Cronauer-Williams Had Little in Common

Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer.

A story in Roanoke's local daily paper today gets Adrian Cronauer's thoughts in the wake of actor Robin Williams' death. Williams played a character loosly--and let's emphasize loosely--based on Cronauer's Vietnam experience as a military disc jockey.

Adrian Cronauer as himself in Vietnam.

Cronauer, who lives in Troutville and who used to be a radio voice in Roanoke prior to his Vietnam gig, spoke at a Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce event a few years ago and was so right-wing offensive that I felt compelled to write a letter of complaint about his talk to Chamber President Joyce Waugh.

Williams' character in "Good Morning Vietnam" was anything but right wing and Cronauer, from all I've heard, was anything but funny in Vietnam.

Odd how Hollywood takes a story and simply changes it to fit what it wants. "Good Morning Vietnam" was no more about Cornauer than Williams was a George Bush supporter.