Top Gun was released into theaters on this day 25 years ago!

Top Gun is a classic 1980's movie about a class of macho Navy pilots who attend a school designed to help them perfect the art of dog-fighting.

The movie featured a balance of romance, action and comedy, many great one liners, an unknown cast that is now famous and a great soundtrack!

What Is Top Gun Day?

Top Gun Day is the day that we celebrate the release of the movie Top Gun on May 16, 1986.   The movie became an instant classic.  The cast are all now well known actors.  The soundtrack was awesome, and the movie gave us many memorable scenes along with some incredible quotes!



Why Do We Celebrate on May 13th?

Because a dude was still inverted after drinking too many hemlocks when he came up with the idea... or maybe he was still recovering from heat exhaustion after playing sweaty shirtless volleyball the day before?



How To Celebrate?

There is really no wrong way to celebrate Top Gun Day (except by watching Iron Eagle).  Here are a few ideas on how you could/should celebrate Top Gun Day:

1) Watch The Movie!

2) Listen To The Soundtrack! (There are YouTube videos of songs further down page)

3) Change your twitter, facebook, and/or myspace profile photo to something Top Gun related and randomly post quotes from the movie.

4) Learn to play the Top Gun Anthem on Guitar Hero III

5) Join the Navy and become a Top Gun pilot!... or just sign up for some weekend warrior Top Gun-ing here (or here) .

6) Make plans to see a 'Blue Angels' performance this year (the real Top Guns!)

7) Visit the Official Top Gun Day Facebook Page for more ideas!

Some Of What Made
Top Gun A Great Movie:
(The Cast, The Music, The Crew)

Tom Cruise - Cruise (Maverick) went on to have an extremely successful movie career (Days Of Thunder, Far And Away, Mission: Impossibles, Interview With A Vampire, Jerry McGuire, Tropic Thunder, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, Cocktail, Born On The Fourth Of July, The Firm, ...)

Anthony Edwards - Edwards (Goose) is best known for his role in the TV show ER where he costarred with George Clooney on the most popular TV show of its time.

Val Kilmer - Kilmer (Ice Man) went on to have a moderately successful movie career (The Doors, Tombstone, Batman Forever, Heat, The Ghost And The Darkness, The Prince Of Egypt, MacGruber, ...)

Tom Skerrit - Skerrit (Viper) went on to star on the TV show 'Picket Fences' and continued a career of mostly minor movie roles (Space Camp, Contact, Steel Magnolias, A River Runs Through It, The Other Sister, ...)

Michael Ironside - Ironside (Jester) has appeared in a string of guest TV spots, done numerous voice overs for animation and video games and has maintained a low key movie career (Starship Troopers, Total Recall, Free Willy, The Next Karate Kid, ...).  He is most recently seen on the TV show Smallville where he plays Lois Lane's father.

Meg Ryan - Ryan had not done much acting before getting a minor role in Top Gun as Goose's wife.  After Top Gun, she ended up having a top notch acting career in big movies (When Harry Met Sally, The Doors, Innerspace, Sleepless In Seattle, You've Got Mail, Courage Under Fire, City Of Angels, ...)

Adrian Pasdar - Top Gun was Pasdar's first Hollywood acting credit, and he dabbled with guest roles on TV and low budget movies, until he got a regular part on Judging Amy.  When that show was canceled he moved on to his most well known role, as Nathan Petrelli on the TV show 'Heroes'.  Most people do not know that he did appear in Top Gun!  (Photo 1) (Photo 2)

Clarence Gilyard Jr - Gilyard (Sundown) was put into the back of Maverick's plane to replace Goose.  He got to be in the classic scene, (Sundown) "You could've had him man", (Maverick) "I will fire when I am god damn good and ready!".  Gilyard went on to costar in the TV show 'Matlock' before taking on his most famous role of Chuck Norris' partner in the TV show, 'Walker, Texas Ranger'.

Tim Robbins - Robbins (Merlin) was in the back seat of Maverick's plane during the final battle scene.  Robbins had had a career of TV guest spots before Top Gun and went on to become a top movie star (The Shawshank Redemption, Bull Durham, Arlington Road, The Player, ...)

The soundtrack for Top Gun featured the hottest stars of that time: Miami Sound Machine (aka Gloria Estefan), Loverboy, Berlin, Kenny Loggins, Harold Faltemeyer, and Steve Stevens (Billy Idols's Guitar Player).  A later version of the soundtrack added additonal tracks that were in the movie but not on the original sountrack release (Sittin On The Dock Of The Bay, Great Balls Of Fire, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling)

Danger Zone
by Kenny Loggins

Kenny Loggins had already provided title soundtrack songs for the movies Caddyshack ("I'm Alright") and Footloose.  Listeners were surprised to the hear folksy singer belt out a true rock n roll number!

Take My Breath Away
by Berlin

'Take My Breath Away' won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1986.  The Top Gun people had originally asked Berlin to record 'Danger Zone', and as a duet, but they preferred this song more.

Heaven In Your Eyes
by Loverboy

'Heaven In Your Eyes' was only modestly popular compared to the singles from Top Gun that were released by Kenny Loggins and Berlin.  Loverboy was a hot band at the time with the hits 'Turn Me Loose', 'When It's Over','The Kid Is Hot Tonight', 'Hot Girls In Love', 'Lovin' Every Minute Of It' and 'Working For The Weekend'

Director - Tony Scott went on to direct the hits Beverly Hills Cop 2; Days Of Thunder; Crimson Tide; Enemy Of The State; Spy Game; Taking Of Pelham 123; Unstoppable



Producer - Jerry Bruckheimer went on to produce movies like Beverly Hills Cop 2; Days Of Thunder; Bad Boys; Crimson Tide; The Rock; Con Air; Armageddon; Enemy Of The State; Gone In 60 Seconds; Coyote Ugly; Pirates Of The Caribbean; National Treasure; G-Force.

Bruckheimer also got involved in TV and has been involved with the following TV shows: Soldier Of Fortune Inc; Without A Trace; Cold Case; CSI; CSI: Miami; CSI: New York; The Amazing Race; Chase.



Writers - Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr went on to write: Legal Eagles; The Secret Of My Success; Turner And Hooch; Dick Tracy; Anacondas and The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas



Composer - Harold Faltemeyer was a synthesizer whiz during the time of Top Gun.  He wrote 'Axel F' for Beverly Hills Cop and 'Shakedown' by Bob Seger for Beverly Hills Cop 2.  He also went on to compose the music for movies like: Beverly Hills Cop 2; Fletch Lives; The Running Man; Tango And Cash; and was most recently heard in Cop Out.



Director Of Photography - Jeffrey Kimball went on to be the DP for movies like: Beverly Hills Cop 2; Curly Sue; True Romance; The Specialist; Wild Things; Stigmata; Mission Impossible 2; Windtalkers; Hostage; Star Trek: Nemesis; Old Dogs; The Expendables.