This Case Never Says Die

Summertime is all about adventure, so this August, we're bringing you three episodes filled with pirates, treasures, and some serious swashbuckling! It's Adventure August!

We decided to start our month off strong with an episode on Robin's favorite movie. Now, we've been doing this show for almost three years. Why have we waited so long to cover something that we clearly love? Honestly, it's because this movie is so special that we were a little nervous that we wouldn't do it justice. Originally, the first episode of this month was going to be something totally different! But, with the passing of Richard Donner, we decided it was finally time to visit Astoria and hunt for gold with The Goonies!

Back in the 1980’s, Steven Spielberg was the unofficial king of Hollywood. After directing and/or producing classics like Jaws, ET, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, it was clear that the man had a good mind for stories. Legend has it that Spielberg came up with the idea for the film from one very simple question: what kind of adventure could a group of bored kids get into on a rainy day? He brought the concept to Chris Columbus, the screenwriter responsible for Gremlins. Columbus devised a story about a lovable group of misfits, best friends that are about to lose their homes and be separated. All hope is seemingly lost until they discover a treasure map and embark on a dangerous quest to find the legendary gold of famed pirate, One-eyed Willie, and save their neighborhood. 

There is no doubt that The Goonies has a lasting appeal. It's one of the most popular films of the 1980’s, garnering an intense cult following that only grows with each generation. It was a story with everything: action, romance, comedy, the mob(?), friendship, pirates, a sweeping score, and motivational speeches. Every kid knows the feeling of being stuck inside on a rainy day, longing for adventure. This film defined so many childhoods because it flawlessly captures what it means to be a kid and allowed children everywhere to live out the fantasy of going on the adventure of a lifetime, all while out-witting the bad guys and having the power to solve their own problems. 

So, let's follow the map to the history of this 1980’s treasure and unlock the gold that is The Goonies! 

Summary

  • It's a rainy Saturday in the Goondocks, a neighborhood in Astoria, Oregon. A group of friends that call themselves "The Goonies" gather at their friends Mikey and Brand's house. It's the last weekend they will spend together, as their houses will soon be foreclosed on and demolished to make way for a country club. Desperate for something to do, the kids explore the attic, filled with treasures from the local museum where Mikey's father worked as a curator. Among other treasures, the kids stumble upon a treasure map and decide to follow it to the famed treasure of One-eyed Willie!

  • On the way, the Goonies come across bullies, booby traps, and a notorious crime family named The Fratellis, who also have their eyes on the treasure!

The Making Of The Movie

  • After Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus pitched the idea for The Goonies, the film was greenlit with a budget of 19 million dollars. Like we said already, Steven Spielberg had some serious pull, so the talent behind the film was enough to earn a sizable budget. 

  • Chris Columbus already had a hit with "Gremlins," which is referenced in The Goonies! He would go on to write and direct many more successful films in the years to come. Even though Columbus credits Spielberg with the original concept for The Goonies, it was his imagination that birthed iconic lines like, "Goonies never say die," which undoubtedly helped make the film a classic. Columbus originally planned to set the film in Ohio, where he grew up. He lived in a small factory town where there was not a lot to do. All he wanted to do was get out of that town. He and his friends would go into the abandoned coal mines to search for treasure. 

  • Richard Donner, the man responsible for the hit Superman films of the 1970s, was chosen to direct. 

    • Starting in the fall of 1984, Donner generally shot the film in order of continuity. Of course, it would be impossible to do the film this way in its entirety because of the combination of shots done on-location and in-studio.

      • If you remember from our ET episode, Spielberg also shot that film this way. It's a great way to shoot with kids because it helps them understand the story, and it builds genuine relationships that they can build off of in ending scenes. 

    • Because Steven Spielberg was passionate about the film, he was a hands-on producer, often appearing on set. Some felt that he should have been named co-director, but others say that Donner was in charge. The two men had known each other for a long time, Donner being an older director. Some have speculated that Donner didn't enjoy having Spielberg on the set as often as he did, but Donner himself said in the making of documentary that he "happened to love it because [Spielberg] is the biggest kid of them all." 

