DR. STRANGELOVE - Trivia and Other Fun Stuff

Peter Sellers based Dr. Strangelove's accent on the voice of Weegee, who had gained fame as a crime photographer in the 1950s by frequently showing up at crime scenes before the police. The German-born Weegee had made an on-set visit early in the production of Dr. Strangelove, and Sellers adapted his accent for the character.

Sellers was a master of accents, and in addition to the title character, he also created a bland American voice for President Merkin Muffley and a stiff-upper-lip English style for Captain Mandrake. Whether apocryphal or not, the story goes that Sellers had a difficult time developing a Texas accent for the fourth part he was cast in, Major "King" Kong, who rides the bomb down rodeo-style at the end of the film. After sending Kubrick a letter saying he would not be able to play the part, Sellers broke his leg, an injury whose legitimacy Kubrick doubted. But the director was forced by the production's insurance company to recast the role. He chose character actor Slim Pickens.

The November 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy figured into the film in several ways. Examining the survival kit provided by the Air Force (which included weapons, food, condoms, lipstick and nylons, uppers, downers and tranquilizers), Major Kong remarks, "Gee, a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff." The line had originally referenced Dallas, but after the assassination there, it was overdubbed to Vegas. Kubrick had planned to close the film with a custard pie fight in the War Room (and some shots show the room's tables filled with desserts), but decided it was not an effective ending. JFK's murder, however, also played a part in that decision. In the aborted fight, President Muffley was smacked in the face with a pie and fell over, prompting General Turgidson to cry out, "Gentlemen, our gallant young president has just been struck down in his prime by a pie!" a line considered tasteless in light of recent events. Finally, the film's release was delayed from early December 1963 to January 1964 because a dark political satire seemed inappropriate following so closely on the heels of the assassination. Some references to the film still give its release date as 1963.

George C. Scott considered his performance as Turgidson to be his favorite.

Major Kong's primary target in the Soviet Union is a missile complex at "Laputa." In Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels (a savage political satire in its own day), Laputa is a country peopled by caricatures of the scientific researchers of the day. Swift describes them as single-minded in their approach to science, to the point of being oblivious to everything around them and in danger of falling into holes, running into posts and sustaining other physical injuries unless they had the help of their servants.

The casting of Sterling Hayden as the rabidly anti-communist General Jack D. Ripper had ironic political connotations outside the film itself. As a young man, Hayden had fought alongside the Yugoslavian partisan rebels of Marshall Tito, who later became that country's Communist ruler for many years. After that experience, Hayden briefly joined the U.S. Communist Party. A few years later, during the House Un-American Activities Committee's anti-Communist witch-hunts, Hayden appeared as a friendly witness, denouncing his former party affiliations and naming some names before the committee. Hayden later repudiated the committee and his testimony.

In an interesting footnote to the Sterling Hayden story, Kubrick was the director of the Roman epic Spartacus (1960), which was written by Dalton Trumbo, one of the Hollywood Ten, whose refusal to give testimony to HUAC led to their blacklisting and conviction for contempt of Congress.

Famous Quotes from DR. STRANGELOVE

Miss Scott: Buck, honey, I'm not sleepy either...
General "Buck" Turgidson: I know how it is, baby. Tell you what you do: you just start your countdown, and old Bucky'll be back here before you can say "Blast off!"

General Jack D. Ripper: Your Commie has no regard for human life. Not even his own.

General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you recall what Clemenceau once said about war?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No, I don't think I do, sir, no.
General Jack D. Ripper: He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.

Major T. J. "King" Kong: Goldie, how many times have I told you guys that I don't want no horsing around on the airplane?

Major T. J. "King" Kong: Well, boys, I reckon this is it - nuclear combat toe to toe with the Roosskies. Now look, boys, I ain't much of a hand at makin' speeches, but I got a pretty fair idea that something doggone important is goin' on back there. And I got a fair idea the kinda personal emotions that some of you fellas may be thinkin'. Heck, I reckon you wouldn't even be human bein's if you didn't have some pretty strong personal feelin's about nuclear combat. I want you to remember one thing, the folks back home is a-countin' on you and by golly, we ain't about to let 'em down. I tell you something else, if this thing turns out to be half as important as I figure it just might be, I'd say that you're all in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing's over with. That goes for ever' last one of you regardless of your race, color or your creed. Now let's get this thing on the hump - we got some flyin' to do.

