Each wing (150 missiles divided evenly between 15 launch control facilities) [Edit had it wrong lol] had a supreme LCC that could take over in cases like this. Each silo could also be controlled by the looking glass and TACOMO planes. Pretty pointless to get a gun out over not having personally responsible for vaporizing the Minsk telephone factory or whatever.
@@s.hooper5667 And if they both turned your keys at the same time the question that ponder me, To be or not to be? Would those missiles have launched due to a glitch, even although this was supposed to be a simulated drill to see how the men would respond in the silos?
Smart move of him to threaten the other guy with a gun. Once he has shot him, all he needs to to is grow a 4 ft long arm to turn both keys simultanously.
The purpose of the firearm was another MAD pack. It ensures that both men in the silo know that if they dont carry out the order, they will die, incentivizing them to follow through with the order
jursamaj Thinking the bigger picture is good, but when you’re thinking you’re going to die regardless, turning a key, or nuclear winter, you’re screwed. Turn the key, maybe military will come to get you... eventually, don’t turn it your coworker shoots you.
I cannot go one month without watching WarGames. There is so much nostalgic linkage to people, places and times in my life that it's like some sort of temporal nexus.
@@mattgiguere5638 A distinct memory of August 1985 is stopping at 7-11 and grabbing a Double Gulp of Diet Coke. My wife and I had just hiked-in to the site of where our new house would be. The roads were roughed-in with gravel. It was sweltering. We spoke to the builder who was, by coincidence, on-site too. We asked to have two big boulders positioned in what would be the backyard. He gave us a handwritten receipt of our request. My wife, more demurely, picked out 12 oz. iced tea at 7-11. I remember the '80s and I wish I had appreciated them more at the time. It was a busy time at work. My wife and I started boxing-up things for the move when we got home. I set my Double Gulp cup down on my side of the dresser and it left a ring. I still have that dresser and the faint ring is still visible. My wife passed away in June of 2002 and I have since moved but the memory of the day, the '80s, and a number of other memories remain.
_"Screw procedure, I want someone on the goddamn phone before I kill 20 million people"_ Probably the most logical and well meaning thought in this whole scene right there.
Something somewhat similar actually happened in 1983. A Soviet officer (Stanislav Petrov) received an alert from a Soviet satellite that there was an incoming U.S. missile strike. He disobeyed protocol by disregarded the alert as a false alert. Had he followed procedure, the Soviet Union would have responded with a strike of its own, kicking off a global conflict.
I first saw John Spencer in a movie when he played a private detective who came to the rescue of Harrison Ford, who had been accused of murdering. His mistress. Harrison's character as I remember was kind of a Jerk. But I fell in love with john spencer in this movie. So real and down to earth. And I was so happy when he got such a great part on the west wing. My heart broke when he died. He really deserved to have a long career and we deserved to have him around longer. God but that was a great show.❤
there's a true story of a Russian officer in the 50's or 60's who was in the same position as these guys. He was informed of an incoming ICBM missile from America. He refused to retaliate and launch his missiles until he got some confirmation which, like in this scene, was not proper protocol. It turns out the Russian equipment used detect incoming missiles was not very good and was fooled by reflections off of clouds. Good thing he questioned orders.
@@travisjohnson6676I think you mixed up two different real incidents where Soviet officers saved the world from nuclear war. One was in 1962, with Vasily Arkhipov, but he was aboard a nuclear-armed submarine off Cuba, not controlling ICBMs. The other was 1983, with Stanislav Petrov at a missile warning station. In the 1962 case, during the American blockade of Cuba, the submarine crew was out of contact with their base and misunderstood what was happening, whereas the 1983 case was a technical failure that produced a false alarm.
Real ones aren't disguised as houses. Oncoming crew takes guns directly from offgoing crew. Down below is not all clean and sterile. The blast doors have to be pumped open manually (only the small door is shown here).No video to watch the missiles (which wore only brown primer) 1-2 hours to changeover with the old crew, after which they changed into sweats. Guns were to protect the codes, there were four other crews plus airborne that would get the launch off even if some crews choked.
No point at the Deputy MC3-A (A first Lieutenant) pulling a gun at the lead MC3-A (a Captain), because there has to be two people with enough brain cells to agree to launch.
the set really looks super realistic and very much alike what a real missile silo control unit would have looked like back then, up to things like the blast door, room layout, the costumes, the buttons and switches, yes even those triangle shaped launch switches are exactly as they were.
Each MAF(Missile Alert Facility) is connected to 10 missiles. Multiple MAFs are linked to the same missile field. Launching a missile requires the consent of two MAFs. Even if you don't do it, someone will.
"Dropkick" is a code name for the SAC Command Center at Offutt AFB. The senior controller at SAC identifies himself by that name when passing test or command messages.
A code-name likely, because in this underground world of missile launching, you are not allowed generally to give out real names - they try to keep things top-secret.
Dropkick was also the name of an early Cold War nuclear war plan, and referred to an all out nuclear strike on the entire Communist world. It's from that war plan that the US President's nuclear briefcase that follows him everywhere became known as the "nuclear football".
@Jonathan Trapp Loved him in The West Wing ... so sorry he has passed ... and it was kinda creepy it being the same thing as his character almost died of ...
They reference an incident similar to this one in one of the episodes IIRC - I believe Will Bailey is off to defend the crew - which I guess was something of an easter egg.
I lived through the last few years of the Cold War. Movies like "Threads," showing an infinitely bleaker picture than cosy "The Day After" fare. For some reason, I always get a kick out of this whole sequence. The veteran superior officer having second thoughts at the last second while the rookie who was scared shitless at the start then going through with the entire procedure like a true Kamikaze.
This scene always gives me conflicting emotions. I want someone in control who will launch when ordered because deterrents are important, but I also don't want a bunch of innocent people to die.
I REALLY need to buy this on DVD. I have loved this film since it came out...Some special effects, yes, but a character driven plot enhanced by SFX. Kudos to Eddie Deezen!! Long Live Melvin!!! Thanks for posting!
Yeah that's one of the only things I didn't like about this film. The voices they used for the missile commander & the fighter pilot were a lil over the top & sounded like radio DJ's.
rated just fine....did good at the box office back in the day, Rotten tomatoes gives it 94 %, most older movie watchers know it and like it. Had influence on early discussions about IT and the dangers thereof.
Underrated? You mean one of the most famous and well liked movies of the entire 1980's? The same movie that (along with Sneakers) is still considered as having some of the most realistic depictions of social engineering (hacking) depicted in media? The same movie that helped make Matthew Broderick a star?
I've never seen, or heard, Michael Madsen so young. His voice sounds so different from what I've heard from him in the past 25 years I would have sworn that that was Tom Sizemore and not M.M. They look so much alike, it's practically unbelievable.
