Classic 50s Movie: “Stalag 17”
May is Classic 50s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Jim Schramm.
Movie Title: Stalag 17
Year: 1953
Writers: Billy Wilder and Edwin Blum based on a play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski
Lead Actors: William Holden (Oscar winner), Otto Preminger, Don Taylor, Peter Graves
Director: Billy Wilder (Nominated for an Oscar)
IMDb Plot Summary: When two escaping American World War II prisoners are killed, the German POW camp barracks black marketer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.
Why I Think This Is A Classic 50s Movie: I like David Lynch’s definition of a classic movie: “When a film creates a world and characters that you are compelled to visit again and again, it is a classic”. Stalag 17 is a world that I am compelled to visit again and again. It is filled with unforgettable characters, humor, sadness, intrigue and you’ll be cheering at the climax. William Holden as Sgt. J.J. Sefton is a true anti-hero, it’s impossible to like this guy and yet you can’t take your eyes off of him. He’s self-centered, greedy, barters with the enemy and takes advantage of his fellow POWs and in the end; you are compelled to stand and root for him. His performance earned him the Oscar against a who’s who of actors; Brando, Burton, Lancaster and Clift. Ironically, according to Wikipedia, Holden initially refused to play Sefton because he thought the character was too cynical and selfish but was forced to do it by Paramount. Wilder does a masterful job of creating a world where you feel you are in a POW camp; claustrophobic barracks, muddy grounds, cruel Nazis. There is an early scene where two POWs are killed trying to escape and their bodies are put on display as a warning, you think this is going to be a depressing film. But in true Wilder black comedy style, sprinkled throughout the film, are laugh out loud moments of levity that are a welcomed relief from the dreary conditions the POWs find themselves in.
My Favorite Moment In The Movie: SPOILER ALERT — Everything in the movie is leading to the final payoff which is my, and probably everyone else’s, favorite moment. Manfredi and Johnson are killed, the tunnel is discovered, the radio is discovered, Lt Dunbar is going to be taken away and executed. The Nazis seem to be one step ahead of the POWs at every turn. There is a weasel in the henhouse and everyone is convinced it’s Sefton. And staying true to his character, Sefton goes into self preservation mode and discovers the true spy. The moment comes when he confronts Price, convinces the other POWs of Price’s guilt and puts together the plan to escape and exact revenge on Price at the same time. I actually cheer for him when he tells the other POWs “If I ever run into any of you bums on a street corner, just let’s pretend we’ve never met before.” as he goes into the escape hatch.
My Favorite Dialogue In The Movie: J.J. Sefton is a classic character who always stays true to his nature; everybody for himself. He finally learns who the real spy is; he just needs to figure out how to take advantage of that information. Even Cookie, his barracks gopher, is turning against him.
Sefton: Any cigars left Cookie? [off Cookie’s look] Come on Cookie, get me a cigar. What’s a matter? You’re on their team now? You think I’m the guy?
Cookie: I don’t know what to think anymore.
Sefton: I understand how you feel. Sorta rough, one American squealing on other Americans. Then again Cookie, maybe that stoolie’s not an American at all, maybe he’s a German the Krauts planted in this barracks. They do that sometimes … just put an agent in with us, a trained specialist. Lots of loose information floating around a prison camp, not just whether somebody is trying to escape but what outfit we were with, where we were stationed, how our radar operates. Could be couldn’t it?
Cookie: In this barracks?
Sefton: Why not? Just one of the boys; sharing our bunks, eating our chow. Right in amongst the ones that beat me up except he beat hardest.
Cookie: Who is it?
Sefton: That’s not the point Cookie, the point is what do you do with him? Do you tip your mitt and the Jerrys pull him out of here and plant him in someplace else like Stalag 16 or 15? Or do you kill him off and the Krauts turn around and kill off the whole barracks, everyone of us. So what do you do?
Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie:
1. The scene stealing duo of Animal (Robert Strauss) and “Sugar Lips” Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck). They provide timely comic relief throughout the movie. Strauss was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
2. The way the POWs constantly dig at the Nazis in very funny dialogue and scenes. Years later Hogan Heroes took this movie as their blueprint, the show’s pilot was about a Nazi spy posing as a POW.
3. From Wikipedia: The film was shot in chronological order (not the usual practice as that method is more expensive and time-consuming). In a featurette made later, members of the cast said that they themselves did not know the identity of the informant until the last three days of shooting.
Thanks, Jim! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
We already have a set of classic 60s Movies, 70s movies, 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on 50s movies.
Here is an updated list of 27 fine folks who have already volunteered [those who I put in bold have already sent me their posts]:
12 Angry Men — Ipsita Barik
A Place in the Sun — Zach Jansen
A Star is Born — Melinda Mahaffey
A Touch of Evil — Vincent Martini, David Joyner
All About Eve — Ricardo Bravo
American in Paris — stefani1601
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — uncgym44
File on Thelma Jordon, The — David Joyner
Harvey — Felicity Flesher
High Noon — Jeff Messerman
Invasion of the Body Snatchers — Rick Dyke
Kiss Me Deadly — John Henderson
Marty — jetwillie69
Night of the Demon — David Hutchison
Night of the Hunter — Mark Twain
On the Waterfront — Bilbo Poynter
Pickpocket — Zach Jansen
Quiet Man, The — Traci Nell Peterson
Rear Window — Roy Gordon
Searchers, The — mkm28
Seven Samurai, The — Paul Graunke
Singin’ in the Rain — Megaen Kelly
Some Like It Hot — Will King
Stalag 17 — James Schramm
Sunset Blvd. — Lisa Byrd
Tokyo Story — Jeff Messerman
Vertigo — Jason Pates
I’m looking for 31 guest posts, one for each day of May. Why not pitch in to help add to this online resource to inspire writers to learn about and — most importantly — watch great movies.
If you have a classic 50s movies on which you’d like to do a writeup, please either post in comments or email me.
Thanks in advance!
For the original post explaining the series, go here.
For all of the 50s movies featured in the series, go here.