T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Heart of Iowa Big Brothers Big Sisters Executive Director Lynne Carroll, left, and Adland Engraving Owner Dave Adland, right, show off the custom “Top Gun: Marshalltown” t-shirts Adland created. A portion of each sale is benefiting BBBS.

If box office numbers are any indication, moviegoers around the world have caught “Top Gun: Maverick” fever, but the phenomenon has been particularly strong in Marshalltown, the hometown of director Joseph Kosinski.

Locals were already over the moon about the fact that a native son had helmed the biggest hit of the summer and a sequel to one of the most iconic action films of all time, but once they detected a brief reference to Cecil’s Cafe — a popular greasy spoon diner on the south edge of town that closed in 2018 — the excitement, somehow, ramped up even further.

Deb Johnson, the widow of longtime Cecil’s owner Gordie Johnson, wished her husband could’ve been around to see it.

“He would’ve been bragging all over town,” she said.

Between Gordie and his father Cecil, the restaurant’s namesake, the Johnsons ran the establishment for 56 years from 1960 until 2016, and it’s still a source of great pride for his wife and children. Gordie’s daughter Laura Beason, who now lives in Oklahoma, said she first heard of the reference through a cousin who saw “Maverick” at the Plaza 9 Theater in Marshalltown.

“I didn’t really put two and two together until I kind of did some research on the director and realized ‘Yeah, he grew up in Marshalltown,'” Beason said. “So I was like, yeah, obviously it has to be pertaining to my family’s restaurant, so then I had to go see it for myself… It is really, really cool, to be honest, just because it is such a big movie. If it was referenced in any movie, it would be cool, but this is a Tom Cruise movie.”

Gordie, if he were still alive, would have been ecstatic, Beason added, and she didn’t hesitate to share her own experiences from growing up in the family business — whether it was cutting French fries or doing whatever else it took to keep it running.

“I wish my dad was around. I’m sure if you would be able to do an interview with him, he would keep you on the phone forever just telling stories about Cecil’s or what it would mean to him,” Beason said. “This is kind of a nice little tribute to something he had helped create in Marshalltown.”

Adam Johnson, himself a veteran of the Iowa Air National Guard, admitted he hasn’t seen the movie yet, but he was thrilled to hear his father and grandfather’s business made an appearance, especially after the hard time the family had been through since Gordie’s passing last December.

“All in all, it gives everybody good vibes. ‘Top Gun’ is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I’m actually the biggest Tom Cruise fan ever,” Adam said.

His brother John offered a similar take and called the entire experience “surreal.”

“Obviously, we like to think that with the director’s hometown roots, the reference was a nod to our family’s restaurant. Considering how popular the movie is right now, it’s a big compliment and a little surreal to think that the Cecil’s Café cameo has something to do with our family’s restaurant,” John said. “Cecil’s had been in our family for generations, and after losing my dad this past year, it’s nice to think that the Café gets to be immortalized in film. Dad would have loved this and would be telling this story to everyone around town.”

Dave Adland of Adland Engraving in Marshalltown has taken the connection one step further, creating custom t-shirts that read “Top Gun: Marshalltown” with the Cecil’s logo off to the side. A portion of each sale will benefit the local chapter of Big Brother, Big Sisters (BBBS).

Adland said the idea came to him relatively quickly, but he wanted to make sure it could also help a worthy organization.

“Lynne (Carroll) has always been at the top of our list, and I thought this is an opportunity to send a little jingle their way,” Adland said.

Carroll, the executive director of the Heart of Iowa BBBS chapter in Marshalltown, said she was delighted to learn Adland had made the decision as both his daughter and grandson have been mentors in the program.

“They know what we’re about, and it’s always fabulous when we know that we have people out here that continue to support our mission,” Carroll said. “This is a great way for the community to support and promote Marshalltown… There’s good things going on in this community, and once in a while, they come to the surface for the national spotlight.”

Carrie Harmon, a lifelong resident of Marshalltown, was buying one of the shirts on Thursday afternoon and said she loved the local connection to a movie seen all over the world. Adland also joked that he’ll now be scrutinizing Kosinski’s future films and searching for Marshalltown references, and now that the word is out, he probably won’t be alone in the endeavor.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.