      •  There were two scenes that were reportedly directed by Spielberg. They were the scenes in the wishing well when Mikey makes his iconic speech and the scene where the kids bang on the pipes beneath the country club. 

    • Along with the influences from Columbus and Spielberg, Richard Donner certainly left his mark on the film as well. He is credited with taking a wild storyline that uniquely navigates several movie genres and making it a cohesive film. He also added classic influences, like the Rube-Goldberg-style traps and machines that frequently appear in the film. 

      • Among Donner's greatest achievements was his ability to direct a mischievous band of young actors, who were consistently playing pranks and falling into laughing fits on set. Although he was frequently frustrated with the kids fumbling their scenes, they were always able to make him laugh, and he found ways to bring out the best in their performances.

      • For example, Sean Astin has said that during the scene where he first tells the story of One-eyed Willie, he wasn't given lines to memorize. Instead, Donner told him the story and had Astin repeat it back as best as he could. The result was a much more kid-like retelling of the story that any adult may not have been able to write. 

        • In the making-of documentary on the DVD, Donner says, "It is the most difficult thing I ever thought I was going to get into. I never anticipated what it was going to be like. Because individually they are wonderful, they're nuts, they're the warmest, craziest things that have ever come into my life, but in a composite form, you get them all together, and it's mind-blowing."  Later on he said,  "I've never had kids, but at that moment, they were mine." 

      • By the end of the five months, the kids were a grumpy, squabbling bunch. Donner was thankful to finally take his vacation after the film had wrapped, getting a much-needed break from the kids. According to Steven Spielberg, Donner frequently mentioned during his last weeks of shooting that he couldn't wait to head to Hawaii and get a break. So, Spielberg thought it would be funny to put all the kids on a flight to Hawaii, arriving before Donner. By the time the director arrived at his vacation home, they were all standing in his living room! Martha Plimpton, who played Stef in the film, said that Donner fell to his knees when he saw the kids. 

  • Some of The Goonies was shot in the same location where the film takes place: Astoria, Oregon. In a 2019 interview with the YouTube Channel, "Beyond the Backlot," Donner recalled scouting out the location for the movie. When they first saw Astoria, they knew that they wouldn't find anything better. The house used in the film is a real home, perfectly placed at the top of a hill, giving the audience a clear view of the small town. The house is privately owned and off-limits to fans, as any regular person would not want strangers constantly standing in their yard. 

  • Other parts of the film were filmed on location along the coast on Cannon Beach, Bodega Bay Ecola State Park. But, the majority of the movie was filmed on soundstages at Warner Brothers Studios (then it was called Burbank Studios). It was there on stage 16, the largest stage on the lot, that production designer J Michael Riva and the rest of the production crew built a full-scale pirate ship. Originally, the plan was to build portions of the ship and film the scenes in segments. But, Riva's vision brought One-Eyed-Willie's ship, The Inferno, to life. The set-piece was remarkably big and completely real, complete with several levels and full-scale masts. 

    • Richard Donner wanted to capture the true reactions of the kids when they saw the ship for the first time. So, the set was off-limits until it was time to shoot the scenes with The Inferno. In the scene, the kids are seeing the ship for the first time. It's real movie magic. 

  • Special effects in the 1980’s were very different from the effects of today. The Goonies is filled with marvelous practical effects. For example, the bats in the film were a combination of animatronics and paper mache. The gasoline and fire at the very beginning of the film were real! The blender that the Fratellis threaten to put Chunk's hand in was a real blender, but with a rubber blade. During the scene where Andy must play the correct chords on the piano, the kids were all cabled to a platform 10 feet in the air. On the DVD commentary, they swore it was more like 30 feet!

  • Some of the most complicated effects had to do with the character Sloth and the moving prosthetics under his make-up. The make-up took several hours to apply and had to be re-applied many times during the final battle scenes. 

