History Film / Stalag17

* HeyItsThatGuy: Also doubles as HeyItsThatVoice, but the short, bearded prisoner seen throughout the movie, especially singing at the Christmas party, is Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., more commonly known by his stage name, [[AlvinAndTheChipmunks David Seville]].

''Stalag 17'' is a 1953 war movie set in a {{World War II}} German [=POW=] camp, starring William Holden, Otto Preminger, Don Taylor, Robert Strauss, Neville Brand, Harvey Lembeck, Sig Rumann, and Creator/PeterGraves, and directed by Creator/BillyWilder. Based on the Broadway play of the same name which in turn was based on the real-life [=POW=] experiences of the play authors Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski.

* SpellMyNameWithThe: Animal goes back and forth being refered to as, "Animal" and, "The Animal".

* ClearMyName: All of Sefton's wheeling and dealings with the Germans comes back to bite him as it makes him the perfect guy for the mole to put all the blame on.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Considering the time this movie was released, the scene with a drunken Animal hallucinating that Harry wearing a straw wig is Betty Grable, and even becoming increasingly aroused, much to Harry's discomfort, was very controversial at the time. The studio heads at Paramount Pictures were incredibly uncomfortable with the scene.

* GenreSavvy: After Sefton is accused of being the spy, he lets the other [=POW=]s think such while he figures things out, knowing Scherbach will either move the mole or kill the whole barracks if he says anything before then.

** Scherbach. The colonel goes through great effort to put on his shiny boots ''just to make a phone call''. (So he can click the heels together, ach so...)

* DeadpanSnarker: A good chunk of the cast, including Sefton, Shapiro, Animal, and Marco. The whole camp is pretty much a WorldOfSnark, with even the Kommandant and Schultz getting in on the action. This is justified since most of the cast are either prisoners or guards who aren't happy to be where they are but who don't have the option of using physical violence (unless things turn deadly serious.)

* AntiHero: Sefton's a dick.

* BodyguardBetrayal: Price is the designated security guy who greenlights all of the [=POW=]s' secret projects. And he's the mole.

* DeathByIrony: Once the identity of the mole is revealed once and for all, Sefton uses him to act as a diversion so he and Dunbar can escape. The [=POW=]s tie tin cans to Price, and throw him out of the barracks in the loudest manner possible, thus drawing the attention of every guard, watchdog, and machine gun tower in the camp, which proves [[KarmicDeath to be very lethal]].

** In another ''HogansHeroes'' episode, Newkirk sets off a book of matches, and tosses it into the back of a German truck, causing the truck to blow up... in this movie, Dunbar explains how he made a time bomb to blow up the German amunition train: light a cigarette, slip it into a book of matches, tossing it into a car full of straw, three minutes later, the fire would spread, eventually blowing up the amunition train.

* FailedASpotCheck: No one in the bunker noticed the light over the chessboard changing lengths from being tied up to hanging free, and so missed that this was how the spy was contacting the Germans.
* FakeAmerican: In-universe example. Price is actually a German who lived for many years in the United States and thus speaks fluent English and can fake an American accent. This makes him very effective as an infiltrator.

* HeroicBSOD: Joey maintains [[ThousandYardStare one]] throughout the film. Except when Price is caught and about to be killed. He smiles then.

* IAmSpartacus: At one point Animal splashes mud on von Scherbach's boots. Not seeing who did it, von Scherbach demands that the guilty party step forward, which Animal does...followed by the rest of the [=POW=]s.
* TheInfiltration: Price is actually a German spy who has been inserted into the POW barracks to glean intelligence.

* TheMole: Film's plot in a nutshell. Revealed to be Price.
** MoleInCharge: And he's Security for the whole bunker, allowing him open access to most any plots or information the men might have.

* MoreHeroThanThou: When the men were going to pull a man's dogtag out to select someone to save Dunbar, Price grabs it and claims this. He wants to volunteer to atone for his lousy job as Security. Sefton picks now to do the big reveal.

* OhCrap: The moment Price realizes that Sefton has proven to rest of the [=POW=]s that he's the double agent.

* TheReveal: When Sefton tricks Price into revealing when and where he heard about [[WorldWarII Pearl Harbor]]. "6:00. I was eating dinner," Price answers. Sefton points out that he'd only be able to do that if he lived in Central Europe, and not Cleveland like he said.

* ShellShockedVeteran: Joey. He saw the guts of his squad mates hit his plane. He only appears happy when playing, getting a new ocarina, and watching as Price is caught and about to be killed.

* SmartPeoplePlayChess: The chessboard on the barracks table which is used as a secret mailbox for Price and Schulz.