Saw this as a kid. When I moved to Seattle to attend University of Washington, I enjoyed walking around several places where they shot the library scene and riding to visit the computer geeks. I enjoyed the nostalgia as I studied, and I eventually named the stairs that go up to Suzzallo Library the "Matthew Broderick Stairs."
I used to think this was the coolest scene until actually met people who did missile duty in the silos. He told me this was the most unrealistic thing ever and the training they had and the procedures they used made something like this impossible
Well, they had to establish a justification for replacing the human missile silo crews with an automated, AI-controlled system. If they couldn't do that, then the whole movie can't work. So I don't begrudge them sacrificing realism for this scene.
Awsome! I must say that was a heck of way to chicken out just before you launch your rockets. Incredible and I loved this part. Thanks again. Cheers! :)
Yet that captain, even though he didn't turn his key, still managed to become Chief of Staff to President Bartlett. After the shame of being cashiered from the Air Force, he changed his name to Leo McGarry, became a politician, Chief of Staff to the President, and eventual Democratic nominee for Vice President.
I doubt he was cashiered by the air force, probably reassigned to another (less attractive) job. People who watch this scene figure that these guys are failures, yet the point of the plot is that they're not failures, they're human, and there's no way to change that. That's why they put WOPR relays in every silo.
After the light-hearted banter at the beginning this icey-cold feeling creeps up your neck when Michael Madsen repeats "turn your key, Sir". Ever heard of "Able Archer"? The world may have been closer to the edge of destruction due to "war games" in the 80s than we may imagine.
There's great documentary about that - combination of Soviet paranoia and how system work and badly timed exercise ... funny thing is, that largest anti-nuke demonstrations took place after crisis that nobody knew about was over: ua-cam.com/video/4cnrE6OhvZg/v-deo.html
That's the rule of the job. If you don't complete the launch you die. If he gets to the point where he has to shoot him it wouldn't have been a successful launch anyway. The point is that they know going in the other one is a) armed with a weapon, and b) on orders to kill his partner if he breaches protocol. Because of these two facts, people are far less likely to breach protocol.
The truth is, there has never been a protocol like that in the history of missilery. At least not in the United States. Src: www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/16jyia/iama_a_former_nuclear_missile_officer_i_spent/
It seems that in the original story for this scene is this: the one who refused to launch the missile, is the same person who forced his teammate to follow his action, instead of the other way around. (Here, he got a gun. Unlikely, because weapons are usually locked in a locker) However, because it betrayed the 'Holywood Logic' message of 'peaceful people don't plan to kill people or force people'. They swapped it, causing a plot hole of 'if you killed him and he's dead, how will the missile be launched?' thing. Basically, the story got edited, causing a plot hole.
You're all fucking wrong. They simply added the 'threatening with a gun' to add drama. Logic has nothing to do with it. Way I see it: the junior officer became overly emotional and was trying to convince his superior to turn the key. If he wouldn't he was going to shoot him anyway. No missiles launched but at least he killed an enemy of the SAC. I mean, USA. Anyway, followin nuclear Armageddon, it would have been mainly the SAC that survived. Not the USA.
This is the best scene in the whole film. It reminds me of the launch scenes in 'First Strike' which were also used in 'The Day After'. Being British I can relate more to the BBC drama 'Threads', I was 16 when that came out and with many documentaries on the effects of a nuclear war I can still remember the genuine fear of it all. Thank goodness I was born 6 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis! For those too young to remember believe me, the terrorist threats of today are nothing by comparison.
The bit that always bugged me about this scene was the fact that it was a test, and the crew hadn't been told that (although it says WOPR EXECUTION ORDER on the screen)... but it shows the actual missiles spooling up for launch. Just annoyed me.
"I want someone to use his fucking brain, and not come out of an uptempo number straight into a goddamn thermonuclear holocaust. It's impossible to make those transitions, man."
+Neville James Martin I didn't realise it was Leo McGary (sp?) either till I had already watched the entire West Wing series, and then watched this clip! Leo would have turned the key haha.
Also a great scene when near the end we realize WOPR goes for a retaliatory missile launch by itself using a brute-force attack to obtain the launch codes
+Ken Baker Sadly, the B-2 is already looking at being replaced. Sad for the years of exceptional performance of the aircraft. However, good for for national security, and Boing haha.
If there was a winter storm raging outside you didn't enter my grandpa's house. You stand out there and freeze until it's over and don't let that cold air in!
FAILSAFE: a two man crew could not launch their missiles unless several other crews also initiate the launch sequence. These missiles are defensive only.
And I always loved this movie. But the one flaw was this scene. The crews where always told and trained that simulations could occur at anytime. They could enter a launch code in a simulation that would effectively (due to programs on the computers) act up to a set point and then cycle down. They put they thought in their head that it can always be a simulated attack, to give them hope, so they would go through all the steps and turn the key. Of course they are still human, so things do occur. Back in 2012 or 13 I think, one of the missle wings had a large number of people removed from the ability to launch as many men in those areas had begun to question the orders of superiors (in day to day operations), and you can't have that as it might show up if the codes came down.
Absolutely untrue. They don't have fake simulations in the actual silos like in the film. Thats a myth. They have a simulator room where they are tested on regularly and have to run through all sorts of scenarios and are given regular ratings. Thats where the cheating scandal occurred.