Miss Scott: It's 3 o'clock in the morning!
General "Buck" Turgidson: Weh-heh-heh-ll, the Air Force never sleeps.
General "Buck" Turgidson: I don't think it's quite fair to condemn a whole program because of a single slip-up.

General "Buck" Turgidson: General Ripper called Strategic Air Command headquarters shortly after he issued the go code. I have a phone transcript of that conversation if you'd like me to to read it.
President Merkin Muffley: Read it!
General "Buck" Turgidson: Ahem... The Duty Officer asked General Ripper to confirm the fact that he *had* issued the go code, and he said, uh, "Yes gentlemen, they are on their way in, and nobody can bring them back. For the sake of our country, and our way of life, I suggest you get the rest of SAC in after them. Otherwise, we will be totally destroyed by Red retaliation. Uh, my boys will give you the best kind of start, 1400 megatons worth, and you sure as hell won't stop them now, uhuh. Uh, so let's get going, there's no other choice. God willing, we will prevail, in peace and freedom from fear, and in true health, through the purity and essence of our natural... fluids. God bless you all" and he hung up.
General "Buck" Turgidson: Uh, we're, still trying to figure out the meaning of that last phrase, sir.
President Merkin Muffley: There's nothing to figure out, General Turgidson. This man is obviously a psychotic.
General "Buck" Turgidson: We-he-ell, uh, I'd like to hold off judgement on a thing like that, sir, until all the facts are in.
President Merkin Muffley: General Turgidson! When you instituted the human reliability tests, you *assured* me there was *no* possibility of such a thing *ever* occurring!
General "Buck" Turgidson: Well, I, uh, don't think it's quite fair to condemn a whole program because of a single slip-up, sir.

General "Buck" Turgidson: Mr. President, we are rapidly approaching a moment of truth both for ourselves as human beings and for the life of our nation. Now, truth is not always a pleasant thing. But it is necessary now to make a choice, to choose between two admittedly regrettable, but nevertheless *distinguishable*, postwar environments: one where you got twenty million people killed, and the other where you got a hundred and fifty million people killed.
President Merkin Muffley: You're talking about mass murder, General, not war!
General "Buck" Turgidson: Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops. Uh, depending on the breaks.

Major T. J. "King" Kong: Survival kit contents check. In them you'll find: one forty-five caliber automatic; two boxes of ammunition; four days' concentrated emergency rations; one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, sleeping pills, tranquilizer pills; one miniature combination Russian phrase book and Bible; one hundred dollars in rubles; one hundred dollars in gold; nine packs of chewing gum; one issue of prophylactics; three lipsticks; three pair of nylon stockings. Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff.

President Merkin Muffley: Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.

President Merkin Muffley: But this is absolute madness, Ambassador! Why should you *build* such a thing?
Ambassador de Sadesky: There were those of us who fought against it, but in the end we could not keep up with the expense involved in the arms race, the space race, and the peace race. At the same time our people grumbled for more nylons and washing machines. Our doomsday scheme cost us just a small fraction of what we had been spending on defense in a single year. The deciding factor was when we learned that your country was working along similar lines, and we were afraid of a doomsday gap.
President Merkin Muffley: This is preposterous. I've never approved of anything like that. Ambassador de Sadesky: Our source was the New York Times.

General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I... no, no. I don't, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works. Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen, tell me, tell me, Jack. When did you first... become... well, develop this theory?
General Jack D. Ripper: Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No.
General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence.

Major T. J. "King" Kong: Well boys, we got three engines out, we got more holes in us than a horse trader's mule, the radio is gone and we're leaking fuel and if we was flying any lower why we'd need sleigh bells on this thing... but we got one little budge on those Roosskies. At this height why they might harpoon us but they dang sure ain't gonna spot us on no radar screen!

By Rob Nixon & Jeff Stafford