San Diego will always be America’s Finest Beer, Beach and Burrito City, but for a busy few months in 1985, it was also Hollywood’s Hottest Sound Stage.
That was the summer America went ballistic for Top Gun. From the hangars of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to the locker rooms of the Mission Beach Plunge, San Diego provided many of the locations for the film that topped the U.S. box office in 1986 and transformed Tom Cruise from a charming, dentally blessed young actor to a blazing superstar.
It all started when producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Beverly Hills Cop, Flashdance) read a magazine article about Miramar’s elite Navy Fighter Weapons School, also known as Top Gun. Bruckheimer thought this school for ace pilots had the makings of a bang-up movie. He was right on target.
In exchange for allowing director Tony Scott to film at Miramar — and giving him access to pilots, aircraft carriers and a fleet of F-14 jets — the Navy was given authority to approve the script. The result was a film that made the Navy look so awesome, Top Gun was given credit for reversing its slide in recruiting high school graduates.
At the benefit West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986, actor Anthony Edwards, who portrays Lt. Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, an easygoing radar intercept officer, had praise for San Diego as a movie filming locale. “The filming went extremely smooth,” Edwards said. “I’m crazy about the place.” (Photo by Bob Redding/The San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos at the West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986.
(Bob Redding / San Diego Union-Tribune)
The movie did San Diego more than a few favors, too.
Beginning with an early June casting call for “attractive, healthy and athletic men” between the ages of 23 and 35 to play naval pilots and instructors, the summer of ’85 was all about San Diego’s moment in the spotlight. And man, did the city enjoy its close-up.
If you weren’t lucky enough to see Tom Cruise working out at Gold’s Gym in Pacific Beach, perhaps you spotted him hanging out with some pilots at the Rusty Pelican restaurant in La Jolla. Cruise made it to the Old Mission Bay Athletic Club’s annual Coming-Out Party and braved the meat market at Diego’s bar in Pacific Beach. Sizzling!
During the 10-plus weeks the Top Gun circus was in town, locals flew planes for the cameras, nabbed small speaking roles and acted as technical advisers. Downtown’s Kansas City Barbecue restaurant scored the coup of a lifetime when it became the site of the famous piano bar singalong. And two Navy men made their mark on the cinema history when they kept Cruise from drowning while he was shooting a swimming scene off the coast of Point Loma.
By the time filming wrapped up in the fall, the production had pumped about $2 million into San Diego’s economy. And when Top Gun had its West Coast premiere at the huge Mann Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986, the benefit screening raised more than $20,000 for the local chapter of the USO and the Armed Forces YMCA.
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Planes line up for a day of filming at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as Top Gun at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California, on Aug. 14, 1985. (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Oct. 8, 1987. Cindy and Martin Blair, owners of Kansas City Barbeque, a popular restaurant made famous by its scene in the movie “Top Gun.” The Blairs were paid a day’s gross to close the restaurant on July 13, 1985. There the cast belted out, “Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!” Two weeks later, director Tony Scott returned for some “pickup shots,” seen at the film’s close. (Photo by Howard Lipin/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: 1987 U-T file photo of Cindy and Martin Blair, owners of Kansas City Barbecue at 610 W. Market Street, a restaurant featured in Paramount Pictures movie “Top Gun.” (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer stand in front of the movie poster at the benefit West Coast premiere of the film “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Photo by Bob Redding/The San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos at the West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Bob Redding / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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A jet at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as Top Gun at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California, on Aug. 14, 1985. (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Pete Pettigrew is a technical adviser to the movie “Top Gun,” which has been filming at Miramar Naval Air Station since June. (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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John Semcken, left, and Pete Pettigrew on a jet at Miramar Naval Air Station, on July 27, 1985. Paramount was filming of the movie, “Top Gun” (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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John Semcken serves as the Navy’s liaison for “Top Gun,” being filmed at Miramar Naval Air Station on July 27, 1985. (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Director Tony Scott arrives at the benefit West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Photo by Bob Redding/The San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos at the West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Bob Redding / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Instructor Lt. Michael Blue gets ready for takeoff