The movies I've seen with Barry Corbin: WarGames Urban Cowboy Wyvern Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Stir Crazy Who's Harry Crumb Bitter Harvest Critters 2:The Main Course Solo
They didn't have houses like this they had guard stations inside the fence with glass windows. The replacement crew had to go through a double lock chamber. They entered the first blast door and it was sealed. They were then given a piece of paper with a number on it, or verbally given it, but usually it was written, and passed through a special little opening. The replacement crew was given the number to add or subtract from the number given, and they wrote the results and passed it back. If the number was correct they opened the inner blast door So if they were told +5 and the team inside the silo passed the number 8 to the new team, they would write 13 and pass it back Simple but effective Then they would swap out and the team leaving would go through the 2 blast doors, with the first one closed before the outer one was opened There were blast doors inside the LCC and silo as well. When a launch happens they seal the silo and the LCC blast doors The outer 2 doors that made the interlocking entrance were always sealed except for crew change. They had fresh air from the pipe from the guard station as well as communication and video from the topside In the event of a launch the button is pushed that deals the fresh air from outside. At that point they have a recycling system that is electric that filters out the CO2, but they also have a chemical 02 maker that they stir each day. They also have a chemical CO2 scrubber that they stir each day. The theory is that they would last 21 days underground using the recycling and the chemical scrubber and 02 generator chemicals. In actuality I don't think it would be that long. Just as with other cold war facilities, they really want them to survive the first strike, and be able to retaliate and they only need the people to survive 24 hours, maybe a little longer, maybe 2 or 3 days at the most. So much is going to be destroyed and the radiation levels outside are going to be lethal for weeks and even after a month, the radiation is going to be so high that you can not survive topside unprotected. The deep bunkers I personally was in had food and water and we were told that 6 months is the maximum we could last. The ground water was going to be contaminated and 6 months is the longest before that ground water would reach us, probably less. So, if we look at what places like Fukushima are like 6 months after the radiation, and that was a lot less than would be in a nuclear war, we see people could not survive. In fact, all the stores left all their goods and people went in the danger area and took the goods and sold them and people have been turning up with radiation poisoning who bought these items on auctions No one survives a nuclear Holocaust. That is what I learned from reading the declassified documents. They told us we would last 21 days and the official plans they gave us said we would last 21 days. But they stopped stocking the facility in the 90s. They knew that we knew. We were there for the first hour, maybe the first day, but after that, they were expecting us to be unable to do anything. It is very sad and scary that we are so close to the end now. I think it will happen soon. I think the Ukraine will have Russian troops take the eastern half and run into the US troops in the western half and then Putin or Biden will use small nukes on the battlefield and it will escalate very fast. Basically the VIPs will get to the super bunkers in MD and PA and VA and WVA and NC and as they are getting to them here around the world each country will have their VIPs getting to their bunkers. Probably 2 hours maybe 3, and as soon as they are all sealed up they will launch It could be Russia or US launching first Basically the VIPs will make the decision. If Biden and one of the other people on the top list get to the bunker and they decide to launch even though the Senate and House are not in their bunkers yet won't matter It really is insane To be the one that causes the end of all life on the planet If people would stop and think about that they would not elect the people they do
Poor example of a Minuteman III launch complex. Plus, the missile is a Titan II. The MM launch control center is much more compact than the one in the movie. I know Hollywood can't get it all right but I commend them for trying. In 1983 there should have been access to the MM complexes so Hollywood could get it a little closer. I know what I'm talking about. I was on a Titan II ICBM missile crew for 4 years in the 70's.
I was a SACCS maintenance troop for Minuteman III sites circa 1980 and had tripped out to the missile field many times. None of our launch control sites were at all like that on the surface. Plus OUR equipment rack was totally missing from the launch control capsule in the movie. Other than that, not too bad. But believe me, if you had ever happened upon a SAC missile site, you would know it by the M-16 pressing down on the back of your neck -- AKA "being jacked up".
@@damyouggw It has been so long, I really don't remember. Officers were usually officers who failed flight physical or had washed out of pilot training. The 2 enlisted slots were usually filled with guys who had some significant hours. I had about 100 hrs. of college when I joined the USAF. Also, test scores were taken into consideration for both officers and enlisted. I guess I scored pretty good.
@@damyouggw - Minuteman selection process, college graduates usually through college ROTC or military academy or officer training school. Training at Vandenberg AFB with a class size of around 12. Very tough written tests and missile procedures training with minimum scores of 90%. Final evaluation required to pass along with top secret clearance. After leaving Vandenberg officers sent to their wings where they undergo more training and evaluation before a final certification briefing to the wing commander. If they pass that then they can go out on missile alert. Further training and testing is required monthly again the expected score for testing is 100%. Scores of a couple of 90% in a row can lead to decertification or a loss of your job. Every six months or so 3 hour missile procedures evaluations are conducted and with major or critical errors leading to decertification, job loss and sometimes discharge.
I love all the military guys chiming in on this thread without a shred of awareness of the point of this scene. "Don't worry everyone, that's not really how it works...in the real world we'd all be dead, don't worry."
@Főfasírozó They're supporting the ideal not the reality. Modern soldiers do have an easy ride compared to the old shooting wars of the early 20th or late 19th century.
@Főfasírozó the Top 4 richest countries in Africa have consistently been South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, and Egypt, and this has been true for decades, both before and after the deposition of Gaddafi
War Games was a good movie. And this first scene is how I feel whenever I must do something dramatic. Minus nuclear attacks and such, but it's such a good scene!
I got to witness this in person inside the launch room, Whiteman AFB (Knobnoster MO). It was just like this. They shut down the practice when they were ready to turn the keys.
This is the part that is fused into my brain. Turn your key. TURN YOUR KEY SIR!" And then it breaks into the credit music - this vid actually ended like half a beat too soon. Sigh.
I'm in the damn industry and I've never watched this gem. My bad. Very bad. This scene gave me chills. I have no idea if Madson pulled the trigger, but I'm gonna find out. Damn. What a scene!!!
I must have watch this clips a hundred times and I just now noticed. Michael Madsen holsters the gun on his right side, but draws it with his left hand! xD
Dunno, but I can see how some seasoned left handed person doesn't want the holster to be on left hip to impede normal movements considering the gun is for use in extreme situations only. All he has to do is reach across the body.... get the picture??
The guard that lets them in is character Art LeFleur. He’s been in a million different things. I know him best as one of the Chicago White Sox players in ‘Field of Dreams ‘.
just a little ironic that as they enter the elevator he mentions the chant his wife says to her plants to help them grow, is “om mani padme huum”.. which is a buddhist chant for peace, as they enter a nuclear missle facility..
If I remember correctly there needs to be at east one or two extra silo command team also having entered the correct launch codes in order to fire. This to prevent missileers going rogue having the abbility to launch.
I couldn't watch the West Wing, after Martin Sheen played the president in The Dead Zone and launched a nuclear attack in a vision of the future. I think they should have ended the series with him replaying that scene during a standoff with North Korea. ua-cam.com/video/tE-PjGg3ae8/v-deo.html "We have a diplomatic solution." "The missiles are flying."
Actually, this is NOT accurate at all. IN fact, only a certain percentage of all launch crews have to enable a launch. I think it's like 60%. As long as that percentage launch their missiles, the missiles at other sites will also launch automatically, even if the team at that other site do not turn their keys. This still prevents rogue launches, but also ensures all missiles launch, even if an individual team fails.
skunkjobb :SCW-1, VQ-3. E-6 mercury and the E-4 NAOC. I worked on Mercurys and both are considered doomsday aircraft having ALCS capability via VLF & ULF antennas to communicate and launch the triad if needed.
Funny thing, the missiles they show are Titan II's which required 5 man crews per missile and were discontinued in the late 1960's. Their set up is for Minuteman missiles, correct for the time of the movie, which required two man crews for ten missiles.
Redundancy would've launched those missiles anyhow from another pair of crews stationed nearby. Those who formulated the standard operating procedures made sure to cover for any situation like this.
For those that enjoyed the movie, you should really visit the Atlas Missile museum in Tucson Arizona. You will be amazed with what you see and the stories you hear.
