NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command)

Located in a nuclear bunker in Cheyenne Mountain, the real NORAD Alternate Command Center looked nothing like this in 1983. To quote director John Badham, the film's lavish set (the most expensive ever built at the time) was "NORAD's wet dream of itself."

1979 Derbi Variant SL

Jennifer (Ally Sheedy) zips around the Seattle suburbs in this 123-pound Derbi Variant SL from Barcelona. The Spanish moped has been modded for the American market with side reflectors, chrome fenders, and a round light instead of the typical square one.

David's Sweet Computer Setup

Released in 1975 and based around an Intel 8080 8-bit processor, the IMSAI 8080 behind Jennifer's (Ally Sheedy) head was actually a clone of another popular microcomputer, the Altair 8800. David (Matthew Broderick) uses his with an IMSAI IKB-1 keyboard...

...the IMSAI FDC-2 dual floppy drive (for loading software on 8-inch floppies)...

...a 17-inch Electrohome monitor, and a fake modem, which was actually a repainted 1200 baud Cermetek 212A.

When it was pointed out that the acoustic coupler used in the scene was hopelessly outdated, the IMSAI folks added the fake modem in the previous slide.

WOPR (War Operation Plan Response)

The real U.S. nuclear war plan, SIOP (Single Integrated Operational Plan), didn't have the same delicious ring. It was also never computerized. This plywood "super computer" was the handiwork of production designer Geoffrey Kirkland. Its fluorescent matrix display was controlled by an Apple II.

Shure SM12a headset

Kyle Reese wore one in 1984's The Terminator. So did the bridge communications crew in Battlestar Galactica (TOS). Seen here on General Beringer (Barry Corbin), Shure's SM12a was a staple in late '70s and early '80s film and television. The Illinois-based audio company still makes a relatively unaltered version of it today.

NEC-branded version of the HP 2912A monitor

Sharp-eyed viewers will have noticed this NEC-branded version of the HP 82912A monitor in the library while David is researching Professor Falken. Technically, HP didn't have any products showcased in the movie, but an HP 9845C desktop computer running BASIC powered the graphics on the massive screens in the NORAD war room.

Sony Trinitron KV-1711

For whatever reason, the filmmakers couldn't (or didn't want to) use the Sony logo on this 17-inch CRT in the Lightman living room. So David and his dad learn of a prophylactic recycling center fire and a full-scale nuclear alert on their "Amatron" Trinitron set.

Olympus Pearlcorder S902

Olympus invented the microcassette in 1969, and its Pearlcorder line would be massively popular for the next three decades. David uses this one to record the sound produced by a door lock panel outside the NORAD infirmary. He then unlocks the door by playing the recording back to it, and escapes. Crafty!

Praktina IIa

Manufactured in East Germany by Kamera-Werke, Praktina cameras were one of the first true "system" 35mm SLRs produced in the world. This woman, part of a NORAD tour group, is tricked into pressing a red "launch" button (LOLZ!) that displays a welcome message on a command room screen. (In the next shot, her camera is gone.)

Phreaking Ma Bell

When David needs to make a quick free call, he uses an old phone phreaking classic. After finding a discarded soda pull tab, he shorts the receiver against the coin slot to produce a dial tone without a quarter. It's one of the few real hacks depicted in movies that actually worked.