Classic Movie Pick: ‘Stripes’ honors veterans with laughter

For this week’s classic, we go back to the year 1981. Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, and I can’t think of a better way to honor those who served than by providing a film set in the world of the military that also brings big laughs. That film is “Stripes.”

Sure, “M*A*S*H” and “Dr. Strangelove” provide laughs, but for me, it does not get any better than this great story about two New Yorkers who don’t know what to do with their lives, so they join the military almost as a goof. Bill Murray plays John Winger, a cab driver whose girlfriend has just left him. Lacking direction, Winger convinces his best friend Russell Ziskey, an adult education ESL teacher played by Harold Ramis, to join the army. 

Winger and Ziskie sign their lives away and soon meet the other hilarious members of their platoon played by an excellent ensemble, which includes actors John Candy and Judge Reinhold. There are also two smaller roles that are scene-stealing – John Diehl as the Cruiser and, of course, Conrad Dunn as Psycho. Playing the military higher-ups in the cast are John Larroquette as Stillman and the hilarious Warren Oates as Sergeant Hulka.

One of the most iconic scenes in the film is when Hulka has his new recruits introduce themselves.

Some of the most quotable lines in movie history come from the scene where we meet Ox, the pacifist Ziskey, and finally Winger who offers his talents as platoon leader – probably so there is no one else like Hulka to ride him.

That scene was largely improvised, including Bill Murray’s lines about Lee Harvey making it with a cow and Sergeant Hulka being their big toe. Thanks to a well-rehearsed graduation dance, Winger gets his guys through basic training and assigned to a new project involving an urban assault vehicle. The best part of the movie is definitely the first half, but it’s pretty solid all the way through. 

“Stripes” is directed by Ivan Reitman, who also directed Murray in “Meatballs” and the first two “Ghostbusters” movies. He also produced “Animal House” and over 50 other films. If that wasn’t impressive enough, at the time of his death in 2022, Reitman still had 20 projects in various stages of development.

Reitman and his filmmaking team were surprised at how helpful the U.S. Army was, given that the soldiers portrayed in “Stripes” are pretty much buffoons. Reitman said Bill Murray insisted Harold Ramis play Russell Ziskey because they were the best of friends in real life at the time and because Ramis, who had written “Animal House” and would go on to write “Vacation” and “Groundhog Day,” could help Murray rewrite some of his lines and help with improvisation. Alcohol was very prominent during the filming of “Stripes.”

According to IMDb, pretty much the entire cast was drunk for two weeks after hearing about the death of John Lennon. John Larroquette had admitted to being drunk when he was dressing down the troops after the famous mud wrestling scene, and according to Bill Murray, he and Warren Oates – Sergeant Hulka – got drunk together at the grave of Strother Martin. Speaking of Hulka, the character was originally supposed to be killed off in the mortar explosion and was to be replaced by his twin brother, also played by Warren Oates. However, the idea was discarded before filming. Stripes is currently in development as a TV show 45 years after its initial release. 

But don’t wait for the TV show to hit the airwaves, give this classic a rewatch or check it out for the first time and prepare to be dazzled with laughter. “Stripes” is this week’s classic pick.

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join host Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.