Talk:Stalag 17

Untitled
"the story of a group of Allied soldiers" -- I'm not sure that this is precise. It seemed to me that all the POWs in this film were American, with the possible exception of Russian women in another section that I don't think were shown.

Yes I thought that as well. But you do see the Russian women in one scene so I suppose "Allied soldiers" is probably the best description.

One of the accompanying featurettes on the DVD release states that there were soldiers from several countries in the camp but they were housed by nationality. Erasmus212 (talk) 10:45, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

I don't know if von Scherbach's first name is ever mentioned, but I strongly doubt it is Otis. Clarityfiend 05:40, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

This may be a dumb question. Is there any reason this is part of the Alvin and the Chipmunks category? 24.62.27.66 04:53, 16 April 2006 (UTC)


 * According to imdb, the soldier singing at the Christmas party is none other than Ross Bagdasarian, aka David Seville. Clarityfiend 03:13, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

McCarthyism link?
How the hell is that at all relevant? Zaku Two 00:25, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed - it's someone's speculation that maybe, possibly, the movie was about McCarthy (more accurately, what some people perceived as McCarthyism, not what the senator himself did). It's gone. Pretty weak link. BonniePrinceCharlie 02:08, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

Incorrect Trivia
The first "Trivia" item states: "The site of Stalag XVII-B is in Austria just east of a small village called Gneixendorf, about 3 kilometers north of the town of Krems on the Danube. As of 1997, nothing remains of the physical camp. The runway of a small municipal airport covers part of the camp location and the rest is being used as agricultural land, as it clearly has been for decades. The physical location is not marked in any way on the ground or on published maps but the footings of the barracks can be found upon close examination."

That "...nothing remains of the physical camp."is quite incorrect, and if I could upload the photographs, I would. There are a few concrete buildings remaining intact.

Further, "...The physical location is not marked in any way on the ground.." is also incorrect. At least by October, 2005, there is an engraved granite monument, with gold leaf fill on the inscription, which appears in both French and German. At a different location, there is also a square steel sign, with a large question mark (?) punched out of the center, and a much smaller, "STALAG XVII B" punched out of the right-hand side, and rotated vertically.

I am sure no one looking for imformation on the film will care one way or the other. This information belongs on a separate entry for the POW camp, Luft Stalag 17 B.70.106.114.202 22:01, 24 March 2007 (UT

Suspension of Belief

 * The Ending of the movie quite Suspension of Belief:
 * A Lone US POW who escapes into enemy territory without proper papers and speaking no GErman!
 * The Germans just Leave the other POWS in their bunks after their spy is shot-at a time when any assault on a German would result in 10 executions! Likewise the "Germans" do not take the Precaution of sending out dogs and search parties-such seconds after the escape! In short this sounds like a updated version of a wartime World War II Propaganda B-Movie! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.53.145.153 (talk) 23:58, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Corrections: two men escaped. The Germans did not know they had escaped, that is why Price was thrown out into the yard to create a distraction. Were you watching the movie? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Doranwelch (talk • contribs) 14:59, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

The issue of what to do with the informant is discussed in the film itself. Merely exposed, he would be moved elsewhere to spy on other soldiers. Killed, and the entire barracks would be punished. Sefton's solution was to trick the Germans into killing their own spy. Erasmus212 (talk) 10:45, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

Schul(t)z character
I will readily admit to confusion here - between the film and the TV series Hogan's Heroes - which clearly took its Schultz chracter from this film.

However, my recollection is that in the film it's Feldwebel Schulz; but in Hogan's Heroes it's Sergeant Schultz! I cannot confirm the spelling difference either. Comments? Hair Commodore (talk) 10:41, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

It's purely your opinion that the show "clearly took" it's character from this film, it's not a matter of fact, but of opinion. Given how common the name Schultz is in Germany, your point is fairly weak, and any perceived similarities may be coincidental. (24.62.126.170 (talk) 04:20, 9 May 2010 (UTC))

Rating?
I was never sure myself, but I was always under the impression that this movie was rated at least PG, however when I tried to order the DVD from Best Buy, their site cited it was rated R, and when I looked it up on IMDb, it says "approved", which usually means X/MA... does anyone know what the actual rating is? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.203.192.42 (talk) 23:34, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

IMDb currently shows the rating as "PG." You might notice that the poster accompanying this article does not give a rating. The rating system did not come into existence until 15 years after this film was released. As I recall, there is some mild swearing and men walking around without shirts. (The women are always fully clothed.) Smoking and drinking are shown. Nearly all the violence (killing the two airmen at the beginning of the film; the attack on Sefton) occurs offscreen. The death of the informant IS shown and, while intense, is not at all gratuitious. (Amazon and my DVD both say the film is "not rated" -- probably so they wouldn't have to bother rating the commentaries or featurettes!) Erasmus212 (talk) 10:45, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

My Father was one of the Americans in Stalag 17-B
The man who had the idea to make the movie came to my Dad to sign off on the film, since my Dad was one of the men in the actual true story. My Dad, Master Sargeant Raymond Fred Buske, signed off on it. My Dad wouldn't watch the movie. Patton himself riding on the front of his tank, showing off as usual, liberated the prison camp. On the way back, my dad met General Eisenhauer, who he said was very nice and just talked like one of the guys. The Red Cross was at one place and refused to give the group, all men weighting 90 pounds or so, coffee if they didn't pay for it. They obviously had no money having just got out of the prison camp. Daniel J. Buske —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.21.131.217 (talk) 14:26, 16 September 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dbuske (talk • contribs) 14:38, 16 September 2009 (UTC) Daniel J. Buske 19:15, 16 September 2009 (UTC)

Plot/Summary Inaccuracies
I just watched the film and a couple points in the plot/summary seem incorrect:

1. It says that the other prisoners take Sefton's things from his footlocker after they break it open. He can be seen putting carefullly putting his things back in a short time later. Only later at Christmas does one of the prisoners take some wine and other things with Sefton looking on.

2. The Plot/Summary says it is a Luftwaffe camp, yet the commandant is a cavalry officer? I don't recall seeing what type of soldiers the Germans were but they looked like regular Army (with an American machine gun ;-), but it seems clear the prisoners were all American flyers.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know. If correct, I will change on main page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Doranwelch (talk • contribs) 14:55, 10 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I don't know exactly what they mean when they call it a "Luftwaffe camp", but you're correct in your point that the commandant was a former cavalry officer. At one point in the film, he comments that younger calvary men were put in the panzer divisions, while older ones were sent to the quartermaster corps, made recruiting officers, "or wardens like me."  As for the prisoners, the opening narration says they were "all American airmen, all sergeants."97.73.64.172 (talk) 15:21, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

In the accompanying featurette, "The Real Heroes of Stalag XVIIB", it's stated that the Germans generally paid closer attention to pilots than members of other branches as the Germans believed they could get better and more technical intel from pilots than, say, foot soldiers. So it's a "luftwaffe" camp of all airmen. (Yes, I suppose that means the Russian women were pilots too. They did have them, you know.) Erasmus212 (talk) 10:45, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

I agree with the comments above although the fact that the commandant is ex-cavalry doesn't really tell you anything: it's obviously not a cavalry PoW camp. I suspect that in general the Luftwaffe were responsible for captured airmen and so, whether or not expressly so stated in the film, that is no doubt the basis for the plot / summary statement.

In the interrogation scene, the commandant complains that the army has no use for ex-cavalry like himself. Erasmus212 (talk) 10:45, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

My only beef with the film (which is superb), is the fact that Dunbar looks at his dog tag in order to check what his army number is. I'm sorry but surely anyone who has seen any other war film (or for that matter Dad's Army), or spent 10 minutes in the services of any country, or just knows a bloke in the pub who claims he was in the services, can see that that is just utterly absurd. 62.232.34.3 (talk) 13:25, 12 January 2011 (UTC)

Plot length and detail
That is a very LONG and detailed "plot" which even lists specific lines of dialogue. More importantly, it gives away the ending without any spoiler warning. I would suggest a drastic pruning and either putting in a spoiler warning or making the identity of the informant ambiguous enough not to ruin the suspense. Erasmus212 (talk) 10:45, 5 June 2012 (UTC)

Holden's reaction is interesting....
According to the article, William Holden was reluctant to play Sefton because he thought the character was too cynical. I've read that elsewhere, and that's always struck me as rather ironic. I've only seen about a half-dozen of Holden's films, but he played a cynic in almost every one of them.97.73.64.172 (talk) 15:26, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

Magnum, P.I. VHS or Laserdisc?
In the See Other section a reference is made to the Thomas Magnum character on the TV series Magnum, P.I. watching a VHS tape version of Stalag 17. As I remember the show, wasn't he actually watching the movie from a Laserdisc? 2602:306:BDC0:CF90:C041:EBD8:661D:B655 (talk) 18:52, 20 May 2015 (UTC)

Separate articles for play and film
Should this be separated into two articles? I find the lede awkward in trying to describe both the play and film. When other pages redirect here with reference to the play (e.g. the Jose Ferrer page), it is misleading and maybe confusing that one is then reading about the film.Henry chianski (talk) 04:55, 10 December 2016 (UTC)


 * I see no reason why there couldn't be a separate article on the play. Or, much of the mention of the play in the lead, which is too much, could be moved to a separate section in the article. The lead generally has too much information that isn't strictly a summary of what's in the article. Dhtwiki (talk) 16:18, 10 December 2016 (UTC)

"See Also" suggestion: Heart's War
Just a suggestion for an addition to the list in See Also Heart's War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart%27s_War

Heart's War is set mainly inside a Nazi POW camp during the closing months of World War II. A murder of one of the inmates occurs shortly after the arrival of a new POW who is not known to the other prisoners - A court-martial is convened to the amusement of the Prison Commandant and staff. It then transpires during the trial (in various open and closed ways) that the POW was murdered to conceal the other POW's escape tunnel activities.

I feel this warrants inclusion as it fits the mold of a possible infiltrator in a POW camp and suspicion falling on the wrong man.

Timelord2067 (talk) 01:59, 16 April 2017 (UTC)

In popular culture
The title was mentioned in passing in The Internship. Cheers.41.199.41.186 (talk) 16:18, 14 May 2022 (UTC)