Forrest gump theme easy piano sheet Continue It's been more than a quarter of a century since the debut of the 1994 classic Forrest Gump, but the film seems even more popular than when it topped the box office and swept the Hollywood awards show. The Forrest Gump film won numerous Oscars, including Best Picture, and gave us the beloved character of Vietnam veteran Lieutenant Dan Taylor. Lieutenant Dan also changed the life of actor Gary Sinise. His performance as a wounded warrior connected him with real veterans, and Sinisa became one of the most high-profile supporters of military and veteran affairs. His rock combo The Lt. Dan Band entertains troops around the world, and the Gary Sinise Foundation provides valuable services to men and women across the country. Sinise tells his life story in his new memoir Grateful American, including some fascinating details on how to make Forrest Gump. Here are five of the best: 1. Sinise read Lewis Puller Jr. Happy Son to prepare for the role. Lewis Pullman Jr. won the Pulitzer Prize for his memoir about the Vietnam War Happy Son. Do you think being a Marine is hard? Imagine going to boot camp when your name is Lewis Puller Jr. then imagine the challenges you face after being seriously hit by a booby-trapped bomb while serving in Vietnam. Although Puller lost both his legs, his left arm and almost all his fingers on his right hand, he was able to become a lawyer for the Department of Veterans Affairs and share his experience in a Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir in 1992. Puller encountered many demons that plagued Lieutenant Dan, and Sinise used the book as a study for his work. Unfortunately, the son of Honor could not survive his own difficulties and died in May 1994, less than two months before the opening of the film. Related: The man behind Lieutenant Dan is all patriotism, not politics 2. The New York road scene is a tribute to the Midnight Cowboy. Dustin Hoffman in The Sun by Razo Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy and Gary Sinise in Forrest Gump. When Forrest and Lieutenant Dan cross a street in New York, they were almost hit by a taxi. Dan knocks on the hood and shouts, Hey, are you blind?! I'm coming here! I'm coming here! This line is a direct tribute to Gary Dustin Hoffman's character Razo Rizzo in the 1970 film Midnight Cowboy, which won an Oscar for best film. The director Bob Semekis loved the idea and then added the song of the previous film All Talkin' to the stage to take home the joke. 3. Lt. Dan's Rosary Dog tags belonged to an actual Vietnam veteran. Gary Sinise and Tom Hanks star in Forrest Gump. (Paramount) Sinise's son-in-law, Jack Trice, served as a military medic in Vietnam. Treese wasn't a Catholic, but he made his own rosary for his dog tag because he thought he could use all the help he could get. Artist by movie issued a sinise set of dog tags, but he changed these these for a real Treee set. Related: Forrest Gump celebrates his 25th birthday with a return to theatres 4. Sinise wore blue stockings for the scenes after Lt. Dan lost his legs. Since Forrest Gump was made back in the days before computer special effects dominated the movie business, Sinise wore special blue screen stockings for his legless scenes. In the post-production, the special effects crew were able to drop the blue image and then had to draw in the background, frame by frame. Related: Visit with Gary Sinise: Memorial Day, Lieutenant Dan and Why He's a Grateful American 5. Military adviser Dale Dye was a tough master of tasks. Tom Hanks and Dale Dye on the set of Saving Private Ryan. (Polite Dale Dye) Marine veteran Dale Dye served as a captain in the Vietnam War and went to Hollywood after he retired from the Army in the 1980s. He has starred in dozens of films, but he has indeed proved invaluable as a military technical advisor on such films and shows as Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Pacific and Tom Hanks' upcoming World War II film Greyhound. Dye has worked with the cast of Forrest Gump, and Sinise describes a four-day orientation in the sweltering swamps of South Carolina. Dye designed the final exercise so that the actors' mission was not accomplished as planned and they would be lost in the forest. After the actors finally discovered their point of attack, The Captain Dye and his Warriors Inc. crew lay waiting. Sinise says the actors knocked us out of the snot. After Lieutenant Dan gets blown up in the film, Forrest ends up dragging him out of the battle for scuffing his neck while Dan shoots his .45 on the next enemy. During filming, Sinise's gun jammed and destroyed the take. Captain Dai hit Gary in the face, accusing him of a malfunction. Sinise barked back, and hullabaloo ensued. But Sinise insists that no matter what it looks like, we didn't hold any grudges between us. Show The Full Article There have been many great films made over the past few decades, movies that have gone beyond time and become the foundation of pop culture. One such film is Forrest Gump, starring favorite actor Tom Hanks. Released in 1994, it was responsible for the launch of many popular phrases and the popularization of the novel of the same name, on the basis of which the film is based. Fans loved it instantly, and for years, had been talking about the continuation of the film. Although the much-hyped sequel never materialized, writer Forrest Gump recently sat down for a revealing interview where he talked about scenes that would have been in a subsequent film. Forrest Gump's critically acclaimed film The Tom Hanks/FilmMagic Forrest Gump was released in 1994, and almost immediately made history. Tom Hanks skillfully portrayed role of Forrest Gump, a well-meaning but rather slow man. As Forrest makes his way through some of the most Decades in American history, he unknowingly has a hand in many key events, including the Vietnam War, the hippie movement, and more. Forrest Gump's life may have been full of tragedies, but he is able to maintain a sense of optimism. For this reason, fans were drawn to his story, and the emotional way that the film was shot. With a spectacular soundtrack, beautiful photography and additional performances by Gary Sinise, Sally Field and Robin Wright, Forrest Gump remains one of the most famous films of all time. Fans still love Forrest Gump FOR THE LATEST: Why Dave Chappelle turned down a role in Forrest Gump and then spared him right out of the gate, Forrest Gump started winning big at the box office. By far it is still one of the highest-grossing films of all time. He has also won numerous awards, including several Academy Awards. Tom Hanks won an Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Forrest Gump, and to this day many fans still know and love him best for his moving work in the film. For fans, Forrest Gump remains a timeless piece of Americana. There have been countless pieces of memorabilia based on film and character, and the popular restaurant chain, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is based directly on the restaurant from the film. Despite the commercialization that surrounded the film, it is widely considered one of the most touching big budget films ever released. Eric Roth has spoken scenes for the Forrest Gump sequel for years, with rumours swirling that a sequel to Forrest Gump was in the works. It is reported that the sequel will feature Forrest interacting with some key figures from the Eighties and Nineties, including Princess Diana and O.J. Simpson. However, the film's screenwriter, Eric Roth, revealed to BuzzFeed News that shortly after the events of September 11, 2001, the film's producers and screenwriters huddled together and decided not to move forward with the project. However, fans are wondering what might have been. In a recent interview, Roth talked about several scenes that would be shown in the sequel. Roth, who also worked on films such as Munich, the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and the star was born, admitted that he had written the full script for the film, and that in the sequel, Forrest would have actually ridden in the back of the infamous OJ Simpson Bronco, and that Forrest would have been shown to have invented the wave made famous in sports stadiums. In addition, Gump would have been close to the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. While none of these scenes sound particularly uplifting, there is no doubt that they would have been entertaining as well as moving. Forrest Gump is one of those iconic movies that you've seen several times and can read many of his famous lines out loud. But while you may be in remember almost every scene from The 1994 film, there are so many interesting facts that you probably never knew. For example, Tom Hanks was not the first, second or even third choice to play the lead role, and several big-name actresses gave up the role of Jenny before Robin Wright played her. Find out which Hollywood heavyweights have switched to the game Gump (page 10) and see who came up to play his love interest (p. 11), as well as a lot more little things from your favorite movie.