Question 1

Why did Billy Wilder refuse to make the camp guards Polish in Stalag 17?

Accepted Answer

Wilder refused because his mother and stepfather had died in concentration camps, and he demanded an apology from a Paramount executive who suggested the change to appeal to the West German market.

Question 2

What visual clue did Billy Wilder use to reveal the informer instead of the stage play's approach?

Accepted Answer

Wilder used the visual clue of a light cord with a loop in it to reveal the informer, rather than the stage version's overheard conversation.

Question 3

What was Otto Preminger's caviar promise to Billy Wilder during filming?

Accepted Answer

Preminger promised Wilder he would give him a jar of caviar every time he forgot his lines while playing Oberst von Scherbach.

Question 4

Which festivals and awards recognized Stalag 17?

Accepted Answer

It won awards from the National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle, Directors Guild of America, Academy Awards, and Writers Guild of America, and was featured at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2012.

Question 5

What conflict drives the plot of Stalag 17?

Accepted Answer

After two American POWs are killed during an escape, barracks black marketeer J.J. Sefton becomes suspected of being an informer for the German guards.

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Stalag 17

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