The Running Man

Top 10 Fun Facts

1. The movie was loosely based on a Richard Bachman novel. You're probably familiar with Bachman's work, even if you don't know it - that's a pseudonym used by Stephen King.
2. Before Arnold Schwarzenegger nabbed the starring role, Dolph Lundgren, Christopher Reeve and Patrick Swayze were all considered to play Ben Richards.
3. The host of "Running Man" in the film is played by real-life game show host Richard Dawson. Sadly, he opted not to kiss the contestants like he did for years on Family Feud.
4. Dawson's office in the film features a poster for the faux TV show "Hate Boat" - not to be confused with the show Dawson actually appeared on in real life, The Love Boat.
5. The voting public likes action movies: co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura would both go on to become U.S. state governors.
6. Future elected officials weren't the only ones getting in on the Running Man action. The big game show dance sequence was choreographed by Paula Abdul.
7. If you owned a Commodore 64 or an Atari ST, you might have played the video game version of "Running Man" in the comfort of your own home - no quarters necessary!
8. Of course, if you had a few quarters you could stroll down to the local arcade to play "Smash TV," a bloody shoot-em-up "inspired" by the film.
9. Keep an eye on the TV monitor behind Richard Dawson that shows the "Running Man" game show end credits and you'll see such nonsensical items as "Art Direction by Red G. Bleu and Primary Colors" and "What Next: I Don't Know."
10. Reduce, reuse, recycle: the footage of the attacking helicopters is borrowed from the 1976 version of King Kong.

Cast

Crew