  • In one scene, the kids all find the ship after riding through a series of water-filled tunnels. The slides were so much fun; the crew even took turns riding them after the film wrapped! 

  • The original cut of the film was 7 hours long, and there were a couple of major scenes cut from the film that were left in some televised versions of The Goonies. Some of the material cut was referenced later in the movie, causing some continuity issues. 

    • As the Goonies follow the treasure map, they find themselves at a restaurant with the Fratellis. At the beginning of this scene, the map that Mikey is holding now has burnt edges for seemingly no reason! This is because there was a deleted scene where Mikey and the rest of the Goonies run into the bully Troy at a gas station. In this scene, Mikey finds a map of Oregon and compares it to the map found in his attic. This map leads the gang to the restaurant. Troy then steals the treasure map from Mikey and lights it on fire! This scene also explained why the two girls Andy and Stef, suddenly appear at the restaurant as well. They were at the gas station with Troy and decided to ditch him after he was so cruel to the Goonies. 

    • In one famous deleted scene, Stef and Mouth are attacked by a gigantic octopus. In order to save them, Data puts his walkman into the animal's beak while playing the song Eight Arms to Hold You by The Goon Squad. The Octopus then moonwalks away. (The music video for the song has a stop motion octopus!)

    • One even more forgotten scene involved two apes escaping from the zoo because the goonies had messed with the underground pipes. This footage is not available or is said to be lost.

The Music

  • The Goonies has an absolute killer soundtrack. Dave Grusin, the composer responsible for scoring films like "Tootsie," "The Graduate," and "Selena" delivered a score that was equal parts exciting and nostalgic. If you ever find yourself in need of an adventurous spirit, listen to the Fratelli Chase music from the beginning of the movie. 

  • Beyond the orchestral score, The Goonies soundtrack is filled with hidden treasures. First, there's the Cyndi Lauper single, "The Goonies R Good Enough," which is used in the film. The cast even did a separate shoot for the music video that took place on The Inferno, with pro wrestlers appearing in the video, like Andre, the Giant. 

  • The soundtrack also featured "eight arms to hold you" by The Goon Squad and songs by The Bangles, REO Speedwagon, and Joseph Williams (of the band Toto.)

Cast

  • One of the things that made The Goonies so special was its perfect casting. Richard Donner remarked that the whole cast was fantastic at improv. While the actors had lines, he could also throw anything at them, a line, an action, practically anything, and the kids and adults would roll with it because they were so in tune with how their characters would react. 

- The main characters are referred to by their nicknames within the movie but we will also mention their “full names.”

  • Sean Astin as Mikey (Michael Walsh)

    • He is also known for Lord of the Rings and Stranger Things.

    • Sean thought he completely botched his audition, forgetting lines and even saying, "shit," when he made a mistake. Steven Spielberg reportedly walked out of the audition, leaving Astin with Richard Donner, who then consoled him. Astin got the part anyway, and it was his acting debut. He was incredibly nervous, and in one scene, actually calls Brand by his real name, Josh! It's in the final cut of the movie. 

    • His mom, unfortunately, threw out the original map that was painstakingly made by the production designer J. Michael Riva. She thought it was just a crumpled piece of paper.

  • Corey Feldman as Mouth (Clark Devereaux)

    • We also know him well for Stand by Me.

    • In a People Magazine article, he said that "not a day passes that someone doesn't bring up Goonies." and that he still feels like a big Goonie.

    • Corey Feldman was a huge star in the 1980’s and appeared in Stand By Me about the same time as The Goonies. He was a huge fan of Michael Jackson, and for one scene in the film, Steven Spielberg told Feldman that Jackson was coming to visit the set in order to elicit an animated response from him for the scene. 

  • Jeff Cohen as Chunk (Lawrence Cohen)

    • He appeared on Family Ties a few times and is now a lawyer.

