Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Think that the existence of someone like Joe is impossible? Think again. The idea for Joe Bonham came from a real Canadian soldier who lost all of his limbs and senses fighting in World War I. (Source.)
In 1947 McCarthyism tried to pretty much chase Dalton Trumbo out of Hollywood. He was called before the House of Un-American Activities Committee, labeled a Communist as part of the "Hollywood Ten" (all blacklisted Hollywood screenwriters), and was forced to write under a pseudonym. But do you think the guy who wrote Johnny Got His Gun would let a little thing like being kicked out of the film industry stop him? Big fat NO. During this period he wrote tons of totally successful screenplays for movies like Exodus, Roman Holiday, and Spartacus, won two Academy Awards that were given to front writers, and didn't get credit for any of it until years later. (Source.)
Despite the fact that it won the National Book Award, Johnny Got His Gun was banned after the attack on Pearl Harbor, but even so, Trumbo didn't seek to have it reprinted until after World War II ended. Maybe it's just us, but we find that really, really interesting, given that the whole message of the book is anti-war (see Trumbo's introduction to the novel for his account of why).
Metallica's song "One" was based on Johnny Got His Gun, and the music video uses clips from the 1971 movie. If it's good enough for Metallica, it's good enough for you.