Stalag 17

Other mistake: When Hoffy goes to blow out the single candle used to light the room, there's an extra second of light before it gets dark. Also, there's too much light to be explained by one candle, and no electric lights (The Germans would have cut the lights off from outside).

Movie Nut

Other mistake: When Shapiro goes to get the teabag out for Dunbar's tea, you can see that there is a wet spot where it was in his pocket, suggesting multiple takes.

Movie Nut

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Or he'd simply used the teabag before using it in Dunbar's tea.

Other mistake: When the Geneva man is inspecting the barracks, he is told that "each barrack holds seventy-five men." At best count, there's only thirty to thirty-five at any time, and the correct number of bunks.

Movie Nut

Other mistake: 2 prisoners from barrack 2 bring in a phonograph for the exchange of Sgt Sefton's brew distillery, but where is the music coming from, given the phonograph is fake?

Don Hendrick

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: The phonograph isn't fake. Why would they exchange a fake phonograph for a working distillery?

Factual error: When Lt. Dunbar is being interrogated in the Commandant's office you can see a map on the far wall. It is a map of Germany dictated by the Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I because it shows E. Prussia separated from Germany and does not include the annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia. These annexations were completed before the start of World War II in '39 and certainly before late '44, early '45 when the film took place. It is highly unlikely any German officer would have this map displayed not only because it's inaccurate but because it displayed the territorial losses brought on by the humiliating defeat of World War I.

More mistakes in Stalag 17

Sefton: Sprechen sie Deutsch [Do you speak German]?
Price: No, I don't sprechen sie Deutsch.
Sefton: Maybe just one word? "Kaput"? Because you're kaput, Price.

Movie Nut

More quotes from Stalag 17

Trivia: One of the actors in the movie was Edmund Trzcinski. He was actually an American POW in a German Stalag, and wrote a play based on his experiences there. From there, the movie was made, based on the play, and he was actually cast in a role, as himself, re-creating it for the silver screen.

Robert Cotton

More trivia for Stalag 17

Question: I've heard that, because the film was shot in sequential order, some of the actors were unaware who the spy is until the last three days of filming. When they were offered their roles, wouldn't they have received a copy of the script to read in advance to learn their lines?

Cubs Fan

Answer: The cast would have received copies of the script but with parts of the last scene omitted. They would be given the missing pages during the last days of the shoot, in which time they learn their lines, rehearse, then film the ending. Considering the time involved in filming a movie, actors do not necessarily memorize the entire script beforehand, but do so as each scene is shot. Also, it's questionable as to whether or not any of the cast did not know the ending as the movie was based on the Broadway play.

raywest

More questions & answers from Stalag 17

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.