# Comedic Denouement **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009 "2021-09-20T17:08:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/21 "2021-09-21T19:26:32Z")
The two main differences for me were (a) the escape took place toward the end of March, when there was snow on the ground, and not in July or August; and (b) there were a lot of Americans in the camp, but they had been segregated from the British several weeks before the escape occurred. IIRC, the only American left with the Brits was George Harsh, who had flown with the RAF as a volunteer before the US entered the war. I believe he was from Georgia, and there was no mention of him being a hot-shot motorcycle jock. There was a TV documentary a few years back that purported to tell “the real story” of _ **The Great Escape** _. They did mention a Steve McQueen–type American who was apparently a Big Man Around Camp, but I don’t recall his name. In any event, he couldn’t have been quartered with the British when the escape occurred. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/22 "2021-09-21T19:39:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The two main differences for me were (a) the escape took place toward the end of March, when there was snow on the ground, and not in July or August; and (b) there were a lot of Americans in the camp, but they had been segregated from the British several weeks before the escape occurred. They condensed a lot of real people into a few characters. The Americans ion the film had a lot more prominence than they did in the real camp – the Scrounger wasn’t American, nor was there anyone, really, like Steve McQueen’s character. There’s no way the “X” organization would have asked somebody to escape and deliberately be re-captured, as McQueen’s character was. getting out was hard enough in the first place, and they had plenty of information about the surrounding country, timetables, etc. from other sources. Their forger didn’t go blind, and didn’t try to steal a plane to get away (Two escapees DID start up a plane, but a pilot, thinking they had done it for him, took it, and they never got a chance to steal another. Oddly enough, Donald Pleasance, who played the Forger, actually HAD been a WWII POW. But not at Stalag Luft Drei.) And Stalag Luft Drei wasn’t where they put “the bad apples”. That was Kolditz Strafelager, a much more difficult place to get out of (solid rock, so you couldn’t easily tunnel) Nevertheless, there were numerous escapes from there – incredibly outrageous ones, including one almost-escape using an airplane they built there. You can read about it in Pat Reid’s book, and there have been at least three films about that camp. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/23 "2021-09-21T20:38:28Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There’s no way the “X” organization would have asked somebody to escape and deliberately be re-captured, as McQueen’s character was. I doubt they would have allowed a blind man to jeopardize the escape either. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/24 "2021-09-21T22:22:28Z")
I’m thinking it was done in **The Breakfast Club**. Am I wrong? mmm ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/25 "2021-09-21T23:23:37Z")
I’m relatively certain it was not featured in the Breakfast Club. It was done in **A Fish Called Wanda**. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2021, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/26 "2021-09-21T23:31:28Z")
I’d be surprised if the **Dragnet** postscripts weren’t satirized in the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/27 "2021-09-22T19:38:47Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > “Senator and Mrs. Blutarsky” is one of the few jokes in “Animal House” that hasn’t become super-cringey and is still hilarious. What political party do you think Blutarsky belongs to? How many guesses do you need? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/28 "2021-09-22T19:54:39Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > What political party do you think Blutarsky belongs to? How many guesses do you need? One. Of course he’s a Repub. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/29 "2021-09-22T19:57:33Z")
None. He’s an Independent. He was too smart to get involved in that party crap. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/30 "2021-09-22T20:21:20Z")
I thought he was a party animal. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/31 "2021-09-22T21:29:50Z")
Different kinds of parties, obviously. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009/32 "2021-09-22T22:42:49Z")
Blutarsky seems more like SCOTUS material, if you ask me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedic-denouement/951009.md?page=1)