    • Some parts of The Goonies have not aged well, including the scene with the iconic "Truffle Shuffle." Cohen says that he actually got chickenpox just before filming the movie but didn't tell producers because he was afraid of getting fired. He claims that you can see some spots when he lifts up his shirt. Cohen was self-conscious about doing the shuffle, so Richard Donner cleared the set to make him feel more comfortable. Chunk is always eating during the movie, and because of this, Cohen actually got sick from eating too much whipped cream.

    • In one scene, Chunk cries while the Fratellis threaten to put his hand in a blender. He rattles off a string of confessions to past misdeeds as tears roll down his cheeks. These lines were largely improvised, and Cohen added names of people that he knew, giving them a little shout-out.  

  • Ke Huy Quan as Data (Richard Wang)

    • Also well known for his role in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Ke has since retired from acting. 

    • In one scene, as rocks begin to fall on the goonies, Data shouts, "Holy S-H-I-T." Apparently, his mother told him that he could never cuss, not even in a movie, so he spelled the word instead. 

    • A couple of times in the movie, Mikey and Data have a funny exchange about "Booty/Booby traps." According to Astin, he and Ke came up with that joke themselves!

    • In one scene, the kids are watching The Fratellis carry a dead body out of their restaurant. Data says, "I am wondering, what is in the bag?" The line made the entire cast break into laughter during the DVD commentary, and Martha Plimpton says it is her favorite line in the film. 

  • Kerri Green as Andy (Andrea Theresa Carmichael) 

    • She was also in Summer Rental, but Green has retired from acting as well. 

    • Green was incredibly nervous about filming her kissing scenes, especially a scene with Sean Astin, who was about four years her junior. Green was 18 at the time and felt wrong kissing a young teenage boy. 

  • Martha Plimpton as Stef (Stephanie Steinbrenner) 

    • One of her most recent roles was in the tv series Raising Hope.

    • Plimpton jokes about her role in the film, noting that as the film progresses, she's in fewer scenes. While filming the movie, Richard Donner reportedly told her that he would give her 100$ if she stopped biting her nails. On the DVD commentary, she brings this up, and Donner rewards her with 100$ from his pocket!

  • John Matuszak as Sloth (Lotney Fratelli)

    • Matuszak was a 6'7" defensive end for The Oakland Raiders, which explains why he wears a Raiders jersey in the film! Later, he wears a superman shirt in honor of Donner's earlier films, Superman and Superman II. 

    • He was having back pain and wasn't supposed to pick up Jeff Cohen playing Chunk, but much to Cohen's surprise, he picked him up anyway! 

    • He was not able to eat with the prosthesis on. He had to have smoothies through a straw. The other Fratelli brothers would tease him as they were able to eat hamburgers and other fun foods.

    • Although Sloth's scenes are some of the most troubling in the film, as he is a man that has endured abuse at the hands of his family, the character is beloved by millions of fans. His iconic line, "Hey You Guys," is synonymous with The Goonies. Matuszak passed away almost exactly four years after the film was released. 

  • Josh Brolin as Brand (Brandon Walsh)

    • This film was Josh Brolin's acting debut! He has since appeared in No Country for Old Men, Men in Black III, and of course, The MCU as Thanos. 

    • Brolin, son of James Brolin, wanted to be a serious actor. For one scene in the tunnels, he got really into the scene and wanted to start climbing the walls. When he told Richard Donner about the idea, Donner reportedly said, "You could do that...or you could just read the lines." 

  • Robert Davi as Jake Fratelli

  • Joe Pantoliano as Francis Fratelli

  • Anne Ramsey as Mama Fratelli 

  • Lupe Ontiveros as Rosalita

  • Mary Ellen Trainer as Mrs. Walsh 

  • Keith Walker as Mr. Walsh 

Awards/ Reception

  • The Goonies truly gained its popularity after its initial release, but that doesn't mean that it was initially a flop. The movie was in the top 10 highest-grossing films of 1985, a year that boasted Back to the Future and Beverly Hills Cop. Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars saying, "More things happen in this movie than in six ordinary action films. There's not just a thrill a minute; there's a thrill, a laugh, a shock, and a special effect. The screenplay has all the kids talking all at once, all the time, and there were times, especially in the first reel, when I couldn't understand much of what they were saying. The movie needs to be played loud and with extra treble."

