On this day March 14 1986 the comedy film Gung Ho premiered in theaters starring Michael Keaton as a factory worker trying to save his struggling auto plant. The movie followed the culture clash between American and Japanese workers after a Japanese company takes over a failing car factory in a small American town.
Directed by Ron Howard the film combined humor with social commentary on globalization and labor relations in the 80s. While it received mixed reviews it became a moderate box office success and later inspired a short lived TV series.
80s insight: The title Gung Ho comes from a Chinese phrase meaning “work together” which was adopted by the U.S. Marines as a motto during World War II.