Gung Ho is a 1986 Ron Howard comedy film, released by Paramount Pictures, and starring Michael Keaton and Gedde Watanabe. The film's story portrayed the takeover of an American car plant by a Japanese corporation (although the title of the film is actually an Americanized Chinese expression, for "work" and "together"). The film was rated PG-13 in the US and certified 15 in the UK.
Synopsis
When a Japanese automaker takes over a failed American auto plant, differences between American and Japanese work ethics threaten to close the plant.
The local auto plant in Hadleyville, Pennsylvania, which supplied most of the town's jobs, has been closed for nine months. Former foreman Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton) goes to Tokyo to try to convince the Assan Motors Corporation to reopen the plant. The Japanese company agrees, and upon their arrival in the U.S., they take advantage of the desperate work force to institute many changes. The workers are not permitted a union, are paid lower wages, are moved around within the factory so that each man learns every job, and are held to seemingly impossible standards of efficiency and quality. Adding to the strain in the relationship, the Americans also find humor in the demand that they do calisthenics as a group each morning, and that the Japanese executives eat their lunches with chopsticks and bathe together in the river near the factory. The workers also display a poor work ethic and lackadaisical attitude towards quality control.
The Japanese executive in charge of the plant is Oishi Kazihiro (Gedde Watanabe), who has been a failure in his business career thus far because he is too lenient on his workers. He has been given one final chance to redeem himself by making the American plant a success. Intent on becoming the strict manager his superiors expect, he gives Hunt a large promotion on the condition that he work as a liaison between the Japanese management and the American workers, to smooth the transition and convince the workers to obey the new rules. More concerned with keeping his promotion than with the welfare of his fellow workers, Hunt does everything he can to trick the American workers into compliance, but the culture clash becomes too great and he begins to lose control of the men.
In an attempt to solve the problem, Hunt makes a deal with Kazihiro: if the plant can produce 15,000 cars in one month, thereby making it as productive as any Japanese auto plant, then the workers will all be given raises and jobs will be created for the remaining unemployed workers in the town. However, if the workers fall even one car short, they will get nothing. When Hunt calls an assembly to tell the workers about the deal, they balk at the idea of making so many cars in so short a time. Under pressure from the crowd, Hunt lies and says that if they make 13,000, they will get a partial raise. After nearly a month of working long hours toward a goal of 13,000—despite Hunt's pleas for them to aim for the full 15,000—the truth is discovered and the workers strike.
Because of the strike, Assan Motors plans to abandon the factory again, which would mean the end of the town. Hunt responds by addressing his observations that the real reason the workers are facing such difficulties is because the Japanese have the work ethic that too many Americans have abandoned. While his audience is not impressed, Hunt, hoping to save the town and atone for his deception, and Kazihiro, desperate to show his worth to his superiors, go back into the factory and begin to build cars by themselves. Inspired, the workers return and continue to work toward their goal, and pursued it with the level of diligence the Japanese managers had encouraged. Just before the final inspection, Hunt and the workers line up a number of incomplete cars in hopes of fooling the executives. The ruse fails, but the strict CEO is nonetheless impressed by the workers' performance and declares the goal met.
As the end credits roll, the workers and management have compromised, with the latter agreeing to partially ease up on their requirements while the workers agree to be more cooperative, such as participating in the morning calisthenics.
Other media
The film spawned a short-lived TV series of the same name. Almost all of the Asian actors reprised their roles from the movie. Clint Howard was the only caucasian actor from the film to appear in the TV show.
The movie was released in Australia under the title "Working Class Man", which was also the title of one of the songs in the movie sung by Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes.
Main cast
The film also features small supporting roles by Clint Howard, Rick Overton, Sab Shimono, Michelle Johnson, Rance Howard, Rodney Kageyama and Patti Yasutake.
Filming
Though the cars used in the movie were supposedly built by the fictional Assan Motors, they are actually made by Fiat and the most commonly-seen model is the Fiat Regata. Some cars in the movie bore resemblance to the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon twins (which were still in production at the time of the movie's release), while the car on the official movie poster bore some resemblance to the front end of the then-current model of the Chevrolet Cavalier. Coincidentally, the Cavalier was manufactured at Lordstown Assembly, a short drive from where the bulk of Gung Ho was filmed.
The factory where the cars were produced was shot in Rosario, Argentina, while the majority of the rest of the movie was shot in central Beaver County, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, mostly in Beaver, as well as neighboring Bridgewater and Rochester. Other portions of the movie, including shots of the Assan Motors plant were filmed at the old Mesta Machine Plant in West Homestead, Pennsylvania.
Many references to Pittsburgh were made in the movie. Keaton, a native of nearby Coraopolis closer to the city of Pittsburgh, would mention constantly in the movie (much to the chagrin of his friends) about leading the town's high school basketball team to the state championship in Pittsburgh. In reality, most PIAA state championships in Pennsylvania are played in Hershey, which is more geographically central in the state and is near the state capital of Harrisburg. The WPIAL, a division of the PIAA whose jurisdiction covers the Pittsburgh metropolitan area (except for Pittsburgh Public Schools, which has their own championships in PIAA District 7), does play their championship games in Pittsburgh, however. In addition, many extras in the movie are seen wearing Pittsburgh Pirates hats and Pittsburgh Steelers apparel. One worker is even shown wearing a WDVE t-shirt, in reference to the popular classic rock station in the city.
Influence
Toyota's executives used this film as an example of how not to manage Americans.[1]
See Also
References
External links
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Films directed by Ron Howard |
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