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STORY: The Odd Hollywood History Behind Ben Affleck's 'Argo' The real story behind Ben Affleck's new film -- which tells how the CIA rescued American hostages in Iran in 1980 while...
Link copied to clipboard. Sandy Schaefer. Could Ben Affleck's 'Argo' have been more entertaining had it stuck closer to the facts of its true-story inspiration? We examine, you decide.
- Did Tony Really Come Up with The Cover Story Himself?
- Did The Cia Really Set Up A Fake Movie Production Company?
- Was The Phrase "Argo F**K Yourself" Really A Running Joke at The time?
- Where Did The Title "Argo" Come from?
- How Did The Cia Get The Forged Documentation For The Six Americans Into Iran?
- Did Tony Mendez Really Use The Alias "Kevin Harkins" as His Cover?
- Did Tony Mendez Really Meet The Six Americans by Himself?
- Did Joe Stafford Really Become Anxious About The Plan?
- Did They Really Have to Venture Into Town to Scout A Possible Location?
- Did They Really Hear A Helicopter Hovering Above The House Like in The Movie?
Yes, Tony thought of the Hollywood angle himself one night while he was at home in Maryland packing. He had worked with many consultants in the entertainment industry in the past, including an award-winning makeup expert by the name of John Chambers (John Goodman's character in the movie). Tony kept in close contact with Chambers, who advised him a...
Yes. Like in the film, it was called Studio Six Productions. The company's production offices were located on the Columbia lot in Hollywood. Actor Michael Douglas had just vacated the offices after wrapping production on The China Syndrome. -CIA.gov
Yes. Tony states that John Chambers (John Goodman in the movie) once told a vulgar "knock-knock" joke that had the phrase "Argo f**ck yourself" as the punchline. Tony's CIA team often repeated the line as a way to break the tension when they were stressed and working long hours. John Chambers remembered telling the joke and recalled the meaning beh...
The title "Argo" that Tony and John Chambers gave to the screenplay came from Greek mythology, specifically it is the name of Jason and the Argonauts' ship that they sailed to the sacred garden to rescue the Golden Fleece from the clutches of the many-headed dragon. "This precisely described the situation in Iran," states Tony. -CIA.gov
The CIA team sent it via diplomatic pouch to the Canadian Embassy in Tehran, Iran. CIA specialists, who pretended to be part of the Studio Six Production team, traveled to Iran to make final arrangements and complete the travel documents. -CIA.gov
Yes. During the operation, Tony's full alias was "Kevin Costa Harkins". His cover occupation was "production manager" for a film crew that was in Iran scouting possible filming locations for their upcoming movie Argo. -SpyMuseum.org
No. The real Tony Mendez worked with another OTS (Office of Technical Services) Officer, a Latin American authentication officer who he refers to as "Julio", who had a significant amount of exfiltration experience (CIA.gov). He also had other contacts helping him during the escape at the airport in Tehran (Argo: Inside Story).
Yes. In the movie, Joe Stafford (portrayed by actor Scoot McNairy) expresses quite a bit of anxiety and reluctance with regard to Tony's proposed plan of having the group pose as members of a movie production company. The real Tony Mendez states that as they discussed the mechanics of the escape, Joe did express anxiety over the risks involved. -CI...
No. In the movie, Tony (Ben Affleck) and the six are left with no choice but to meet with two men associated with the Iranian film office. They drive into town and venture through a market where an older man confronts Kathy Stafford (Kerry Bishé) for taking Polaroid photos. He yells at her and states that his son had been killed by a gun supplied b...
Yes. When interviewed about the real story, John Sheardown's wife Zena recalls a helicopter hovering over their home for quite a bit of time, which caused significant concern, believing that the Iranians had found out and were looking for their home. Unlike what is shown in the movie (or in this case not shown in the movie), they later discovered t...
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Loosely based on a real-life covert mission, “Argo” tells the story of Tony Mendez (played by Affleck), a C.I.A operative who disguises six Americans as filmmakers and smuggles them out of...
Feb 22, 2013 · BY Joe Berkowitz. A Best Picture front-runner in this year’s Academy Awards race, Argo is the story of an exfiltration expert sneaking hostages out of Tehran, via fake movie production. Of...
Oct 17, 2012 · Antonio J. Mendez, the CIA operative responsible for orchestrating the 'Argo' mission, posted this story on the CIA's website a couple of years ago, detailing how his crazy heroic plan was a ...
Sep 17, 2012 · Contra. On Nov. 4, 1979, thousands of Iranians stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage, including three CIA officers. The crisis lasted 444 days—a drawn-out drama dubbed ...