at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as Top Gun, at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California. (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Lt. Mike Galpin in the ready room during on-location filming for the movie, “Top Gun” at the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School for elite pilots at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California on Aug. 14, 1985. “It’s kind of fun to watch them do their job,” said Galpin, better known as “Flex” because of his affinity for working out at the gym. “Of course, our main job here is to fly. We’d like to see them do a documentary about Top Gun, but it’s the Hollywood stuff that sells movies.” User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Jets take off at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as Top Gun at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California, on Aug. 14, 1985, during on-location filming for the Paramount movie “Top Gun”. (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Pete Pettigrew, technical adviser to the movie “Top Gun,” watches filming at Miramar Naval Air Station on July 27, 1985. (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Film crew on the set of “Top Gun,” at Miramar Naval Air Station on July 27, 1985. (Photo by Charles Starr/San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos of pilots and planes at Miramar Naval Air Station during the filming of Paramount Pictures “Top Gun” movie in the summer of 1985. (Staff Photographer / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Director Tony Scott shares a laugh with actor Anthony Edwards at the benefit West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Photo by Bob Redding/The San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos at the West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Bob Redding / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Actor Anthony Edwards with producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer at the benefit West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Photo by Bob Redding/The San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos at the West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Bob Redding / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Director Tony Scott with actor Anthony Edwards at the benefit West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Photo by Bob Redding/The San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos at the West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Bob Redding / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer stand in front of the movie poster at the benefit West Coast premiere of the film “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Photo by Bob Redding/The San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos at the West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Bob Redding / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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At the benefit West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986, actor Anthony Edwards, who portrays Lt. Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, an easygoing radar intercept officer, had praise for San Diego as a movie filming locale. “The filming went extremely smooth,” Edwards said. “I’m crazy about the place.” (Photo by Bob Redding/The San Diego Union-Tribune) User Upload Caption: U-T file photos at the West Coast premiere of the movie “Top Gun” at Mann’s Cinema 21 in Mission Valley on May 15, 1986. (Bob Redding / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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February 5, 2014_Oceanside, California_USA_| View of the 125 year old “Top Gun House,” on Pacific St. near the Pier. Scenes from the 1986 Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun” were filmed there. Workers from MC Painting, of Vista, are prepping it for painting they say will be done by Friday. It’ll be painted yellow and white. It’s a temporary paint job until it’s moved a block north next year to make way for a beach resort. It’ll have a complete restoration then when it’s incorporated into the resort, possibly as a gift shop or ice cream shop, or some other use to be determined by the resort’s developer. |_Mandatory Photo Credit: Photo by Charlie Neuman/UT San Diego/Copyright 2014 San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC (Charlie Neuman / UT San Diego/Zuma Press)
Earlier this year, Cruise confirmed that a Top Gun sequel will begin shooting in 2018. Here’s hoping San Diego is on the flight plan. “Highway to the Reunion Zone” has a nice ring to it.
Top spots: Six San Diego Top Gun locations
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar: Where the flyboy action happened.
Kansas City Barbecue: Where Goose (Anthony Edwards) and the gang ignited Great Balls of Fire.
West Laurel and Union streets: Where Charlie (Kelly McGillis) chased Maverick (Tom Cruise) and caught him just in time.
Lafayette Hotel’s Mississippi Ballroom: Where Maverick serenaded Charlie with You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.
Mission Beach Plunge (scheduled to reopen in 2017 at Belmont Park): Home to the muscle-flexing locker-room scenes.
Victorian house in Oceanside (aka the Top Gun House; located on Pacific Street): The beach bungalow where Charlie lives.
Columnist Karla Peterson is a longtime San Diegan whose beats at the San Diego Union-Tribune have included TV criticism, pop-culture, Comic-Con and San Diego people and lifestyles. She has won awards for entertainment criticism from the American Association of Sunday and Features Editors. A graduate of San Diego State University, she has been with the U-T since 1985.
