Is Zac Efron’s new Vietnam War movie on Apple TV, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, based on a true story, or is it just a piece of Hollywood fiction?ย
Millions of people on both sides died in the Vietnam War, making it one of the worst tragedies in recent history. But movies like Full Metal Jacket, The Last Full Measure, Platoon, and Da 5 Bloods have come out of the war that are really interesting to watch.
Now, a mission from the Vietnam War that sent beer to soldiers on the front lines is getting the attention it deserves. The Greatest Beer Run Ever, which stars Zac Efron, is the latest movie on Apple TV. But is it really based on a true story?
Know Is The Greatest Beer Run Movie Based On A True Story And Guy And What Are The Real Events
Greatest Beer Run: Fact Or Fiction? What Is The Reality Behind The Film?
Despite some artistic license, The Greatest Beer Run Ever is based on the true story of John “Chickie” Donohue and his incredible journey to bring beer to his friends in a war zone.ย John “Chickie” Donohue had been in the Marine Corps for four years, but he had never been in a fight. Before the Vietnam War started, he became a merchant seaman.
He was angry about the anti-war protests in the United States in the 1960s, and he ended up drinking at Doc Fiddler’s bar while watching TV coverage of the famous Central Park protests. The bar’s owner, George Lynch, said, “Someone should go to Vietnam, find our boys from the neighbourhood, and bring them all a beer!” which Chickie almost immediately agreed to go on the mission.
THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER is an Entertaining Watch. Thrills and Laughs in the First Half and an Intense War Drama in the Second. Efron Commits and Russell Crowe is Excellent in Limited Screen Time! pic.twitter.com/AJYs9r007s
— Cinema Connoisseur (@MovieEndorser) September 27, 2022
Then Chickie would get a job on the merchant ship “Drake Victory,” which was going to Vietnam to bring more supplies to the American troops there. The 26-year-old man got on the ship with a bag full of beer and started the two-month trip to Southeast Asia. He ended up drinking all of the beer on the way, and he only got more drunk in Vietnam.
What WarHistoryOnline Has To Say About Greatest Beer Run?
According to WarHistoryOnline, “the majority of soldiers believed Donohue to be an intelligence agent, as he was dressed in a plaid shirt and corduroy pants.”
Chickie soon met Tom Collins, a childhood friend and member of the 127th Military Police Company. Collins was the first person who might hire him.
Then Chickie would talk to officers, trade with them, and sometimes lie to them in order to get across the war-torn country and find his fellow Inwood natives. He was even in the middle of a battle in Quang Tri province, where he used an M79 grenade launcher that his friend Rick Duggan, to whom he had just delivered a case of beer, had given him.
In an interview with CBS News, Chickie said that the plan was to bring beer to six of his friends, but that plan changed when one of them died and another got malaria and had to go home.
Unfortunately, by the time Chickie finished his mission, the Drake Victory had already left port, so the veteran couldn’t get back home. As the Tet Offensive was going on, Chickie was finally able to get on a plane to Manila and then fly back to the U.S.
When Zach Efron Spoke About Origins Of Greatest Beer Run!
Efron knows how important Chickie’s story is. Since he started out in High School Musical, he has grown into one of the most versatile actors of our time.
On BBC, Zach reflects, “I couldnโt believe it was a true story; it just sounded like a very silly idea and young and stupid. But the journey that starts there is very magical and profound. So itโs ended up being one of the coolest gestures you can possibly make.”
Zach Speaks At People Magazine About Greatest Beer Run
The 34-year-old would add to People Magazine, “Thereโs an incredible amount of innocence and bravery and honour in what he accomplished. I couldnโt ask for a better character to play. It was an honour and a pleasure. ”
To know more about Greatest Beer Run, do follow The SportsGrail on a regular and frequent basis.