Snakkle Celebrates The 27^th Anniversary Of Hit Comedy Good Morning, Vietnam And The Funnymen Who Busted Our Guts—Where Are They Now?

Marty, one of Adrian’s roommates and another radio host, is an odd duck, albeit an “impeccably clean” one. Like Hauk, Marty thinks he’s got some good jokes up his sleeve, but at least he has a sense of humor when it comes to Adrian. “I know funny, this guy is funny!” Marty is definitely Team Adrian.

Another comedian, Robert Wuhl moved from stand-up comedy to onscreen roles with successful box office hits like Good Morning, Vietnam, Bull Durham (1988), and Batman (1989). Like Kirby, he also worked with Billy Crystal, but as a cowriter for the Academy Awards in 1990 and 1991, which won him two Emmy Awards. His most recent onscreen performance was as Honor Maxwell Nulis in the TV series Franklin & Bash.

Sergeant Major Dickerson is not pleased. His superior General Taylor flew in Adrian without his consent. Dickerson speaks plainly with Adrian saying, “you stay out of my way, there’ll be no problem. But toy with me, and I’ll make you wish you’d died as a child.” Dickerson takes his job seriously and he doesn’t care how humorous Adrian is—either Adrian toes the line or he’s outta there!

J. T. Walsh did such a good job playing the villainous Sergeant Major Dickerson he landed the role of another serviceman, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Andrew Markinson in A Few Good Men (1992). Walsh moved rank again in 1996 to 1997 as Captain Frank Bach in the series Dark Skies. Despite his proven ability to play serviceman, he displayed a wide range of characters over his career. Walsh died of a heart attack in 1998 and the three movies he’d completed that year, Hidden Agenda, Pleasantville, and The Negotiator, were all dedicated to his memory.

General Taylor tells Dickerson, “look, I caught his show on the Isle of Crete, and this guy is funny. I damn near busted a gut laughin’ at him. And the troops, they love him.” While Dickerson is not amused, General Taylor has the troops’ morale in mind. When Adrian butts heads with superiors and gets himself suspended, General Taylor does his best to defend his case and get him back on the air. It’s nice to have someone on Adrian’s team, win or lose.

Famed actor, Noble Willingham, had a robust career before starring in Good Morning, Vietnam. He’d appeared in Chinatown (1974) and Independence Day (1983), certainly not movies to sneeze at! He starred alongside Bruno Kirby again in the comedy film City Slickers (1991) and then went on to star as C.D. Parker for six years in the 1993 series Walker, Texas Ranger. Affiliated with the Republican party, the Texas-native ran against the Democratic incumbent congressman Max Sandlin in 2000, in the northeast Texas 1^st congressional district. Willingham lost, but stayed politically active until his death in 2004.

“That is not what we program, here!” Lieutenant Steven Hauk means well, he thinks he’s a funny, politically correct guy. He even has two jokes that Reader’s Digest might publish. But when Adrian waltzes onto the show, Hauk’s failed attempts at comedy fall flat compared to Adrian’s more natural gags. In fact, when Hauk takes over during Adrian’s suspension, servicemen listeners practically boycott the show in order to get Adrian back on the air. Poor Hauk, if Adrian hadn’t showed up, they wouldn’t have known what they’d been missing.

Perhaps best remembered as Pete Clemenza in The Godfather Part II, Bruno Kirby’s comedic performance in Good Morning Vietnam made him a shoo in for the role as Jess in When Harry Met Sally… (1989), best friend to Harry Burns played by comedian Billy Crystal. He and Crystal teamed up again in 1991 for the cult classic City Slickers. In 2003, Kirby married the actress Lynn Sellers, but sadly passed away in 2006 due to Leukemia-related illness.

Private First Class Edward Montesquieu Garlick (whew, what a name!) is the first person to greet Adrian in Saigon, he also happens to be the radio assistant. Edward is young and as yet unaffected by the stern demeanors of his superiors. He tries to look out for Adrian, especially when Adrian starts slipping censored news items over the air. “Oh Edward, don’t you ever do anything not by the book?” “Not when it gets me in trouble…” Ever a fan, of the comic, his last favor to him when Edward takes over the show is a recording of Adrian saying “Goooooooodbye, Vietnam!”

After Good Morning, Vietnam, the multitalented and creative actor, director and producer played a captive British soldier in The Crying Game (1992), which proved Whitaker to be a powerful presence on the screen. After some compelling supporting performances, his role in The Last King of Scotland (2006) as dictator Idi Amin won him an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2012, Whitaker married the actress Keisha Nash (who he met while filming Blow Away in 1994) and they have four children: Ocean, Autumn, Sonnet and True. Talk about creative!

Adrian Conauer, a goofball radio DJ, flies to Saigon, Vietnam to host the Armed Forces Radio Show. While his superiors Second Lieutenant Steven Hauk and Sergeant Major Phillip Dickerson go by the book, Adrian can’t help but cross the line on the air for the sake of comedy. His trademark AM greeting “Gooooood Morning Vietnam!” and unusual take on the news may lift soldiers’ spirits, but also puts him in the line of fire, figuratively and literally!

Already a popular comedian on stage and in film, Robin Williams’ lead performance in Good Morning Vietnam did not go unnoticed by critics and he was nominated for an Academy Award. While he didn’t win that year, he won an Oscar in 1998 for Best Supporting Actor in Good Will Hunting. Williams impressed audiences with unusual roles, like in his 2002 thriller One Hour Photo, or kept people laughing with roles like the genie in Aladdin (1992) or Night at the Museum (2006). A cofounder of the Windfall Foundation, Williams spent much of his time devoted to charity work, comedy-related and not. Sadly, Williams unexpectedly passed away in 2014.