  • In December of 2020, the cast and Richard Donner reunited via the internet (with some special guests) and performed a live read of The Goonies for charity. Here is the link if you would like to watch it!

    • At the end of the reading, the group invited the audience to recite the goonie pledge, making everyone present an honorary Goonie. 

    • "I will never betray my goon dock friends/ We will stick together until the whole world ends/ Through heaven and hell, and nuclear war/ Good pals like us, will stick like tar/ In the city, or the country, or the forest, or the boonies/ I am proudly declared a fellow Goonie."

  • Throughout the years, there have been talks of a Goonies sequel. 

    • It's been 36 years since the release of this fantastic movie. It has been almost as long that rumors have swirled about a sequel. In 1987 when The Goonies II video game was released, it followed a new story where the children were kidnapped by the Fratellis. This led to speculation of a new movie. Unfortunately, Spielberg did not find a storyline that he felt would justify a sequel. Jeff Cohen, according to Film School Rejects, has said that Warner Brothers has not been willing to let the property go. This has resulted in budget problems and made it even harder to push for a sequel.

    • Many other projects such as comic books and animated series were planned, but they also did not come to fruition.

    • Corey Feldman said of Richard Donner, "He's the driving force behind it. He says it's still alive. But as we all know…When you get to that age, things slow down quite a bit. There is a big possibility that he might not want to keep driving it. So, I think without him, it doesn't happen. And every day that passes, that he doesn't do it, there is less and less chance that it is ever going to happen at all."

      • Unfortunately, with this in mind, there may never be a Goonies sequel as the entire cast, it seems, is too loyal to continue without Donner.

      • The year 2020 hit hard for a Goonies-inspired television series by Sarah Watson for Fox. Even though Spielberg and Donner had greenlit it, we found out in May that it is not meant to be.

Fun Facts

  • There is a Gremlins reference when the officer is talking on the phone. He mentions little creatures that multiply when you get them wet.

  • The jailhouse that the Fratelli brothers break out of has since been turned into the Oregon Film Museum, where they have memorabilia from movies that were filmed in the area.

  • Richard Donner plays a cameo role at the end of the film as one of the officers that discovers the kids on the beach. The entire scene was filled with cameos, as the kids were permitted to have their real family members appear on the beach. 

  • The film is filled with close-ups of the kids holding items. In every single one, the hands are not the kids' hands. They would have adult doubles hold the items instead. 

  • In 2010, the mayor of Astoria named June 4th as the official day to celebrate The Goonies! 

To us, The Goonies is the quintessential adventure film. It tapped into the sense of adventure that sits within all of us. This movie runs rampant with the untamed energy of childhood, something that every kid can relate to and that every adult can remember. It's funny, strange, awkward, exciting, and sometimes even scary. The Goonies feels like a story we might've imagined with our figurines as kids or a play we might've acted out in our living rooms for our polite and exhausted parents. This film was made with uninhibited excitement and love and has been enjoyed by audiences with that same enthusiasm for over 35 years. 

We don't love The Goonies because it's perfect, because, well, it's NOT perfect. But, this film gives us the chance to stop and imagine a world where the bad guys lose, the outcasts win, and where the greatest adventures are right under our noses. So, I guess what we're trying to say is, The Goonies R Good Enough, and thank you, Richard Donner, for sharing your treasure with us. 

Before we go, we’d like to thank our Patrons! Joel, John, Jacob, Jacklyn, JD, Anthony, Shelli, Linda, Bob, and Carlos!

You can now buy us a Popcorn! @  buymeacoffee.com/blackcasediary   

Thank you to all that support us whether it be through listening, telling a friend, or donating!

Sources:

80's, Film History, Nostalgia, Podcast, Steven SpielbergAdam OsburnChris Columbus, The Goonies, Sean Astin, 80s, Sloth, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Ke Huy Quan, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Anne Ramsey