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right... Here I am, stuck in the silo with you.
Should have cut the commanders ear off and poured petrol on him. Turn your fucking key NOW sir!
you are sick.
"Turn your KEY Sir, or I'll shoot you and then you won't be ABLE to turn your key!"
Each wing (150 missiles divided evenly between 15 launch control facilities) [Edit had it wrong lol] had a supreme LCC that could take over in cases like this. Each silo could also be controlled by the looking glass and TACOMO planes. Pretty pointless to get a gun out over not having personally responsible for vaporizing the Minsk telephone factory or whatever.
True, but it was 150 missiles controlled by 15 control centers.
Even almost 40 years later this scene still scares me.
:-) seeing that the uniform and red scarf were exactly like mine during alert.
It should scare you. It should scare the shit out of every man, woman and child that this scenario is so close to reality.
Perhaps even more, as I am older. I don't know if I could turn that key.....Even if the missiles were coming. Why make more of the world dead.....
@@s.hooper5667
And if they both turned your keys at the same time the question that ponder me, To be or not to be?
Would those missiles have launched due to a glitch, even although this was supposed to be a simulated drill to see how the men would respond in the silos?
That "Scene" you speak of will be a reality soon enough. The END you speak of is closer than you think.
Smart move of him to threaten the other guy with a gun. Once he has shot him, all he needs to to is grow a 4 ft long arm to turn both keys simultanously.
The purpose of the firearm was another MAD pack. It ensures that both men in the silo know that if they dont carry out the order, they will die, incentivizing them to follow through with the order
@@rufushowell Except not really. It's entirely possible to do something, knowing that you will die for it, while saving millions.
jursamaj Thinking the bigger picture is good, but when you’re thinking you’re going to die regardless, turning a key, or nuclear winter, you’re screwed. Turn the key, maybe military will come to get you... eventually, don’t turn it your coworker shoots you.
@@Backyardmech1 Sounds like that would make the decision simpler: *you're* screwed either way, but why take millions of others with you?
jursamaj because you swore an oath
I cannot go one month without watching WarGames. There is so much nostalgic linkage to people, places and times in my life that it's like some sort of temporal nexus.
Big Gulp cup...no lid or straw I miss the 80s😪
@@mattgiguere5638 A distinct memory of August 1985 is stopping at 7-11 and grabbing a Double Gulp of Diet Coke. My wife and I had just hiked-in to the site of where our new house would be. The roads were roughed-in with gravel. It was sweltering. We spoke to the builder who was, by coincidence, on-site too. We asked to have two big boulders positioned in what would be the backyard. He gave us a handwritten receipt of our request. My wife, more demurely, picked out 12 oz. iced tea at 7-11.
I remember the '80s and I wish I had appreciated them more at the time. It was a busy time at work. My wife and I started boxing-up things for the move when we got home. I set my Double Gulp cup down on my side of the dresser and it left a ring. I still have that dresser and the faint ring is still visible. My wife passed away in June of 2002 and I have since moved but the memory of the day, the '80s, and a number of other memories remain.
@@TralfazConstruction Amen! 🙏🏼 We're the same u and I. and I'm not quoting Falling Down. God bless u.
@@mattgiguere5638 Thank you, Matt! Best wishes to you, always.
@@TralfazConstruction Sorry for you loss sir 😢
_"Screw procedure, I want someone on the goddamn phone before I kill 20 million people"_ Probably the most logical and well meaning thought in this whole scene right there.
Something somewhat similar actually happened in 1983. A Soviet officer (Stanislav Petrov) received an alert from a Soviet satellite that there was an incoming U.S. missile strike. He disobeyed protocol by disregarded the alert as a false alert. Had he followed procedure, the Soviet Union would have responded with a strike of its own, kicking off a global conflict.
“Almighty Bomb, who destroyed all devils, and created angels!!”
Little does everyone NOW know 40k feet up another person can override the other dudes call on the key, and send the ICBM.
@@Backyardmech1 TACAMO!
Turn your key sir.
"Skybird, this is Casey Kasem with a Red Dash Alpha message and the top hits of the 50s and 60s"
grcboy29 BREAK - BREAK
"Til next time, keep your missiles on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars."
"AUDIO KIT will conduct a 494L exercise, followed by a GIANT BALL exercise and UHF/HF comm poll beginning at 1317Z...."
Ah, the oldies
That's one hell of a long distance dedication.
Gives me goosebumps every time I watch it.
What movie is this
Man I miss watching John Spencer act. The guy was awesome.
Truly underrated. He will forever be immortalized in my mind as Leo McGarry from The West Wing. An absolute monster of an actor.
@@MKucheran An as FBI Director James Womack in "The Rock".
@@MKucheran west wing is a freaking amazing show... love watching it over and over... if only we had martin for president now...
I first saw John Spencer in a movie when he played a private detective who came to the rescue of Harrison Ford, who had been accused of murdering.
His mistress. Harrison's character as I remember was kind of a Jerk. But I fell in love with john spencer in this movie. So real and down to earth. And I was so happy when he got such a great part on the west wing. My heart broke when he died. He really deserved to have a long career and we deserved to have him around longer. God but that was a great show.❤
there's a true story of a Russian officer in the 50's or 60's who was in the same position as these guys. He was informed of an incoming ICBM missile from America. He refused to retaliate and launch his missiles until he got some confirmation which, like in this scene, was not proper protocol.
It turns out the Russian equipment used detect incoming missiles was not very good and was fooled by reflections off of clouds.
Good thing he questioned orders.
It was 1983.
@@SMFCNA Really? That recent?
Thanks for the clarification
It happened twice- ignored the first AND the second warnings. Brass balls.
You realize that in this case it was a test and the missiles would not have launched
I guess you never watched the movie
@@travisjohnson6676I think you mixed up two different real incidents where Soviet officers saved the world from nuclear war. One was in 1962, with Vasily Arkhipov, but he was aboard a nuclear-armed submarine off Cuba, not controlling ICBMs. The other was 1983, with Stanislav Petrov at a missile warning station. In the 1962 case, during the American blockade of Cuba, the submarine crew was out of contact with their base and misunderstood what was happening, whereas the 1983 case was a technical failure that produced a false alarm.
Madsen has that look. He can act with just his face and eyes. He should've done more westerns if he did any at all. Love this guy.
Hateful 8
He was in Wyatt Earp with Kevin Costner
Extraneous missile nerdery:
The missiles shown in the silos are Titans. Minuteman crews were two-man, but Titan crews had four.
It looks like the launch control facility of minuteman, but the missile silo of titan. I was confused about that as well.
Not being up to scratch on missile types, I wouldn't have really known the difference.
