Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Film
Much of the movie Taps (1981), starring George C. Scott and Timothy Hutton, was filmed on the academy's campus. Many of its young stars, including Hutton, Sean Penn, and Tom Cruise, participated in a 45-day period of orientation with the students of the academy to learn to drill properly as cadets. While most of the actors enjoyed and excelled at their orientation, Cruise opted to leave the training for the comforts of a nearby hotel until filming began, reportedly to isolate himself and "get into the mindset" of his psychopathic character, Cadet Captain David Shawn. Although Taps was presented as depicting core values, including honor and loyalty, in a positive light, after the filming, LTG Pearson realized an anti-military tone within the plot of the movie. A note in the credits says the events in the film are not meant to reflect "the educational philosophy or teachings" of then-Valley Forge Military Academy and Junior College.
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