History Trivia / Apollo13

* The first two Moon crews were guaranteed later flights if their flights failed. 13 was the first one not to have that guarantee. This is alluded to in the scene where Lovell is giving a VIP tour of the Vertical Assembly Building at the Cape, and a senator (in a cameo by Creator/RogerCorman) is questioning why the government is still funding the Apollo program now that the Space Race has been won.

** There's an editing error seconds before the craft has its accidents. Just before Jack reaches to stir the tanks, Sy Liebergot is seen looking at his monitor and reacting to ''something'' wrong on it. It can be see [[https://youtu.be/kAmsi05P9Uw?t=31s at around 30 seconds into this video]]. It's clearly a scene that should've been played after the accident and Sy's monitor beings to print out ratty data.

* RealLifeRelative: Creator/RonHoward's brother Clint, as usual in Creator/RonHoward movies, portrays White Team EECOM controller Sy Liebergot. ("Gene, the ''Odyssey'' is dying.") Additionally, Howard's mother Jean plays Jim Lovell's mother Blanche, Howard's father Rance appears as the minister watching Apollo 13's splashdown from the Lovell house, and Howard's then fourteen-year-old daughter Creator/BryceDallasHoward is an extra in the scene in which the astronauts were visiting with family members and other well-wishers down the road from the launchpad on the night before liftoff.

* DoingItForTheArt: The research, period detail and accuracy were highly praised by the people who had been there.
** Many of the makers, including Creator/RonHoward, mention that part of their motivation for being so accurate was the likelihood that by the time of the next trip to the moon, most people who experienced the Apollo Program first-hand will have passed on, meaning that Apollo 13 may be the closest thing to a moon landing several generations get to see.

* EnforcedMethodActing: See above. Bill Paxton didn't have to pretend to shiver when Haise developed a fever; it really was that cold on the set.

** Tom Hanks flubbed his line at one point while reeling off a huge list of numbers but managed to stay in character and do what an astronaut would do in the same situation: follow up with a correction ("One, six, seven-eight... uh, correction: that's one, six, seven POINT seven-eight...") Even better, given that he's asking the ground to check his math because he's not confident about it, it sounds right for the situation.

** Creator/KevinCostner was considered to star as Jim Lovell, who the real Lovell considered a good physical match with him at that time. Creator/JohnTravolta was offered the role.

** Fred Haise's line "I could eat the ass out of a dead rhinoceros" was suggested by Creator/GaryBusey, who was visiting the set during filming.

** Many of the makers, including Ron Howard, mention that part of their motivation for being so accurate was the likelihood that by the time of the next trip to the moon, most people who experienced the Apollo Program first-hand will have passed on, meaning that Apollo 13 may be the closest thing to a moon landing several generations get to see.

* UsefulNotes/AFIS100YearsSeries:
** AFIS100Years100MovieQuotes:
*** #50, "Houston, we have a problem."
** AFIS100Years100Cheers: #12

* AFIS100YearsSeries:

* During the scene with Jim and Marilyn driving, Tom Hanks [[DrivingStick accidentally stalled the car]]. He then muttered "Second time it's done that" and started the engine again, saving the take.

* ''Aquarius'''s fuel cask was targeted so it would splash down somewhere in the Mariana Trench, one of the deepest ocean points on Earth, to avoid the radioactive fuel (used for one of their unused lunar experiments) landing near any populated areas.

** During the TV broadcast, when Jack admits to having [[IntimidatingRevenueService forgotten to file his 1040 return]], EECOM (Clint Howard) jumps in with "That's no joke - they'll jump on him for that!" Clint had a history of trouble with the IRS.
* RealLifeRelative: Creator/RonHoward's brother Clint, as usual in Creator/RonHoward movies. ("Gene, the ''Odyssey'' is dying.") Additionally, Howard's mother Jean plays Jim Lovell's mother Blanche, Howard's father Rance appears as the minister watching Apollo 13's splashdown from the Lovell house, and Howard's then fourteen-year-old daughter Creator/BryceDallasHoward is an extra in the scene in which the astronauts were visiting with family members and other well-wishers down the road from the launchpad on the night before liftoff.

** Fred Haise's line "I could eat the ass out of a dead rhinoceros" was suggested by Gary Busey, who was visiting the set during filming.
** After Jack Swigert admitted to not filing his taxes before leaving for the Moon, Clint Howard ad-libbed his follow-up line, "That's no joke. They'll jump on him!" (Clint Howard has a history of trouble with the IRS.)

* RealLifeRelative: Creator/RonHoward's brother Clint, as usual in Creator/RonHoward movies. ("Gene, the ''Odyssey'' is dying.") Additionally, Howard's mother Jean plays Jim Lovell's mother Blanche, Howard's father Rance appears as the minister watching Apollo 13's splashdown from the Lovell house, and Howard's then fourteen-year-old daughter Bryce Dallas Howard is an extra in the scene in which the astronauts were visiting with family members and other well-wishers down the road from the launchpad on the night before liftoff.

** Although 19 years apart, Ken Mattingly (March 17, 1936) and Gary Sinise (March 17, 1955) were both born on Saint Patrick's Day.

* ActorSharedBackground: The real Jim Lovell appears as a captain at the end of the movie. The filmmakers originally thought it would be nice to make his character an admiral but Lovell insisted he be a captain as that was his final rank before retirement. In fact, Lovell was wearing his old uniform for the scene.

** There's an editing error seconds seconds before the craft has its accidents. Just before Jack reaches to stir the tanks, Sy Liebergot is seen looking at his monitor and reacting to ''something'' wrong on it. It can be see [[https://youtu.be/kAmsi05P9Uw?t=31s at around 30 seconds into this video]]. It's clearly a scene that should've been played after the accident and Sy's monitor beings to print out ratty data.

** Creator/{{{Universal}} wanted a song over the end credits, but Creator/RonHoward held off this particular form of ExecutiveMeddling -although Music/JamesHorner's end credits cue ''does'' have [[ Music/{{Eurythmics}} Annie Lennox]] providing vocal effects.

** Creator/{{{Universal}} wanted a song over the end credits, but Creator/RonHoward held off this particular form of ExecutiveMeddling -although Music/JamesHorner's end credits cue ''does'' have [[Music/Eurythmics Annie Lennox]] providing vocal effects.

* {{Corpsing}}: The director told Hanks at one point during filming the TV broadcast/non-broadcast scene to do something to liven up the kid actors, as they were getting bored. He went back and started his lines about the space food again, then changed to a joke about a ''Film/FreeWilly'' sandwich, playing on the actress who was the eldest Lovell daughter also having been in that franchise's second film.

* GallowsHumor: When the command module got safely back to Earth and the astronauts were saved, the representative of Grumman (who designed the Lunar Module) gave the representative of North American aviation (who designed the command service module) a bill. For towing expenses (with an added fee for "additional guest in room" since the Lunar Module was only meant for two, not three). North American responded in turn by stating that the [=CSM=] had already ferried three [=LMs=] (Apollos 10, 11 and 12) to the Moon with no such fees charged at the time.
* LifeImitatesArt