Real ones aren't disguised as houses. Oncoming crew takes guns directly from offgoing crew. Down below is not all clean and sterile. The blast doors have to be pumped open manually (only the small door is shown here).No video to watch the missiles (which wore only brown primer) 1-2 hours to changeover with the old crew, after which they changed into sweats. Guns were to protect the codes, there were four other crews plus airborne that would get the launch off even if some crews choked.
I see someone else worked in the missile fields
Well thanks 4 that tidy bit...I always wondered about that👍
I can't remember the documentary, its on UA-cam somewhere, where there were quite a few failings with the crews in these places.
Well in the grand history of Movies Depicting Things Incorrectly that is pretty good going.
The whole system fails when you have a lunatic for a President who alone can order a nuclear strike... god help us all!
A fantastic start to a cult classic film from the real threat of MAD in the early 80s
Wakey-wakey,
Eggs and bakey,
Turn your KEY, sir!!!
Always enjoy Michael Madsen in his roles.
"turn your key, sir." Awesome, riveting, and quite chilling!
"turn your key or I will shoot you and then your key will definitely not get turned"
@@CFox.7 I was gonna say.....
No point at the Deputy MC3-A (A first Lieutenant) pulling a gun at the lead MC3-A (a Captain), because there has to be two people with enough brain cells to agree to launch.
the set really looks super realistic and very much alike what a real missile silo control unit would have looked like back then, up to things like the blast door, room layout, the costumes, the buttons and switches, yes even those triangle shaped launch switches are exactly as they were.
Each MAF(Missile Alert Facility) is connected to 10 missiles. Multiple MAFs are linked to the same missile field. Launching a missile requires the consent of two MAFs. Even if you don't do it, someone will.
Someone's pulled alert duty before....Except we called the "LCF's" or Launch Control Facilities ..
But yeah. Redundancy is a biotch.
"Dropkick" is a code name for the SAC Command Center at Offutt AFB. The senior controller at SAC identifies himself by that name when passing test or command messages.
A code-name likely, because in this underground world of missile launching, you are not allowed generally to give out real names - they try to keep things top-secret.
Dropkick was also the name of an early Cold War nuclear war plan, and referred to an all out nuclear strike on the entire Communist world. It's from that war plan that the US President's nuclear briefcase that follows him everywhere became known as the "nuclear football".
Also, "Skybird" was a call sign for all ICBMs and "Sky King" was a call sign for all SAC aircraft.
@@bluesrocker91 was that not SIOP?
Skybird! Skybird! Do not answer! This is Sky King. Message follows.
Michael Madsen AND John Spencer!!!
Just looked up John Spencer on imdb and I've seen a lot of the things he's been in.
@Jonathan Trapp Loved him in The West Wing ... so sorry he has passed ... and it was kinda creepy it being the same thing as his character almost died of ...
@@Dcart5 He was in "The Rock" as FBI Director James Womack. 1996
So that's what Leo McGarry did before he worked for the Bartlett administration.
LOL - Technically, he worked for the L.A. law firm Mackenzie Brackman before the White House. This would have been before his lawyer days. 🙂
They reference an incident similar to this one in one of the episodes IIRC - I believe Will Bailey is off to defend the crew - which I guess was something of an easter egg.
Well, we knew Leo was in the Air Force.
Got his arm broke by Sean Connery
Later on he moved to Seattle to live with his son, a famous radio psychiatrist
Best scene of the whole movie - and it came right at the beginning.
+SrTuco I agree. It was both funny, and serious at the same time. Bevan still annoys me. Who played him?
I lived through the last few years of the Cold War. Movies like "Threads," showing an infinitely bleaker picture than cosy "The Day After" fare. For some reason, I always get a kick out of this whole sequence. The veteran superior officer having second thoughts at the last second while the rookie who was scared shitless at the start then going through with the entire procedure like a true Kamikaze.
SrTuco Best scene ever is Reservoir Dogs' breakfast scene and it's a opening scene too.
Yes.
It beautifully set the stage and the stakes for the rest of the movie.
Are you gonna bark all day, sir, or are you gonna turn your key?
RobARug lmaoooooo
Go watch Dr. Strangelove or How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.
@@davidprince1138 I did. Now I have to answer to the Coca-Cola company.
He should have brought his hanzo sword
@@jeffteampeterson he sold it already
This scene always gives me conflicting emotions. I want someone in control who will launch when ordered because deterrents are important, but I also don't want a bunch of innocent people to die.
With a strategic nuclear missile you always kill countless innocent civilians. women, children. Hundreds of thousands. Complete madness!
Mike Madsen, AND JOHN SPENCER! He ended up playing the Chief of Staff on the West Wing.
This is in the top 10 best opening scenes in movie history.
A strange game. The only winning move is not to play
+David La Ahh...the hell with it. Let's play and get it over with. The waiting is driving me nuts!
its been going on in Afghanistan for 14 years now, costing US tax payers 700 billion dollars
David La the military industrial complex is happy tho
I find it hard to believe that Joshua didn't
also learn how to cheat.
@@LaBrother
Could have rebuilt each and every bridge and most roads in the US by now, twice.
I REALLY need to buy this on DVD. I have loved this film since it came out...Some special effects, yes, but a character driven plot enhanced by SFX. Kudos to Eddie Deezen!! Long Live Melvin!!! Thanks for posting!
Where is Eddie Deezen?
The whole thing is up on UA-cam now
@@Sshooter444 Eddie is one of the computer experts Lightman goes to see. The big guy yells at him and calls him Mr. Potatohead... 🤣
This is Casey Kasem with the Top 40 targets for destruction. Have a wonderful day!
Yeah that's one of the only things I didn't like about this film. The voices they used for the missile commander & the fighter pilot were a lil over the top & sounded like radio DJ's.
Well I sure would like to have some quality voice talent barking orders at me before I kill 20 million people.
Seen this movie countless times and I'm only now realizing that's Casey Kasem.
Devin Tariel Remember, keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for those launch codes.
Zoinks Scoob
That scen was awesome! I was on the edge of my seat. I did not know he was in this movie. Good acting!
One of the most criminally underrated movies coming out of the 1980's.
Oh dear, another moron saying something massively successful and popular is underrated. Have you EVER had an original thought, cretin?
I’ve been using the sentences, Your turn next, Ginsberg and You’re a prince Fethen for the past 38 years.
rated just fine....did good at the box office back in the day, Rotten tomatoes gives it 94 %, most older movie watchers know it and like it. Had influence on early discussions about IT and the dangers thereof.
Not underrated at all.
Underrated? You mean one of the most famous and well liked movies of the entire 1980's? The same movie that (along with Sneakers) is still considered as having some of the most realistic depictions of social engineering (hacking) depicted in media? The same movie that helped make Matthew Broderick a star?
