Coming Home

Directed by Hal Ashby

Coming Home is a 1978 film which tells the story of an injured Vietnam War veteran's difficulty in re-entering civilian life after his return from the war.

Sally Bender is the wife of a Captain in the United States Army. He is sent over to Vietnam, and Sally is alone. With nothing else to do, she decides to volunteer at a local veteran's hospital, where she meets Luke, who went to high school with Sally. Luke was wounded and is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. When Sally begins to fall in love with Luke, she has to make a crucial decision about her life.

Director

Hal Ashby

Writers

Robert C. Jones (Writer)

Waldo Salt (Writer)

Nancy Dowd (Story)

Cast

Jane Fonda … Sally Hyde

Jon Voight … Luke Martin

Bruce Dern … Capt. Bob Hyde

Penelope Milford … Vi Munson

Robert Carradine … Bill Munson

Robert Ginty … Sgt. Dink Mobley

Mary Gregory … Martha Vickery

Kathleen Miller … Kathy Delise

Beeson Carroll … Capt. Earl Delise

Willie Tyler … Virgil

Louis Carello … Bozo (as Lou Carello)

Charles Cyphers … Pee Wee

Olivia Cole … Corrine

Tresa Hughes … Nurse Degroot

Bruce French … Dr. Lincoln

Mary Jackson … Fleta Wilson

Tim Pelt … Jason

Richard Lawson … Pat

Rita Taggart … Johnson

Claudie Watson … Bridges

Sally Frei … Connie

Trivia

• It won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Jon Voight), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jane Fonda) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
• Sylvester Stallone, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino declined the role that went to Jon Voight
• The opening scene where the vets in the hospital are talking was totally unscripted. They were real Vietnam vets discussing their own views about the war. Jon Voight was supposed to have added to the dialog, but out of respect stayed silent and listened.