I always consider it a treat when I catch the 1981 movie Stripes on TV. When it hit theaters, it had a very few stars and a bunch of unknowns. Now it is full of stars. The film was born from Ivan Reitman’s concept of “Cheech and Chong join the army” and blossomed from there. All these years later, it’s time to learn something about what went into the making of Stripes.
1. HAROLD RAMIS AND COLUMBIA PICTURES DID NOT WANT HAROLD RAMIS IN THE MOVIE.
With the knowledge that the studio didn’t want him, and more comfortable with writing at that point than with acting, Ramis was reluctant to play Russell. He even had Dennis Quaid (P.J. Soles’ husband at the time) read for his part. Bill Murray stepped in and insisted that he only wanted to work with Ramis.
4. THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT LIKED THE SCRIPT.
So they gave the crew a ton of access, including allowing Ivan Reitman and company to shoot in Fort Knox and letting real troops play extras.
Well, that’s just a taste. You can get the full list, with links to longer explanations, at mental_floss. That’s the facts, Jack!