Finally about time something War Games gets on my,recommended
I've never seen, or heard, Michael Madsen so young. His voice sounds so different from what I've heard from him in the past 25 years I would have sworn that that was Tom Sizemore and not M.M. They look so much alike, it's practically unbelievable.
Next he would become Bump Bailey, outfielder for the NY Knights in ‘The Natural’.
i can't believe that is michael madsen. it's insane. i thought it was another actor. wow....
Cigarettes change a person's voice considerably over the years
One of the most dramatic scenes in a movie ever!
admit it you have always wanted to find that house with the elevator and hidden nuke silo built inside it to go and watch tv there🤣
An opening to a movie that will grab your attention.
Saw this as a kid. When I moved to Seattle to attend University of Washington, I enjoyed walking around several places where they shot the library scene and riding to visit the computer geeks. I enjoyed the nostalgia as I studied, and I eventually named the stairs that go up to Suzzallo Library the "Matthew Broderick Stairs."
John Spencer is the other actor (very underrated)
RIP 1946-2005
Hard to believe he was 35 in this. I thought he was 50.
didnt know he passed, RIP indeed
Damn! I forgot how powerful that scene was.
Nah - day after was more powerful
Maybe if he threatened to cut his ear off he'd turn the key.
I used to think this was the coolest scene until actually met people who did missile duty in the silos. He told me this was the most unrealistic thing ever and the training they had and the procedures they used made something like this impossible
Well, it is basically realistic except for the not turning keys part.
Well, they had to establish a justification for replacing the human missile silo crews with an automated, AI-controlled system. If they couldn't do that, then the whole movie can't work. So I don't begrudge them sacrificing realism for this scene.
Great movie- stood the test of time. This is likely one of the best scenes from it.
Name of the movie
Wargames
The title is just going to ignore John Spencer like that?
Imagine the two that had just left the place driving down the road and they see all these missiles taking off in the distance-incomprehensible!!!
I think it was only a test to see if they'd actually go through with it. The noodles weren't actually going to launch
Is it me, or does that sign to the right of the door say:
"ANYONE URINATING IN THIS AREA WILL BE DISCHARGED" ?
+Dis Pater according to IMDB it does.
Yes. It's one of a few sight gags in the movie.
I didn't see the sign but if it was there, it had to have been Hollywood who added something as stupid.
@@Bbendfender Well given what you hear about the bad state of the toilets in some launch bunkers the sign my be accurate nowadays.
It’s foreshadowing for the end of the movie when the General says, “Hell, I’d piss on a spark plug if I thought it’d help!”
Awsome! I must say that was a heck of way to chicken out just before you launch your rockets. Incredible and I loved this part. Thanks again. Cheers! :)
Yet that captain, even though he didn't turn his key, still managed to become Chief of Staff to President Bartlett. After the shame of being cashiered from the Air Force, he changed his name to Leo McGarry, became a politician, Chief of Staff to the President, and eventual Democratic nominee for Vice President.
I doubt he was cashiered by the air force, probably reassigned to another (less attractive) job. People who watch this scene figure that these guys are failures, yet the point of the plot is that they're not failures, they're human, and there's no way to change that. That's why they put WOPR relays in every silo.
@@winternow2242 and now we have SKYNET in which human decisions have been removed from all strategic defense.
And all while struggling with alcoholism. Hell of a guy.
Also notice the precursor to the famous "Walk and Talk".
@elshpen : Don't forget he also served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Wolmack.
"Holy shit."
Understatement of the year.
After the light-hearted banter at the beginning this icey-cold feeling creeps up your neck when Michael Madsen repeats "turn your key, Sir". Ever heard of "Able Archer"? The world may have been closer to the edge of destruction due to "war games" in the 80s than we may imagine.
There's great documentary about that - combination of Soviet paranoia and how system work and badly timed exercise ... funny thing is, that largest anti-nuke demonstrations took place after crisis that nobody knew about was over: ua-cam.com/video/4cnrE6OhvZg/v-deo.html
I know he doesnt actually shoot him... but whats the gun gonna do to change his mind? How the hell the key gonna get turned if he shoots him?
That's the rule of the job. If you don't complete the launch you die. If he gets to the point where he has to shoot him it wouldn't have been a successful launch anyway. The point is that they know going in the other one is a) armed with a weapon, and b) on orders to kill his partner if he breaches protocol. Because of these two facts, people are far less likely to breach protocol.
Matthew Parker Good point, thanks.
The truth is, there has never been a protocol like that in the history of missilery. At least not in the United States.
Src: www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/16jyia/iama_a_former_nuclear_missile_officer_i_spent/
It seems that in the original story for this scene is this: the one who refused to launch the missile, is the same person who forced his teammate to follow his action, instead of the other way around.
(Here, he got a gun. Unlikely, because weapons are usually locked in a locker)
However, because it betrayed the 'Holywood Logic' message of 'peaceful people don't plan to kill people or force people'. They swapped it, causing a plot hole of 'if you killed him and he's dead, how will the missile be launched?' thing.
Basically, the story got edited, causing a plot hole.
You're all fucking wrong. They simply added the 'threatening with a gun' to add drama. Logic has nothing to do with it. Way I see it: the junior officer became overly emotional and was trying to convince his superior to turn the key. If he wouldn't he was going to shoot him anyway. No missiles launched but at least he killed an enemy of the SAC. I mean, USA. Anyway, followin nuclear Armageddon, it would have been mainly the SAC that survived. Not the USA.
This is the best scene in the whole film.
It reminds me of the launch scenes in 'First Strike' which were also used in 'The Day After'.
Being British I can relate more to the BBC drama 'Threads', I was 16 when that came out and with many documentaries on the effects of a nuclear war I can still remember the genuine fear of it all. Thank goodness I was born 6 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis! For those too young to remember believe me, the terrorist threats of today are nothing by comparison.
God, I wish I could find a good quality copy of "First Strike"....BEST documentary out there of nuclear alert in the 80s....
The bit that always bugged me about this scene was the fact that it was a test, and the crew hadn't been told that (although it says WOPR EXECUTION ORDER on the screen)... but it shows the actual missiles spooling up for launch. Just annoyed me.
Very nice video and a great movie as well. Thanks for posting and have a nice day too.
“2:37 This is Casey Kasem, and this is your top 40 songs.”
' I can feel it the air tonight ..boom ,booom" ..99 red balloons...
"I want someone to use his fucking brain, and not come out of an uptempo number straight into a goddamn thermonuclear holocaust. It's impossible to make those transitions, man."
I had probably not seen the movie in 20+ years before catching it on TV the other day. I didn't realize it was Michael Madsen in the opening scene.
+Neville James Martin I didn't realise it was Leo McGary (sp?) either till I had already watched the entire West Wing series, and then watched this clip! Leo would have turned the key haha.
