According to records found in Thompson’s Senate archive on file at the University of Tennessee, his staffers once debated whether to mention Thompson’s box-office bombs in his official Senate biography. According to an undated series of revisions, one film always made the cut: “The Hunt for Red October,” in which Thompson played a tough Navy admiral. Another, “Days of Thunder,” skirted by because of Thompson’s well-known costar. An unnamed aide suggested adding “starring Tom Cruise.” But several other films weren’t deemed worthy, including “Curly Sue,” “Baby’s Day Out” and “Aces: Iron Eagle III,” a B-list takeoff of “Top Gun” that starred Thompson as a bad guy caught up in a South American drug war. His staff also wavered on “Born Yesterday,” a comedy in which Thompson played a corrupt senator. But in the end, someone apparently intervened. A final version of the bio found in Thompson’s files included his entire Hollywood repertoire, including TV guest spots on “Roseanne” and “Matlock.”
