If it harelips everybody on Bear Creek!

Near the end of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Major T. J. “King” Kong (played by Slim Pickens) is piloting his B-52 toward the target when he finds that the bomb-bay doors won’t open.

After trying everything in the manual, Kong decides to take matters into his own hands and utters the immortal line, "Stay on the bomb run, boys! I’m gonna get them doors open if it harelips everybody on Bear Creek."

It’s obvious from context what Kong means, but I’ve got to ask about the etymology of the phrase, “if it harelips everybody on Bear Creek.” Was this ever in common use? If so, what’s its origin? Or is this just some sort of faux-Texan nonsense that Terry Sourthern and/or Slim Pickens dreamed up for the script?

I did a little research online and found this page, http://www.eslnotes.com/movies/html/dr-strangelove.html, which gives notes on Dr. Strangelove for ESL students, but it pretty much punts when trying to explain this one.

My family uses “…if it harelips the governor” or alternately “…if it harelips every mule in the county”

I now my grandmother used both of these… she was born in East Texas in 1911… and I’m positive she never saw Dr. Strangelove.

If that ain’t country, it’ll harelip the Pope

  • David Allan Coe

I used that immortal utterance as a sig once in a while. Nobody can deliver a line like Slim.


Somebodys gotta go back and get a shitload of dimes!

my mom is from ireland, married an Okie. she uses ‘harelip the governor’. i saw it on “Casino” used by some rich nevada cowboy.

make that ‘i also’ saw it on ‘Casino’…

…and, the whole reason i give my genealogical history is to say that, while i don’t know if they say it in ireland, i’m pretty sure that she picked it up from my okie father.

“If it hairlips Hannah” was our local variant.

I have been known to use Pickens’ line at work, when I’m feeling particularly loud and obnoxious.

Dr. J

But what does the expression mean? You can’t “harelip” somebody, it’s congenital, after all … :confused:

This might answer your question.

This was hashed out on these boards recently