Also a great scene when near the end we realize WOPR goes for a retaliatory missile launch by itself using a brute-force attack to obtain the launch codes
Nuclear Triad : Missile bases - Submarines - B2 Bombers
+Ken Baker Sadly, the B-2 is already looking at being replaced. Sad for the years of exceptional performance of the aircraft. However, good for for national security, and Boing haha.
B-52s......Up the Ass!!!
This is how you entered my gandpa’s house in the 80’s
Did you have ID cards or Hi-Tech retinal scans like at my pappy's house?
If there was a winter storm raging outside you didn't enter my grandpa's house. You stand out there and freeze until it's over and don't let that cold air in!
FAILSAFE: a two man crew could not launch their missiles unless several other crews also initiate the launch sequence. These missiles are defensive only.
Madsen was absolutely amazing in Donnie Brasco!!!
yeah he was
Man, it's been years since last time I saw Wargames. Gotta watch it again.
Is this the movie with Matthew Broderick
I remember watching this as a child, not really grasping the full ramifications.
or that he was talking about getting high on premium weed.
And I always loved this movie. But the one flaw was this scene. The crews where always told and trained that simulations could occur at anytime. They could enter a launch code in a simulation that would effectively (due to programs on the computers) act up to a set point and then cycle down. They put they thought in their head that it can always be a simulated attack, to give them hope, so they would go through all the steps and turn the key. Of course they are still human, so things do occur. Back in 2012 or 13 I think, one of the missle wings had a large number of people removed from the ability to launch as many men in those areas had begun to question the orders of superiors (in day to day operations), and you can't have that as it might show up if the codes came down.
Absolutely untrue. They don't have fake simulations in the actual silos like in the film. Thats a myth. They have a simulator room where they are tested on regularly and have to run through all sorts of scenarios and are given regular ratings. Thats where the cheating scandal occurred.
Actually, correct procedure would be to get someone else on the line. Specifically, other LCCs. They'd literally run a conference call.
You would know, you Commie Spy!
From the most boring job in the world to the most terrifying - in seconds. Great scene in a film I’ve seen a few times. Thanks for sharing.
Leo McGarry almost blew up the whole goddamn world...
I know!!!
With an assist from Mr. Blonde!
After he got shot down in Vietnam the Air Force put him in the silos..
@@ptroinks Too be fair he was abusing Valium in the 90's. Who knows what he was doing in the 80's.
@@KMcNally117 It's pretty hard to abuse Valium
I notice multi level buttons on the elevator panel. I wonder what all those other levels are?
This will sound weird but this was my favorite scene in the movie.
Mine too. How are you doing after 14 years?
The movies I've seen with Barry Corbin:
WarGames
Urban Cowboy
Wyvern
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Stir Crazy
Who's Harry Crumb
Bitter Harvest
Critters 2:The Main Course
Solo
*"Gently" launch nuclear missiles*
Master key. The last thing you'd want to break during launch process. And yes, that's like "don't panic" sign. But one which actually would work.
This movie was a great movie and today this could happen like Skynet taking over when we trust computers to do our thinking for us
Nothing on one,
Two is binding, nice click out of there
Oops, wrong channel...
Hello and welcome again it's the LockPickingLawyer
They didn't have houses like this they had guard stations inside the fence with glass windows.
The replacement crew had to go through a double lock chamber.
They entered the first blast door and it was sealed. They were then given a piece of paper with a number on it, or verbally given it, but usually it was written, and passed through a special little opening. The replacement crew was given the number to add or subtract from the number given, and they wrote the results and passed it back.
If the number was correct they opened the inner blast door
So if they were told +5 and the team inside the silo passed the number 8 to the new team, they would write 13 and pass it back
Simple but effective
Then they would swap out and the team leaving would go through the 2 blast doors, with the first one closed before the outer one was opened
There were blast doors inside the LCC and silo as well.
When a launch happens they seal the silo and the LCC blast doors
The outer 2 doors that made the interlocking entrance were always sealed except for crew change.
They had fresh air from the pipe from the guard station as well as communication and video from the topside
In the event of a launch the button is pushed that deals the fresh air from outside.
At that point they have a recycling system that is electric that filters out the CO2, but they also have a chemical 02 maker that they stir each day.
They also have a chemical CO2 scrubber that they stir each day.
The theory is that they would last 21 days underground using the recycling and the chemical scrubber and 02 generator chemicals.
In actuality I don't think it would be that long.
Just as with other cold war facilities, they really want them to survive the first strike, and be able to retaliate and they only need the people to survive 24 hours, maybe a little longer, maybe 2 or 3 days at the most.
So much is going to be destroyed and the radiation levels outside are going to be lethal for weeks and even after a month, the radiation is going to be so high that you can not survive topside unprotected.
The deep bunkers I personally was in had food and water and we were told that 6 months is the maximum we could last. The ground water was going to be contaminated and 6 months is the longest before that ground water would reach us, probably less.
So, if we look at what places like Fukushima are like 6 months after the radiation, and that was a lot less than would be in a nuclear war, we see people could not survive.
In fact, all the stores left all their goods and people went in the danger area and took the goods and sold them and people have been turning up with radiation poisoning who bought these items on auctions
No one survives a nuclear Holocaust.
That is what I learned from reading the declassified documents.
They told us we would last 21 days and the official plans they gave us said we would last 21 days.
But they stopped stocking the facility in the 90s.
They knew that we knew. We were there for the first hour, maybe the first day, but after that, they were expecting us to be unable to do anything.
It is very sad and scary that we are so close to the end now.
I think it will happen soon.
I think the Ukraine will have Russian troops take the eastern half and run into the US troops in the western half and then Putin or Biden will use small nukes on the battlefield and it will escalate very fast.
Basically the VIPs will get to the super bunkers in MD and PA and VA and WVA and NC
and as they are getting to them here around the world each country will have their VIPs getting to their bunkers.
Probably 2 hours maybe 3, and as soon as they are all sealed up they will launch
It could be Russia or US launching first
Basically the VIPs will make the decision.
If Biden and one of the other people on the top list get to the bunker and they decide to launch even though the Senate and House are not in their bunkers yet won't matter
It really is insane
To be the one that causes the end of all life on the planet
If people would stop and think about that they would not elect the people they do
Poor example of a Minuteman III launch complex. Plus, the missile is a Titan II. The MM launch control center is much more compact than the one in the movie. I know Hollywood can't get it all right but I commend them for trying. In 1983 there should have been access to the MM complexes so Hollywood could get it a little closer. I know what I'm talking about. I was on a Titan II ICBM missile crew for 4 years in the 70's.
Arch Stanton why did they need to carry loaded guns in there ?
