like Dennehy.

** Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Creator/GeneHackman were both considered to play the role of Teasle, mostly likely for the novel's sympathetic JerkassWoobie depiction of the character than the movie's actual final product of the man. Interestingly, Duvall [[ActorSharedBackground was a Korean War veteran]] much like Teasle, while Hackman (who would later appear in ''First Blood'' director Ted Kotcheff's ''Film/UncommonValor'', playing a character who's also a Korean War veteran), fits more into the novel's physical profile of Teasle than Dennehy's barrel-chested and imposing physique shown in the movie, as Teasle in the novel was described as a a smaller man, around 5'7 in height and average weight with Hackman's appearance being the closest to that description.

** Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Creator/GeneHackman were both considered to play the role of Teasle, mostly likely for the novel's sympathetic JerkassWoobie depiction of the character then the movie's actual final product of the man. Interestingly, Duvall [[ActorSharedBackground was a Korean War veteran]] much like Teasle, while Hackman (who would later appear in ''First Blood'' director Ted Kotcheff's ''Film/UncommonValor'', playing a character who's also a Korean War veteran), fits more into the novel's physical profile of Teasle then Dennehy's barrel-chested and imposing physique shown in the movie, as Teasle in the novel was described as a a smaller man, around 5'7 in height and average weight with Hackman's appearance being the closest to that description.

** Kirk Douglas was actually cast as Colonel Trautman for a little while, but he walked off the set and Richard Crenna was called in to replace him due to disagreements with the director and producers over the film's ending. The DVD extras of ''First Blood'' contain marketing stills of Kirk Douglas wearing Trautman's signature uniform.