Set Condition: Rock
Cher filming “If I Could Turn Back Time” aboard the USS Missouri Battlewagon was a peak 80’s spectacle
Sailors were reportedly rousted from their bunks during the late night of June 30, 1989 for a special mission: filming a music video. Their ship was at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in Long Beach, California for work related to her recommissioning as part of President Ronald Reagan’s plan to ramp up the military and drive the Soviet Union out of business through sheer overwhelming American might. The Tom Cruise vehicle “Top Gun” had provided the Navy with a significant recruitment boost (recruiters actually stalked moviegoers in theaters who were hopped up on pro-America fervor after seeing the film) and so the powers that be decided to allow Cher aboard the Missouri. It’s hard for words to capture the vibe of just how epic that video is, from a pure enthusiasm standpoint, so I’ll wait while you go watch the video on .
Welcome back. Yes, those were actual American sailors, in a working shipyard, showing some real enthusiasm. Many were also sleep deprived, which is as common as haze grey paint in the service. Just to set the scene, at the time the Navy was in full ramp-up mode, having returned the battleships to service in a move that few saw coming. The target was 600 active duty warships and the American battleships, while outdated, were a potential match for the Russian Kirov-class battlecruisers with upgraded hardware, which included Tomahawk cruise missiles and Close In Weapons Systems. Not far from Long Beach, Wally George and the Hot Seat was on the air over at KDOC, with a picture of the Space Shuttle launching in the background with the words “USA Is #1" underneath. His audience was a questionable bunch who worshipped Reagan from behind the Orange Curtain. You can watch if you like. Note the early underpinnings of the Jerry Springer show on display. If communism could be defeated by the power of Rock N’ Roll, then it might just happen from the teak deck of the Missouri, as Cher gyrated to the approval of affection-starved sailors while straddling one of the impressive gun barrels. While things in the good ole’ US of A were far from perfect for many people, very likely including members of her crew, for that night at least, it was hard to deny the pure intensity of the patriotism (and the lust for Cher).
Not everyone was excited about how the evening progressed. The US Navy brass was none too pleased to see footage of Cher prancing around the ship nearly naked. This was, after all, the ship where the surrender document was signed to end World War 2. It was downright undignified, they thought. As a direct result of this production, approval standards were tightened so that nothing similar could occur.
The Missouri would go on to be featured in the Steven Segal movie “Under Siege,” using stock footage of her sailing past the Golden Gate bridge. While I decry the fall of Segal today, the movie is a great romp if you have never seen it, as it includes Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey at his unhinged prime. The ship was decommissioned in 1992, after the Soviet Union was indeed driven to bankruptcy trying to keep up with the United States. They even created their own clone of the Space Shuttle. Today, she is a museum ship in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, not far from the USS Arizona memorial, and well worth a visit.
***********************************************************************
I am always grateful for any contribution towards my journalistic endeavors:
