21 Subtle Details From 'Forrest Gump' We Bet You Missed
Forrest Gump is without a doubt one of the most rewatchable movies ever made — it feels like every time you watch it, you find a new reference, subtle joke, or easter egg. But we're betting that no matter how many times you've watched this famous collaboration between Tom Hanks and director Robert Zumeckis you've never heard of these weird, but interesting facts about the movie and the history that it references.
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1Tom Hanks' Daughter Makes A Brief Appearance
From Redditor u/Numerous-Lemon:
In Forrest Gump (1994), the girl on the bus who refuses to let Forrest sit next to her is played by Elizabeth Hanks, the daughter of Tom Hanks.
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2Lieutenant Dan Is Wearing Real Dog Tags
From Redditor u/Numerous-Lemon:
In Forrest Gump (1994), the dog tags worn by Lt Dan actually belong to Jack Treese, the brother in law of Gary Sinise. Treese served in Vietnam. He died in 2014.
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3Forrest And His Son Match Bert And Ernie
From Redditor u/jeihkeih:
When Jenny introduces Forrest to his son, they're wearing the same outfits as Burt and Ernie and are also leaning to the left just like them.
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4Bubba's Helmet Says 'I'd Rather Be Shrimping'
From Redditor u/thugzilla101:
I just noticed Bubba's helmet says 'I'd Rather be Shrimping'
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5Forrest Calls The Real Head Of Watergate Security
From Redditor u/colterpierce:
In Forrest Gump when he calls security at Watergate to report the flashlights keeping him awake, the voice that answers the phone says "Security, Frank Wills". Frank Wills was the head of Watergate security at the time of the break-in and was celebrated for his role in foiling the robbery.
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6Forrest's Football Jersey Isn't Dirty Because He's Too Fast To Be Tackled
From Redditor u/TL10:
Forrest's football jersey is the only clean one in the entire match, as he runs too fast for any defender to tackle him.
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7Forrest's Blue Shirt Appears Whenever The Movie Jumps Forward In Time
From Redditor u/ShanksAkagami9:
In Forrest Gump (1994), after every temporal transition, Forrest is always wearing a blue shirt which symbolizes a change in time.
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8Jenny's Birth Date Has Historical Significance
From Redditor u/soapboat3:
In Forrest Gump (1994), Jenny’s birth is shown to be July 16th, 1945. This was also the day the first atomic bomb was successfully detonated. Jenny is shown to participate in many peace movements throughout the movie that are anti-war.
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9Why Lieutenant Dan Is Standing At Forrest's Wedding
From Redditor u/cheering-T-rex-arms:
In Forrest Gump, you can see Lieutenant Dan standing in the back row. There aren't any seats left because they expected him to be in a wheelchair due to him losing his legs while fighting in Vietnam.
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10Elvis Presley Is Voiced By Kurt Russell
Though the actor on-screen during a young Forrest's interaction with The King is Peter Dobson, Elvis is voiced by none other than Kurt Russell.
From Redditor u/Numerous-Lemon:
Elvis Presley is voiced by Kurt Russell. His roles was uncredited. He did it as a favour for Robert Zemeckis.
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11The Virus Jenny Contracts Is Hepatitis C
From Redditor u/Minifig81:
It’s not said in Forrest Gump, but in the sequel book, the author reveals that Jenny dies from Hep C in the early 70s. Hep C, contracted from her drug abuse, was an unknown disease until 1989. She says in the movie that the doctors don’t know what the virus is and can’t do anything about it.
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12When Jenny Contemplates Suicide, 'Free Bird' Plays As A Reference To Her Childhood
From Redditor u/bigcatpratte:
In the beginning young Jenny prays she can become a bird and fly away. Years later when she does get away and becomes severely addicted to drugs she contemplates suicide. The song playing in this scene is “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
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13Forrest Never Takes His Eye Off The Ball
From Redditor u/the_immortanjoe:
In Forrest Gump, Forrest is told in the infirmary by a soldier to “never take your eye off the ball." In every ping-pong match after that, he never blinks and always has his eye on the ball.
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14Forrest Fought In A Real Army Regiment
From Redditor u/sublime2craig:
In the movie Forrest Gump, the name of his Regiment is a real United States Army Infantry Regiment known as the 47th and has served in WW1, WW2, Vietnam and was inactivated during the Cold War.
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15Dave Chapelle Makes A Joke In 'Undercover Brother' About The Role He Turned Down
From Redditor u/PlaymakerJavi:
In Undercover Brother (2002), Conspiracy Brother, played by Dave Chappelle, talks about how silly it is that the black character in Forrest Gump is killed so quickly after being introduced. Chappelle famously turned down the role of Bubba in the movie, a move he has confessed to regretting.
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16The News Graphic During Forrest's Run Is Super Accurate
From Redditor u/ee_dan:
In Forrest Gump, the news anchor’s trail graphic marker is currently at the Mississippi River. The cutover to the reporter is then on location, at the Mississippi River
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17Jenny's Scrapbook Only Covers One Part Of Forrest's Life
From Redditor u/Hoof_Harded:
Jenny's scrapbook contains only photos of Forrest running because she'd not kept any earlier memorabilia due to her lifestyle.
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18Lieutenant Dan Does End Up An Astronaut...Sort Of
From Redditor u/brad12172002:
Forrest Gump (1994) tells Lt. Dan that he is going to be a shrimp boat captain, Lt. Dan tells him that he’ll be an astronaut the day Forrest becomes a shrimp boat captain. At Forrest and Jenny’s wedding, Lt. Dan has prosthetic legs that he says are titanium alloy, just like on the space shuttle.
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19Lieutenant Dan's Fate Is Foreshadowed When He Breaks His Own Rules
From Redditor u/Golani_Don:
Lt. Dan broke both his own rules. He never looked after his feet and tried to get himself killed.
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20There's A Nod To The Film In 'Toy Story 2'
From Redditor u/AntiheroZer0:
In Toy Story 2 (1999), Slinky Dog played by Jim Varney states "I'm not a smart toy but I know what roadkill is" before the toys attempt to cross the road. A reference to the famous line in Forrest Gump (1994) both starring Tom Hanks.
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21This Visual Reference To A Famous Artwork
From Redditor u/mikepompeo:
A hint at Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” in Forrest Gump.
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