Oliver Stone returns to Vietnam with ‘Born on the Fourth of July’—a movie that closes out the ’80s, as well as the Vietnam movie boom. But ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Dead Presidents’ prove that ’90s audiences aren’t ready to leave Vietnam for good.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘Running on Empty’ (1988), ‘Dogfight’ (1991), and ‘Heaven and Earth’ (1993).

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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In the late ’80s, a new wave of big-studio hits like ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’ introduces young moviegoers to Vietnam—and helps turn the war into an unlikely pop-culture phenomenon.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘Hamburger Hill’ (1987) and ‘Casualties of War’ (1989). 

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

Interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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Oliver Stone’s harrowing and heartbreaking Vietnam drama ‘Platoon’ becomes a worldwide phenomenon in 1986—and signals the beginning of the Vietnam movie boom.

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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In the early 1980s, as America is grappling with the fallout of Vietnam, a troubled big-screen vet named John Rambo launches an unlikely movie franchise—and leads a wave of make-believe soldiers who are ready to fight the war all over again.  

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘First Blood’ (1982), ‘Uncommon Valor’ (1983), ‘Missing in Action’ (1984), and ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985). 

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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‘Apocalypse Now’ closes out the 1970s with the most ambitious Vietnam movie yet: a big-budget spectacle that will bring moviegoers closer than ever to the madness of war—and nearly push director Francis Ford Coppola over the edge. 

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘Who’ll Stop the Rain’ (1978), ‘The Boys in Company C’ (1978), ‘Go Tell the Spartans’ (1978), and ‘Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse’ (1991).

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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In the late ’70s, ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘Coming Home’ offer two very different visions of Vietnam—and become unexpected hits. Together, they’d bring the war to the mainstream—and to the Oscars.

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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It’s the mid-’70s, and Hollywood is still scared of Vietnam. But a series of dark and wildly entertaining B movies brings the war to the big screen, with explosive results. 

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘M*A*S*H’ (1970), ‘Soldier Blue’ (1970), ‘Brotherhood of Death’ (1976), ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976), and ‘Rolling Thunder’ (1977).

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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In the late-’60s, John Wayne stars in the first hit Vietnam movie: his controversial blockbuster ‘The Green Berets.’ And the piercing documentary ‘Hearts and Minds’ leads to an Oscar-night meltdown in 1975.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘In the Year of the Pig’ (1969) and ‘Winter Soldier’ (1972). 

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘The Deer Hunter.’ ‘Apocalypse Now.’ ‘First Blood.’ ‘Platoon.’ They’re among the hit films dealing with the Vietnam War—a conflict that divided moviegoers and inspired filmmakers. For decades, Hollywood released countless films about the war and its fallout—from action flicks to combat tales to sweeping dramas. 

Through exclusive new interviews, ‘Do We Get to Win This Time?’ chronicles the making of Hollywood’s most ambitious and controversial Vietnam movies. Along the way, we also learn how these films reflected and shaped moviegoers’ feelings toward the war—and toward each other.

Host: Brian Raftery 

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner 

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices