Large cut out of the budget??

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

I have to wonder how much of that bit was Peter Sellers ad-libbing, and how the rest of the cast managed not to ruin every take by busting out laughing.

According to the Behind the Scenes story, most of what he did was improvised and yes the crew and cast were cracking up. Some of crack ups can be seen in the movie.

Trivia: 55% of the total budget for the movie went to pay Sellers' salary.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Platapus

According to the Behind the Scenes story, most of what he did was improvised and yes the crew and cast were cracking up. Some of crack ups can be seen in the movie.

Trivia: 55% of the total budget for the movie went to pay Sellers' salary.

Worth every penny.

"Well I'm not calling just to say hello, Dmitri... no, of course, I like to say hello to you. Of course it's a friendly call. Look, if it wasn't friendly, you wouldn't be getting it..."

[Platapus]

Peter Sellers was supposed to play a 4th part

What was the fourth part and why didn't he end up playing it?

[razark]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Peter Sellers was supposed to play a 4th part

What was the fourth part and why didn't he end up playing it?

I believe he was supposed to play Major Kong, as well.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by razark

I believe he was supposed to play Major Kong, as well.

Correct! .... but why didn't he?

[razark]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Correct! .... but why didn't he?

I should know this. Wasn't he ill?

Or was it that no one could replace Slim Pickens for that part?

[Platapus]

Peter Sellers hurt his foot. This is why you see him moving rarely in the movie.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by razark

I should know this. Wasn't he ill?

Or was it that no one could replace Slim Pickens for that part?

Apparently Sellers thought almost from the get-go that the fourth part was pushing it too far. He wasn't sure he could get the Texas accent right, but according to interviews on the disc he did finally manage it. He still wasn't sold on playing the part, however, and there was friction between him and Kubrick over it.

They actually did start filming, or at least rehearsing, some of his scenes in the mockup cockpit of the plane... which was suspended 12 feet or so off the ground of the soundstage. At one point he had an accident - or an "accident," depending on who's telling the story - and fell off the thing (IIRC, one interviewee said it was in the middle of a row with Kubrick over having to play that role). He broke or twisted or sprained his ankle, anyway, he was injured to the point where he could no longer crawl up inside the mockup bomber to film his scenes as Major Kong. That's when they went looking for someone else and got Slim Pickens.

I'm pretty sure the accident was also the reason Dr. Strangelove was in a wheelchair. The character wasn't written that way, it was to accomodate Sellers' injury.

Another bit of trivia: if you watch Pickens in the scene where he goes over the contents of his "emergency kit" or whatever it's called, he says something to the effect of "a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas" with all the stuff in the kit and you can tell that "Vegas" was dubbed in later. The original line was "good weekend in Dallas" (the character was a Texan) but the film was scheduled for release in early 1964 and after the Kennedy assassination the dialogue was rerecorded with "Vegas" in place of "Dallas."