10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Big Lebowski

You said it, man. Nobody f*cks with the trivia.

By Rob Leane /

The Big Lebowski is as weird and wonderful as they come. There aren€™t many films brave enough to blend bowling tournaments with German terrorists and urine-soaked rugs, after all. But with all that wackiness going on, you may not have given much thought to the story going on behind the scenes. It€™s actually just as odd as the film itself, believe it or not (which is really saying something, since the movie includes a latex-loving pervert called Jesus, a woman who kidnapped herself, a briefcase stuffed with undies and a face-full of human ashes). The Coen brothers' inspiration for The Big Lebowski included a smorgasbord of strange influences from the ancient to the modern, and The Dude€™s spliff-smoking sessions were a constant source of debate on set. To learn more about these weird truths and a whole bunch more, read on€

10. The Real Dude Was The Coen€™s First Promoter

There he is, the real Dude. Note the scruffy hair, baggy clothes, and sunglasses firmly affixed to his head. His name is Jeff Dowd, and he€™s a film promoter and producer who helped get the Coen brothers€™ first film, Blood Simple, into cinemas. It€™s unknown whether he had a rug that really tied a room together, but his appearance clearly inspired one of their most beloved characters. His personality and life story also played a part. As is stated about Jeff Bridges€™ Dude in the film, Jeff Dowd really was a member of the €˜Seattle Seven,€™ a radical anti-Vietnam War movement who were charged with €˜conspiracy to incite a riot€™ after a protest at a courthouse. €œThe body language is one hundred percent me in the movie,€ Dowd is quoted as saying, adding another layer to the comparison. He added: €œDo I drink White Russians all the time? No€ The reason it was White Russians is you could have a lot more fun with a White Russian than you can with, say, a vodka soda.€