* DeathByIrony: Once the identity of the mole is revealed once and for all, Sefton uses him to act as a diversion so he and Dunbar can escape. The [=POW=]s tie tin cans to Price, and throw him out of the barracks in the loudest manner possible thus drawing the attention of every guard, watchdog and machine gun tower in the camp]] which proves [[KarmicDeath to be very lethal.

** After [[spoiler:the other prisoners beat Sefton up thinking he was a traitor]] Sefton explains the bruises to the Geneva Representative by saying that he was playing pinochle. The representative knows it is a lie but without Sefton saying anything else he cannot do a thing about it.

* BodyguardBetrayal: [[spoiler:Price is the designated security guy who greenlights all of the [=POW=]s' secret projects. And he's the mole.]]

* DeathByIrony: Once the identity of the mole is revealed once and for all, [[spoiler:Sefton uses him to act as a diversion so he and Dunbar can escape. The [=POW=]s tie tin cans to Price, and throw him out of the barracks in the loudest manner possible thus drawing the attention of every guard, watchdog and machine gun tower in the camp]] which proves [[KarmicDeath to be very lethal.]]

** [[spoiler: In another ''HogansHeroes'' episode, Newkirk sets off a book of matches, and tosses it into the back of a German truck, causing the truck to blow up... in this movie, Dunbar explains how he made a time bomb to blow up the German amunition train: light a cigarette, slip it into a book of matches, tossing it into a car full of straw, three minutes later, the fire would spread, eventually blowing up the amunition train.]]

* FailedASpotCheck: No one in the bunker noticed [[spoiler:the light over the chessboard changing lengths from being tied up to hanging free, and so missed that this was how the spy was contacting the Germans.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the scene where Sefton is lying back in his bunk while the other [=POWs=] are gathered around ready to pounce on him and beat the tar out of him -- [[spoiler:note which one of them gives the signal to start the beating. It's TheMole.]]

* HeroicBSOD: Joey maintains [[ThousandYardStare one]] throughout the film. [[spoiler:Except when Price is caught and about to be killed. He smiles then.]]

* JerkAss: Sgt. J.J. Sefton. With the exceptions of Cookie and Joey, he sees everyone in the compound as simply an opportunity to get resources to trade for goods. This comes to bite him in the ass in the beginning of the story; when he barters with the Nazi guards using the cigarettes he won from a bet involving a botched escape attempt, he is suspected of being an agent planted by the Germans. [[spoiler: He eventually becomes a JerkWithAHeartOfGold when he decides to help save Dunbar and gives what's left of his stash to Cookie.]]

* TheMole: Film's plot in a nutshell. [[spoiler:Revealed to be Price]].
** MoleInCharge: [[spoiler:And he's Security for the whole bunker, allowing him open access to most any plots or information the men might have.]]

* MoreHeroThanThou: [[spoiler:When the men were going to pull a man's dogtag out to select someone to save Dunbar, Price grabs it and claims this. He wants to volunteer to atone for his lousy job as Security. Sefton picks now to do the big reveal.]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Schulz. He acts as though he's trying for an over-the-top Wacky Nazi trying to be pseudo-friends with the Americans. [[spoiler:Actually, it's an effective cover so they don't realize he's running a spy inside the American barracks.]]
* OhCrap: [[spoiler:The moment Price realizes that Sefton]] has proven to rest of the [=POW=]s that he's the double agent.

* TheReveal: When Sefton [[spoiler:tricks Price into revealing when and where he heard about [[WorldWarII Pearl Harbor]]. "6:00. I was eating dinner," Price answers. Sefton points out that he'd only be able to do that if he lived in Central Europe, and not Cleveland like he said.]]

* ShellShockedVeteran: Joey. He saw the guts of his squad mates hit his plane. He only appears happy when playing, [[spoiler:getting a new ocarina]], and [[spoiler:watching as Price is caught and about to be killed.]]

* SmartPeoplePlayChess: The chessboard on the barracks table [[spoiler:which is used as a secret mailbox for Price and Schulz]].

'''''Stalag 17''''' is a 1953 war movie set in a {{World War II}} German [=POW=] camp, starring William Holden, Otto Preminger, Don Taylor, Robert Strauss, Neville Brand, Harvey Lembeck, Sig Rumann, and Creator/PeterGraves, and directed by Creator/BillyWilder. Based on the Broadway play of the same name which in turn was based on the real-life [=POW=] experiences of the play authors Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Also doubles as HeyItsThatVoice, but the short, bearded prisoner seen throughout the movie, especially singing at the Christmas part, is Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., more commonly known by his stage name, [[AlvinAndTheChipmunks David Seville]].

