#64 - "First Blood" (1982) with Laramy Wells from the "Moving Panels" Podcast

Based loosely on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name, this 80’s flick was the first of a decades long franchise. Unlike the following sequels which were war adventure films set in foreign countries, this was a post-Vietnam War psychological thriller set in the United States that lacks the gore and violence that would later become a trademark of the series. So journey back with us to the small town of Hope, Washington as Tim Williams and guest co-host Laramy Wells from "Moving Panels" Podcast discuss “First Blood” from 1982 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback Podcast!

Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

• Sylvester Stallone accidentally broke the nose of Alf Humphreys (Lester) during the jail escape scene by elbowing him in the face, which is why he is seen wearing a band-aid throughout the rest of the film. Coincidentally, this is what Rambo does to a policeman in the novel during the exact same scene.
• For the sequence where Rambo falls through a large tree and hits one of the branches, Stallone had to film the scene twice. He was asked to film it a third time, but he had broken his rib on the branch the second time through. "It was pretty easy to act out the pain," he notes.
• In the final scene when Rambo has an emotional breakdown with Col. Trautman, the story he tells Trautman about his friend and fellow Baker teammate Danforth (involving the '58 Chevy Convertible and the wired shoe box that blows up, mortally wounding him) was actually a true story told to Sylvester Stallone by a Vietnam War veteran who had had a similar traumatizing experience during the war.

Sources:

Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes,

https://rambo.fandom.com/wiki/First_Blood

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