All of the songs in the film were by American artists, as Forrest would not have accepted anything else. The film’s soundtrack was very successful, jumping from #34 to #7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on July 30, 1994. This was definitely one of the factors that made Forrest a true American hero.
The songs kept climbing the charts. On August 6, 1994, it moved from #7 to #3 and held that position for one week. It reached its peak position of #2 on the charts on August 13, 1994, and remained there for seven weeks until September 17, 1994.
Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle joked on the Daily Show that he wasn’t a fan of the film because Forrest Gump, a character with low I.Q. was a better actor than him. Don't let Chappelle's jokes trick you. The famous comedian has a staggering IQ score of 185.
On the show with Stewart, Chappelle expressed some more negative feelings over the film, saying that it angered him seeing a man with a mental disability get so far in life when able-bodied people struggle so much. Luckily he didn't act in it!
Corner Chooses His Career
Forrest Gump was one of Michael Conner Humphreys’ only films. The young Forrest Gump eventually joined the army and quit acting. For his role in the film, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award. He received the role after attending an open casting call in Memphis, Tennessee in 1993.
Producers went in not knowing exactly what they were looking for. All they knew is that they had to see a young Tom Hanks, with his light eyes and a quirky disposition. They definitely found that in Humphreys.
Fifteen Dr. Peppers Later…
In the scene where Forrest meets JFK at the White House along with his All-American college teammates, he drinks 15, Dr. Peppers, out of nervousness and hospitality for the food and Dr. Peppers that they get for free. He says that it is the best part about meeting the president of the U.S. When all of the teammates line up to meet the president, the president asks them what does it feel like to be an all-American.
While all of the other teammates respond with an answer along the lines of "so good" etc, when it is Forrest’s turn to speak, because of the many Dr. Peppers he downed, he tells the president that he has to pee.
From Novel to Cinema
As always, it's challenging to adapt a novel into a film. Sometimes a lot gets cut in the end and Gump's story was no exception. Out of 24 chapters in the original novel by Winston Groom, the film only really focuses on eleven of them. Still, the production company had reservations about adapting the whole thing, fearing that it would be too close to Oscar-winning film Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman.
Warner Bros originally bought the casting right of Forrest Gump when it was still a script. They agreed to hand over Forrest Gump for the exchange of the screenplay to Executive decision, topping off the deal with $400,000 that they also paid to Paramount.