I was a SACCS maintenance troop for Minuteman III sites circa 1980 and had tripped out to the missile field many times. None of our launch control sites were at all like that on the surface. Plus OUR equipment rack was totally missing from the launch control capsule in the movie. Other than that, not too bad.
But believe me, if you had ever happened upon a SAC missile site, you would know it by the M-16 pressing down on the back of your neck -- AKA "being jacked up".
If you don’t mind me asking what was the selection process like? Also I’m not American but thank you for your Service
@@damyouggw It has been so long, I really don't remember. Officers were usually officers who failed flight physical or had washed out of pilot training. The 2 enlisted slots were usually filled with guys who had some significant hours. I had about 100 hrs. of college when I joined the USAF. Also, test scores were taken into consideration for both officers and enlisted. I guess I scored pretty good.
@@damyouggw - Minuteman selection process, college graduates usually through college ROTC or military academy or officer training school. Training at Vandenberg AFB with a class size of around 12. Very tough written tests and missile procedures training with minimum scores of 90%. Final evaluation required to pass along with top secret clearance. After leaving Vandenberg officers sent to their wings where they undergo more training and evaluation before a final certification briefing to the wing commander. If they pass that then they can go out on missile alert. Further training and testing is required monthly again the expected score for testing is 100%. Scores of a couple of 90% in a row can lead to decertification or a loss of your job. Every six months or so 3 hour missile procedures evaluations are conducted and with major or critical errors leading to decertification, job loss and sometimes discharge.
LOL, they show up in a blinding snowstorm, then sunlight pours in when the silo door opens 4 minutes later!
I love all the military guys chiming in on this thread without a shred of awareness of the point of this scene.
"Don't worry everyone, that's not really how it works...in the real world we'd all be dead, don't worry."
@Főfasírozó They're supporting the ideal not the reality. Modern soldiers do have an easy ride compared to the old shooting wars of the early 20th or late 19th century.
@Főfasírozó the Top 4 richest countries in Africa have consistently been South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, and Egypt, and this has been true for decades, both before and after the deposition of Gaddafi
If anyone is ever in Tucson, visit the Titan Missile Museum. It’s pretty great. Also, the Pima Air museum and AMARC are wonderful places to see.
War Games was a good movie.
And this first scene is how I feel whenever I must do something dramatic. Minus nuclear attacks and such, but it's such a good scene!
I got to witness this in person inside the launch room, Whiteman AFB (Knobnoster MO). It was just like this. They shut down the practice when they were ready to turn the keys.
Just realised, the other guy is from The Rock. The one who Sean Connery throws over a balcony
yes he was FBI Director Womack his real name is John Spencer
Also The Chief of Staff from President Bartlet's White House in The West Wing
Womack? Why am I not surprised, you piece of SHIT.
Was also the police chief al Travis in the negotiator
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in this silo with you.
This is the part that is fused into my brain. Turn your key. TURN YOUR KEY SIR!" And then it breaks into the credit music - this vid actually ended like half a beat too soon. Sigh.
John Spencer (1946-2005), Michael Madsen, Art LaFleur (1943-2021) are the first three actors in the clip.
It’s great the missile launch guys are talking about marijuana on the elevator ride down and during prechecks
I'm in the damn industry and I've never watched this gem. My bad. Very bad. This scene gave me chills. I have no idea if Madson pulled the trigger, but I'm gonna find out. Damn. What a scene!!!
I must have watch this clips a hundred times and I just now noticed.
Michael Madsen holsters the gun on his right side, but draws it with his left hand! xD
Dunno, but I can see how some seasoned left handed person doesn't want the holster to be on left hip to impede normal movements considering the gun is for use in extreme situations only. All he has to do is reach across the body.... get the picture??
The guard that lets them in is character Art LeFleur. He’s been in a million different things. I know him best as one of the Chicago White Sox players in ‘Field of Dreams ‘.
Classic scene.
He was running the pharmacy in the Frank Darabont's The Blob remake.
Also Babe in The Sandlot.
By Dawn's Early Light. "It's God's work you're destroying now" --- courageous USN admiral callsign Harpoon
That’s another great movie along these lines.
That's a fucking stupid line because God is obviously perfectly fine with nuclear weapons.
just a little ironic that as they enter the elevator he mentions the chant his wife says to her plants to help them grow, is “om mani padme huum”.. which is a buddhist chant for peace, as they enter a nuclear missle facility..
The title should read “John Spencer in WarGames”
If I remember correctly there needs to be at east one or two extra silo command team also having entered the correct launch codes in order to fire. This to prevent missileers going rogue having the abbility to launch.
Yes, that’s correct
THIS is what LEO did before being Labor Secretary, then Chief of Staff, then Vice President
I couldn't watch the West Wing, after Martin Sheen played the president in The Dead Zone and launched a nuclear attack in a vision of the future. I think they should have ended the series with him replaying that scene during a standoff with North Korea.
ua-cam.com/video/tE-PjGg3ae8/v-deo.html
"We have a diplomatic solution."
"The missiles are flying."
A movie ahead of its time. Excellent
Actually, this is NOT accurate at all. IN fact, only a certain percentage of all launch crews have to enable a launch. I think it's like 60%. As long as that percentage launch their missiles, the missiles at other sites will also launch automatically, even if the team at that other site do not turn their keys. This still prevents rogue launches, but also ensures all missiles launch, even if an individual team fails.
10 officers are responsible for launch. If 4 of them will turn keys launch would be succesfull.
Good to know.
And if that percentage fails the LookingGlass Mercury will override all components of the Triad!! Missiles will be launched!
@@dumpstercratsforextinction3493 Have you got any reference for such a capability?
skunkjobb :SCW-1, VQ-3. E-6 mercury and the E-4 NAOC. I worked on Mercurys and both are considered doomsday aircraft having ALCS capability via VLF & ULF antennas to communicate and launch the triad if needed.
Funny thing, the missiles they show are Titan II's which required 5 man crews per missile and were discontinued in the late 1960's. Their set up is for Minuteman missiles, correct for the time of the movie, which required two man crews for ten missiles.
Intense! And it was all just a drill.
That is the absolute nature OF missile drills, to get you inured to what you were doing. Do it enough times as a drill, and you just do it.
What's the name of this movie
War games
@@jogman262 oh ok classic movie
Redundancy would've launched those missiles anyhow from another pair of crews stationed nearby. Those who formulated the standard operating procedures made sure to cover for any situation like this.
Best scene ever filmed for start of nuclear war!
only boomers an
genx can really
understand how
scary the cold
war was. im genx
an tell you it was
such a relief when
the wall came down.
that clip gave me goosebumps
For those that enjoyed the movie, you should really visit the Atlas Missile museum in Tucson Arizona. You will be amazed with what you see and the stories you hear.