Production
The first draft of the screenplay for Blue Thunder featured Frank Murphy as more of a crazy main character with deeper psychological issues, who went on a rampage and destroyed a lot more of the city. Filmed on location in Los Angeles during the winter months of 1980-81, this was one of Warren Oates's last films before his death in 1982, which occurred during post-production less than one year after principal filming had ended, and it is dedicated to him. He made one movie and one TV episode before and after filming during 1981-1982 that were released after Blue Thunder.
The LAPD Hooper Heliport served as home base for the fictional police unit in the while construction of the heliport was still being completed. The drive-in theater scene where Frank's girlfriend Kate recovers the tape was filmed at the Pickwick Theatre in Burbank, California; the theater has since then been demolished and replaced by a Pavilions supermarket.
Malcolm McDowell, who acted out the villain F. E. Cochrane, actually hated flying, and no one, not even his then wife Mary Steenburgen, could persuade him to rid himself of this phobia. In an interview for Starlog in 1983, Badham recalled, "He was terrified. He used to get out and throw up after a flight." During the climax with Frank Murphy while McDowell's character of Cochrane was in the attack helicopter, McDowell's grimaces and discomfort were caught on film for all to see. There are a few shots, during the chase sequence, that show McDowell clearly not to be comfortable about being in the air. When Steenburgen saw the film, she incredulously asked the filmmakers afterward, "How did you get him into that little helicopter? I couldn't get him inside a plane!"
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