The Right Stuff (1983)

Scott Paulin: Deke Slayton

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Quotes 

• [an argument rages, primarily between Shepard, Glenn, Carpenter and Cooper] 

  Scott Carpenter : John's right! Now, whether we like it or not, we're public figures. Whether we deserve it or not, people are going to look up to us. We have got a tremendous responsibility here.

  Alan Shepard : You cannot tell a pilot what he's doing when he's not flying!

  [Argument continues] 

  Gus Grissom : Wait a minute, wait a minute!

  [turns Glenn toward him] 

  Gus Grissom : You've got it all wrong, the issue here ain't pussy. The issue here is monkey.

  John Glenn : What?

  Gus Grissom : Us. We are the monkey.

  Deke Slayton : What Gus is saying is that we're missing the point. What Gus is saying is that we all heard the rumors that they want to send a monkey up first. Well, none of us wants to think that they're gonna send a monkey up to do a man's work. But what Gus is saying is that what they're trying to do to us is send a man up to do a monkey's work. Us, a bunch of college-trained chimpanzees!

  Gus Grissom : Fuckin' A, bubba.

  Deke Slayton : Alright, so what Gus is saying is that we've got to change things around here. He's saying that we are pilots. And we know more about what we need to fly this thing than anybody else. So what we have to do is to alter the experiment. And what that comes down to is who is gonna control this thing from here on out.

  Gordon Cooper : What Gus is saying here is that we've got to stick together on this deal.

• Deke Slayton : [at press conference]  We're not saying anything new here. We're just saying the same things that need to be said again and again with fierce conviction.