Corrected entry: During the main scam of the movie, Steve Martin poses as a wheelchair bound Naval Officer. The only problem is that he wears an Army dress blue infantry uniform with the rank of Corporal. Clearly neither naval nor an officer.
dizzyd
4th Mar 2004
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Correction: First, this is in Europe, therefore Americans, and the uniforms of their troops, are not likely to be well known by all the civilians, Second, it is established early on "Freddy, you are a moron." Third, well in a rare moment of foresight, Freddy could be planning against getting charged with impersonation of an officer, by technically dressing as a common soldier (lesser penalty), though in typical Freddy fashion, that probably wouldn't work.
Correction: The people he's trying to con don't know this.
But the two sailors who volunteer to get rid of Laurence probably do it because they supposedly identify Freddy as a fellow sailor. I still think the army uniform was a mistake.
They were British sailors, probably unfamiliar with the American uniform.
Brian Katcher
The sailors aren't American. They don't know.