6 October, 2023 Siobhan Marie Day 0 Comments 2 categories
Directed by Joe Johnston, Screenplay by Lewis Colick, Based on "October Sky" by Homer Hickam, Produced by Charles Gordon, and Larry J. Franco, Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, Laura Dern, with Cinematography by Fred Murphy, and Edited by Robert Dalva, with Music by Mark Isham, and Distributed by Universal Pictures (1999)

To Infinity and Beyond…

October Sky is a 1999 biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. The screenplay by Lewis Colick, based on the memoir of the same name, tells the true story of Homer H. Hickam Jr., a coal miner’s son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father’s wishes and eventually became a NASA engineer.

Directed by Joe Johnston, Screenplay by Lewis Colick, Based on "October Sky" by Homer Hickam, Produced by Charles Gordon, and Larry J. Franco, Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, Laura Dern, with Cinematography by Fred Murphy, and Edited by Robert Dalva, with Music by Mark Isham, and Distributed by Universal Pictures (1999)
Joe Johnston directing "October Sky" (1999) in Coalwood, West Virginia. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures Joe Johnston (born c. 1950) is an American film director, producer, writer, and visual effects artist. He is best known for directing effects-driven films, including Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989); The Rocketeer (1991); Jumanji (1995); Jurassic Park III (2001); The Wolfman (2010); and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
Jake Gyllenhaal as Homer Hickam Jr. in "October Sky" (1999) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
Chris Cooper as Homer Hickam Jr. in "October Sky" (1999) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
Chris Owen as Quentin Wilson in "October Sky" (1999) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
Laura Dern as Miss Freida J. Riley in "October Sky" (1999) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
Lewis Colick is an American screenwriter born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Baruch College in New York and got his MFA in Theatre Arts from the UCLA Film School. Photo Credit: IMDB
October Sky is the first memoir in a series of four, by American engineer Homer Hickam Jr. originally published in 1998 as Rocket Boys. Later editions were published under the title October Sky as a tie-in to the 1999 film adaptation. It is a story of growing up in a mining town, and a boy's pursuit of amateur rocketry in a coal mining town. The book won the W.D. Weatherford Award in 1998, the year of its release. Today, it is one of the most often picked community/library reads in the United States. It is also studied in many school systems around the world. October Sky was followed by The Coalwood Way (2000), Sky of Stone (2002), and Carrying Albert Home (2015). Rocket Boys was made into a film in 1999, titled October Sky (an anagram of "Rocket Boys"). The book was then re-published as October Sky shortly afterwards. Photo Credit: Google Images
Homer H. Hickam Jr. is the second son of Homer Sr. and Elsie Gardener Hickam (née Lavender). He was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia, and graduated from Big Creek High School in 1960. He and friends Roy Lee Cooke (born December 25, 1941), Sherman Siers (June 15, 1942 – September 11, 1976), Jimmy O'Dell Carroll (born June 30, 1942), Willie "Billy" Rose, and Quentin Wilson (November 21, 1942 – August 30, 2019) became amateur rocket builders and called themselves The Big Creek Missile Agency (BCMA). After many generations of designs, they qualified for the 1960 National Science Fair and won a gold and silver medal in the area of propulsion. Photo Credit: Google Images
Homer H. Hickam Jr. is the second son of Homer Sr. and Elsie Gardener Hickam (née Lavender). He was born and raised in Coalwood, West Virginia, and graduated from Big Creek High School in 1960. He and friends Roy Lee Cooke (born December 25, 1941), Sherman Siers (June 15, 1942 – September 11, 1976), Jimmy O'Dell Carroll (born June 30, 1942), Willie "Billy" Rose, and Quentin Wilson (November 21, 1942 – August 30, 2019) became amateur rocket builders and called themselves The Big Creek Missile Agency (BCMA). After many generations of designs, they qualified for the 1960 National Science Fair and won a gold and silver medal in the area of propulsion. Photo Credit: Google Images
Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. (born February 19, 1943) is an American author, Vietnam War veteran, and a former NASA engineer who trained the first Japanese astronauts. His 1998 memoir Rocket Boys (also published as October Sky) was a New York Times Best Seller and was the basis for the 1999 film October Sky. Hickam's body of written work also includes several additional best-selling memoirs and novels, including the "Josh Thurlow" historical fiction novels, his 2015 best-selling Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of a Man, his Wife, and her Alligator and in 2021 the sequel to Rocket Boys titled Don't Blow Yourself Up: The Further Adventures and Travails of the Rocket Boy of October Sky. His books have been translated into many languages. Photo Credit: Google Images

October Sky is an anagram of Rocket Boys, the title of the 1998 memoir upon which the film is based. It is also used in a period radio broadcast describing Sputnik 1 as it crossed the “October Sky”. Homer Hickam Jr. said that:

“Universal Studios marketing people got involved and they just had to change the title because, according to their research, women over thirty would never see a movie titled Rocket Boys.” 

Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. (born February 19, 1943) is an American author, Vietnam War veteran, and a former NASA engineer who trained the first Japanese astronauts. His 1998 memoir Rocket Boys (also published as October Sky) was a New York Times Best Seller and was the basis for the 1999 film October Sky. Hickam's body of written work also includes several additional best-selling memoirs and novels, including the "Josh Thurlow" historical fiction novels, his 2015 best-selling Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of a Man, his Wife, and her Alligator and in 2021 the sequel to Rocket Boys titled Don't Blow Yourself Up: The Further Adventures and Travails of the Rocket Boy of October Sky. His books have been translated into many languages. Photo Credit: Google Images
October Sky is the first memoir in a series of four, by American engineer Homer Hickam Jr. originally published in 1998 as Rocket Boys. Later editions were published under the title October Sky as a tie-in to the 1999 film adaptation. It is a story of growing up in a mining town, and a boy's pursuit of amateur rocketry in a coal mining town. The book won the W.D. Weatherford Award in 1998, the year of its release. Today, it is one of the most often picked community/library reads in the United States. It is also studied in many school systems around the world. October Sky was followed by The Coalwood Way (2000), Sky of Stone (2002), and Carrying Albert Home (2015). Rocket Boys was made into a film in 1999, titled October Sky (an anagram of "Rocket Boys"). The book was then re-published as October Sky shortly afterwards. Photo Credit: Google Images

The book was later re-released with the name to capitalize on interest in the film.

October Sky is the Featured Blog of the Month for October for its real-life story! You can expect to read a detailed critique of the 1999 film, October Sky. You can also read a recommendation with a character synopsis. There is also a detailed review of the 1998 memoir by Homer Hickam Jr.. You can also watch an interview with Gyllenhaal at the age of 18 discussing his first starring role. There is also a Top Ten List to commemorate the film being a Featured Blog of the Month, and for October Sky, the topic of the list is My Top Ten NASA Movies! And finally, as a Featured Blog of the Month film, you can watch the Official Trailer for the 1999 film and then plan on watching October Sky tonight!

SCROLL DOWN AND WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER!

Directed by Joe Johnston, Screenplay by Lewis Colick, Based on "October Sky" by Homer Hickam, Produced by Charles Gordon, and Larry J. Franco, Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, Laura Dern, with Cinematography by Fred Murphy, and Edited by Robert Dalva, with Music by Mark Isham, and Distributed by Universal Pictures (1999)
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