When one thinks of Stanley Kubrick's 1964 Cold War satire "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb," the most iconic image that comes to mind is that of a hollering Slim Pickens straddling a descending hydrogen bomb. The journey to that image was a royal pain for the celebrated filmmaker.
"Strangelove" co-writer Terry Southern penned a memoir piece titled "Strangelove Outtake; Notes from the War Room," originally published in Grand Street magazine in 1994. He describes the pressure that Kubrick was under to employ Peter Sellers in multiple roles, which the Columbia suits had determined was the sole reason for the success of "Lolita" (it wasn't). So Kubrick agreed to cast Sellers in "at least four major roles," three of which made the final cut: Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley, and the titular Doctor Strangelove.
The fourth role was Major Kong, who commands...
"Strangelove" co-writer Terry Southern penned a memoir piece titled "Strangelove Outtake; Notes from the War Room," originally published in Grand Street magazine in 1994. He describes the pressure that Kubrick was under to employ Peter Sellers in multiple roles, which the Columbia suits had determined was the sole reason for the success of "Lolita" (it wasn't). So Kubrick agreed to cast Sellers in "at least four major roles," three of which made the final cut: Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley, and the titular Doctor Strangelove.
The fourth role was Major Kong, who commands...
- 8/18/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
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