The Right Stuff
A chronicle of the original Mercury astronauts in the formation of America's space program: Alan Shepherd, the first American in space; Gus Grissom, the benighted astronaut for whom nothing works out as planned; John Glenn, the straight-arrow 'boy scout' of the bunch who was the first American to orbit the earth; and the remaining pilots: Deke Slayton, Scott Carpenter and Wally Schirra.
Drama, History
Warner Bros., The Ladd Company
Fred Ward as Gus Grissom, Dennis Quaid as Gordon Cooper, Ed Harris as John Glenn, Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard, Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager, Barbara Hershey as Glennis Yeager, Lance Henriksen as Wally Schirra, Veronica Cartwright as Betty Grissom, Harry Shearer as NASA Recruiter, Jeff Goldblum as NASA Recruiter, Kim Stanley as Pancho Barnes, Pamela Reed as Trudy Cooper, Scott Paulin as Deke Slayton, Charles Frank as Scott Carpenter, Donald Moffat as Lyndon B. Johnson, Levon Helm as Jack Ridley / Narrator, Mary Jo Deschanel as Annie Glenn, Scott Wilson as Scott Crossfield, Kathy Baker as Louise Shepard, Mickey Crocker as Marge Slayton, Susan Kase as Rene Carpenter, Mittie Smith as Jo Schirra, Royal Dano as Minister, David Clennon as Liaison Man, Jim Haynie as Air Force Major, Anthony Munoz as Gonzales, John P. Ryan as Head of Program, William Russ as Slick Goodlin, Mary Apick as Woman Reporter, John Dehner as Henry Luce, David Gulpilil as Aborigine, O-Lan Jones as Girl at Pancho's, Chuck Yeager as Fred