MovieChat Forums > Stalag 17 Discussion > "Happy" ending...?

"Happy" ending...?

posted 9 years ago by trist962
8 replies | jump to latest

There was a previous thread that addressed this & as far as I can tell it's no longer posted. If I've happened to overlook it, my apologies. I understand the whole "It's only a movie" etc, etc bit, and, yes, most viewers want the ending tied up in a nice bow, with the good guys winning. But I hardly think that the POWs would have been able to "....get back to their bunks, like nothing ever happened!", following Price's execution at the hands of his own soldaten. Isn't it reasonable to assume that the guard dogs (along with a patrol) that tracked Price wouldn't have immediately been released out the gate to track Sefton & Dunbar? And even IF Dunbar (barely able to walk) & Sefton eluded the search, (with such a miniscule head start), I'm also certain Von Scherbach would have called an immediate wake-up inspection of Barracks (was it "4" ?); if ONLY Price was found to be missing, the men MIGHT have been able to slide by with playing dumb with some excuse about Price volunteering on his own to rescue Dunbar. BUT, once the Germans discovered that Sefton was ALSO gone, and the subsequent "tear down the whole camp" search failed to produce Dunbar, I really doubt Von Scherbach would have pulled a "Colonel Klink" & said, "Mmmph! Oh well! The prisoners weren't found--it's a Gestapo matter now!" He would have turned on the heat & want answers. Could you imagine someone like Cookie withstanding a Gestapo "interrogation", without spilling his guts?

[–] 4thlake 9 years ago

You raise some good points. I watched Stalag 17 last night. It's one of those films I can watch over and over. I don't have anything to add about what may have happened if this weren't just a movie. I wonder if the Germans had land mines outside their POW camps? I've also seen movies and history programs on German POWs who escaped or tried to escape from American POW camps. Plus there's a good PBS doc on the British who escaped from Colditz. It's amazing how many things they did (IDs, building the glider, etc) to escape. It's all very fascinating.

"It was a great big white elephant of a place. The kind crazy movie people built in the crazy twenties."

[–] trist962 9 years ago

Oh, I was always interested in hearing about German POWs in the States. It seems like there's little information dedicated on that subject. I did read a book that mentioned a paragraph or two on the matter--like how so many of the camps were located in the South & some of the Germans were actually surprised that they received better treatment than the African-American soldiers who were stationed at the camps! Plus, many of the duties given the POWs was hard work, which most Germans were used to, anyway, so they did it, with little complaint. Curious about what you said about the attempted escapes---where would they hope to go? Mexico? Try to assimilate into US society? Do you have any further sources on this? Thanks.

[–] stewie-3 9 years ago

Isn't it reasonable to assume that the guard dogs (along with a patrol) that tracked Price wouldn't have immediately been released out the gate to track Sefton & Dunbar?

They would have, if the Commandant had been aware that Sefton and Dunbar had split. At the time of Price's death, the only thing Schultz and Von Sherbach knew for sure was that their spy had gotten himself killed. Price's distraction gave Sefton and Dunbar the chance to slip away unnoticed. And, since Price had thrown off the cans tied to his leg, there was nothing to suggest the POW's had anything to do with Price being out in the open. It could have been (as far as Von Sherbach knew at that point) just that Price got clumsy or the guards got carried away and shot him down without realizing who it was.

So, with that in mind, I would guess that Sherbach probably didn't think there was anything else to do that night. Appel (morning roll call) was around 6 in the morning, I think, and Sefton and Dunbar made their break at 11:47 pm the previous night. So, it's likely they had at least a six-hour start, and probably a bit more as it would take time to realize why Sefton was missing as well as Dunbar.

You are the naked angel in my heart.

[–] movieghoul 9 years ago

Price was an extremely valuable asset to the Germans because of his ability to pass himself so easily as an American. His shooting is an extreme embarrassment that von S would want to cover up as well as possible.

[–] trist962 9 years ago

I suppose I'm trying to put myself in the mindset of a Nazi--never mind that he may be an over-the-hill "wet nurse to putrid prisoners. I'm certainly no historian on the subject of the German psyche during the war years, but it just seems to me these men were interested only in getting "results" in the name of The Fatherland, and any personal goals or objectives came in a barely-visible "second". I'm assuming Von S wouldn't have just sat on his hands & waited until morning until investigating Price's death. With the pressure from Berlin at boiling point on him, as well as on the SS ("DUMBKOPFS! You let a suspected saboteur escape from your custody in broad daylight??!!)...I go back to my point about Von S calling an immediate prisoner count of Barracks 4. SO--Price is dead and Sefton is GONE?? There's hell to pay, and he starts with ordering a search of the surrounding area, followed by interrogation of the men. THEN AGAIN---maybe my argument has come full circle, and it IS "just a movie", and the good guys get away, so shut up & enjoy it"!! Thanks for your input! :-)

[–] Marquis_de_Novi 9 years ago

I have to dissent on the six hour head start. Sefton cut through the fence, which would have eventually been noticed by the patrols. The Germans knew something had happened (I doubt they'd simple think that their spy had gotten killed without some point to it), but not what. They may have thought that an escape hadn't been completed yet, in the time frame given, and may have expected to catch them with normal patrols (and hence lowered their alert status to make Sefton and Dunbar feel comfortable and slip up), and in doing so would have noticed a big hole in their fence. I'll guess that would have happened within 15 minutes. Add in another 10 minutes for that to equal a proper response.

I think that the Germans would have closed in on them, and with Dunbar dragging him down, Sefton would have given up on "momma's" money and ditched him in an attempt to make it to Switzerland on his own.

[–] stevekaczynski 8 years ago

The Germans would have taken reprisals for the killing of Price, whether or not the escapees got away. Certainly against the occupants of the hut where most of the film is set. Perhaps they would have been handed over to the Gestapo.

"Chicken soup - with a *beep* straw."

[–] slimone (7996) 6 years ago

I don't know about "happy", but after Price's execution there was really no place else to go in the film. After all, the whole point of the film was the discovery of a spy in the barracks and the search for who he was. And yes, there were some comedic moments. I especially liked Bagradian's mimic of Gable and Cagney. The whole character of Animal was comedy. Great movie!