* DeadpanSnarker: A good chunk of the cast, including Sefton, Shapiro, Animal, and Marco.

* HeroicBSOD: Joey maintains [[ThousandYardStare one]] throughout the film.

* LargeHam: Scherbach. The colonel goes through great effort to put on his shiny boots ''just to make a phone call''. (So he can click the heels together, ach so...)

* ShellShockedVeteran: Joey.

* BlatantLies: After [[spoiler:the other prisoners beat Sefton up thinking he was a traitor]] Sefton explains the bruises to the Geneva Representative by saying that he was playing pinochle. The representative knows it is a lie but without Sefton saying anything else he cannot do a thing about it.

* AllGermansAreNazis: Averted with PunchClockVillain Shulz. His reaction to all the prisoners mockingly dressing as Hitler is a muttered "One Fuhrer is enough."

** [[{{LawfulStupid}} Duke]] is [[{{TheBrute}} worse]].
* BlatantLies: After [[spoiler:the other prisoners beat Sefton up thinking he was a traitor]] Sefton explains the bruises to the Geneva Representative that he was playing Pinochle. The Representative knows it is a lie but without Sefton saying anything else he cannot do a thing about it.
* BodyguardBetrayal: [[spoiler: Price is the designated security guy who greenlights all of the [=POW=]s secret projects. And he's the mole.]]

* CriticalResearchFailure: Invoked: What ultimately does TheMole in. He got the date when the Pearl Harbor attack occurred right, but failed to take into account the time zone.

* DeathByIrony: Once the identity of the mole is revealed once and for all, [[spoiler:Sefton uses him to act as a diversion so he and Dunbar can escape. The [=POW=]s tie tin cans to Price, and throw him out of the barracks in the loudest manner possible thus drawing the attention of every guard, watchdog and machine gun tower in the camp]] which proves [[KarmicDeath to be very lethal. ]]
* [[DefiantStoneThrow Defiant Ocarina Throw]]:During the Colonel's AffablyEvil instance above, Animal throws Joey's ocarina in the puddle to dirty the Colonel.

** The Sergeant of the Guard is Shulz; Schultz in ''HogansHeroes''...

** TheHero: Shefton

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the scene where Sefton is lying back in his bunk while the other [=POW's=] are gathered around ready to pounce on him and beat the tar out of him--[[spoiler: note which one of them gives the signal to start the beating. It's TheMole.]]

* {{Genre Savvy}}: After Sefton is accused of being the spy, he lets the other [=POW=]s think such while he figures things out, knowing Scherbach will either move the mole or kill the whole barracks if he says anything before then.

* JerkAss: Sgt. J.J. Sefton. With the exceptions of Cookie and Joey, he sees everyone in the compound as simply an opportunity to get resources to trade for goods. This comes to bite him in the ass in the beginning of the story; when he barters with the Nazi guards using the cigarettes he won from a bet involving a botched escape attempt, he is suspected of being an agent planted by the Germans. [[spoiler: He eventually becomes a Jerk With A Heart Of Gold when he decides to help save Dunbar and gives what's left of his stash to Cookie.]]

* LargeHam: Scherbach. The colonel goes through great effort to put on his shiny boots ''just to make a phone call''. (so he can click the heels together, ach so...)

* OhCrap: [[spoiler: The moment Price realizes that Sefton]] has proven to rest of the [=POW=]s that he's the double agent.

* PunchClockVillain: Schulz
--> (Upon seeing all the prisoners with Hitler mustaches) [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEi5PAFkiNI "Bah! One Fuhrer is enough!"]]

-->''[reading]'' "...and you'll ''never'' believe this, but she has just my eyes and my nose!" Why does she keep saying I'll never believe it? I believe it. I'' believe ''it!

* SmartPeoplePlayChess: The chessboard on the barracks table [[spoiler: which is used as a secret mailbox for Price and Schulz]].

* RefugeInAudacity: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEi5PAFkiNI The indoctrination scene.]]

* TheReveal: When Sefton [[spoiler:tricks Price into revealing when and where he heard about PearlHarbor. "6:00. I was eating dinner," Price answers. Sefton points out that he'd only be able to do that if he lived in Central Europe, and not Cleveland like he said.]]

--'''Sefton:''' Six o'clock in Berlin. They were having lunch in Cleveland.

* FailedASpotCheck: No one in the bunker noticed [[spoiler:the light over the chessboard changing lengths from being tied up to hanging free, and so missed that this was how the spy was contacting the Germans.]]
* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: Cookie acts as narrator, though he is not the main character.