The Big Lewbowski Facts Tidbits
PaulRevered
Published
01/19/2014
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1.
Though Donny wears several personalised bowling shirts during the film, none of them bear his name. -
2.
When writing the film, the Coen brothers created roles specifically for John Goodman and Steve Buscemi, but at first did not know who would play The Dude. -
3.
Donny gets a strike with every bowl in the film, except his last, which comes moments before he dies. -
4.
The coffee shop where The Dude and Walter discuss the severed toe also features in American History X and Reservoir Dogs. It's called Johnie's Coffee Shop and can be found in Los Angeles, though it is only used as a filming location and not a functioning diner. -
5.
The Big Lebowski was recently named 'Best Stoner Movie of all Time' by Rolling Stone. The film beat the likes of Pineapple Express, Harold Kumar Go To Whitecastle and Soul Plane. -
6.
The repetition of "Shut the fck up, Donny" is a reference to Fargo, as Steve Buscemi's character would never shut up. -
7.
When Walter single-handedly fights the Nihilists, there's a billboard for 'Ben Hur Auto Repair', this is a reference to align Walter with the famous Jewish hero, Ben Hur. -
8.
Julianne Moore claims the character of Maude was based on artist Carolee Schneemann, who was famed for working naked from a swing, and Yoko Ono. -
9.
In the script's first draft, The Dude was revealed as the heir to the Rubik's Cube fortune. Joel Coen later scrapped the idea, choosing to leave The Dude's source of income a mystery. -
10.
The Dude's character is inspired by film promoter Jeff Dowd, who helped secure distribution for the Coen brothers' first movie. Like his fictional incarnation, Dowd was a part of anti-war group, the Seattle Seven, and has a relaxed attitude towards grooming and wardrobe -
11.
When filming the briefcase scene, it proved impossible to get Walter's undie-filled case to be thrown correctly. Eventually this was shot in reverse, with a crew member throwing the case into the car as a stunt driver reversed at high speed. -
12.
Charlize Theron was considered for the role of Bunny Lebowski. -
13.
The initials for Jewish Walter's business, Sobchak Security, are "SS" - the same as Nazi Germany's infamous Schutzstaffel. Also, on the store window it claims to offer 'Peace of Mind'. Charlie Meadows, John Goodman's character in Barton Fink, tells Barton he sells 'peace of mind.' -
14.
When The Dude slides down the bowling lane in 'Gutterballs', Jeff Bridges was in fact too big to fit through the dancers' legs. This was eventually shot in two separate parts, with Bridges then digitally shrunk so he would appear to slide through. -
15.
When one of the Nihilists, Uli, orders pancakes at a diner, this is a reference to Fargo, where Peter Stormare's character wants to eat at a pancake house but never gets to. -
16.
Donny's remains finish a three-movie long Coen brothers joke, where Buscemi's characters get smaller in death. In Miller's Crossing, Buscemi was seen as a dead body, in Fargo a severed leg and in The Big Lebowski he is just ash. -
17.
Keeping in the tradition of a film noir, The Dude appears in every scene of the movie. Even when the Nihilists are ordering pancakes, you can see the van containing The Dude and Walter drive past. -
18.
Bunny Lebowski's number plate reads 'LAPIN', the French translation of rabbit. -
19.
A friend of the Coen brothers, Peter Exline, was also an inspiration for the film. It was Exline who coined the phrase "It really tied the room together", referencing his own rug, and also once found a schoolboy's homework in his car after it had been stolen, later confronting him with it. -
20.
In the edited TV version of the film, Walter's line, "This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass!" was changed to "This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps!" -
21.
The Big Lebowski has even spawned a religion. Dudeism is devoted largely to the philosophy and lifestyle of Jeff Bridges' character and was founded in 2005. It has ordained over 130,000 'Dudeist Priests' via its website. -
22.
Walter's character is partly based on legendary screenwriter, John Milius, a right-wing gun nut with a love of the military. -
23.
A lot of the Dude's clothes came from Jeff Bridges' own wardrobe. What's more, The Dude's oriental shirt was also worn by Bridges inThe Fisher King 1991. -
24.
The movie is loosely based on Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, as the Coen brothers wanted to create a film centred around an unraveling mystery and complex plot that turns out to be unimportant. -
25.
The 0.69 check The Dude writes for milk is dated September 11 1991, exactly 10 years before the 911 terror attacks. George Bush Sr can be heard on the TV, making his "This aggression will not stand" speech, in reference to the war. The film was made in 1998. -
26.
Before scenes, Jeff Bridges would often ask the Coen Brothers, "Did the Dude burn one on the way over?" If they said he had, Bridges would rub his knuckles across his eyes to make The Dude appear stoned. -
27.
The film has spawned its own festival. Starting in Kentucky in 2002, Lebowski Fest has been held in such cities as Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Chicago, London and Edinburgh. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro and Julianne Moore are all previous attendees. -
28.
In the original script, The Dude drove a Chrysler LeBaron, as Jeff Dowd once owned one, but that model wasn't big enough to fit John Goodman, so it was changed to a 1973 Ford Torino. Two cars were used during filming - one was destroyed, the other later destroyed in a X-Files episode. -
29.
Despite being part of the bowling team, The Dude is never seen bowling during the movie. Even in the 'Gutterballs' dream sequence. It is Maude that throws the ball. -
30.
When John Turturros character Jesus has a large bulge visible in his tight pants, it was formed by a bag of birdseed. -
31.
The character of Uli originated on the set of Fargo , as Peter Stormare would often speak in a faux-German accent. -
32.
John Goodman originally thought Walter should sport a different style of beard, but the Coen brothers insisted on the 'chin strap' as it would match Walter's buzzcut hairstyle. -
33.
The F-word or its variations is said 292 times during the movie - which is more than in Scarface.
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