10 Even More Movie Mistakes Directors Refused To Fix Because The Acting Was Too Good

8. How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Improvisation - Dr. Strangelove

The Hateful Eight
Colombia Pictures

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is one of Stanley Kubrick's maddest films.

Just think about that for a second.

Released during the throes of the Cold War, the movie parodies the conflict with the story of a warmongering General desperate to launch a pre-emptive strike against the Soviet Union.

Alongside Peter Sellers as the eponymous Doctor (and a bunch of other wacky characters), the film also stars George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In one scene from the movie's famous war room, Scott is speaking with the President. However, whilst prancing about, the actor tripped and fell, only to recover nicely by rolling straight up into a standing position and carrying on.

The sight of a high-ranking General essentially doing a roly-poly mid-speech does not seem out of place against the insane backdrop of Dr. Strangelove, so you'd be forgiven for thinking this was an intentional pratfall.

Not at all; Scott really did stumble whilst delivering the lines and just kept on going. Kubrick clearly didn't mind, if he even thought it wasn't a mistake at all.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.