40 UNFORGETTABLE SECRETS FROM THE DIRTY DOZEN:

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Bolder, bloodier and brasher than ever seen before, The Dirty Dozen was a World War II film from 1967 that completely changed the game.

You may have watched it over and over again since then, but these little-known facts will make you see all the dirtiness in a whole different light. Any questions?

40. LEE MARTINE PRETTY MUCH HATED THE MOVIE:

One of the harshest criticisms of the film didn’t come from the press, but from the leading man himself! Lee Marvin called the movie “Just a dummy money-maker.”

Yes, even though Marvin found The Dirty Dozen entertaining, he believed its story had little to do with the realities of war. The legendary actor, who played Major John Reisman, found his later warm film The Big Red One a much more satisfactory representation of the war.

39. CLINT WALKER TURNED DOWN ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS SCENES:

Remember when Donald Sutherlan’s Vernon L. Pinkely impersonates the troop-inspecting general? Of course! It’s one of the most memorable movie moments. But did you know the impersonator was supposed to be Clint Walker’s Samson Posey?

Sutherland was only chosen at the last minute by director Robert Aldrich as Walker turned down the scene.

38. IT WAS THE REASON JIM BROWN RETIRED:

Footballer-turned-actor Jim Brown was still contracted to the Cleveland Browns when he took the role of Robet T. Jefferson. This made Brown potentially face hefty financial punishment and suspension from the NFL after he had to delay his training when filming The Dirty Dozen.

Not appreciating the ultimatum, Brown informed the media that he’d be stepping away from the sport for good.

38. CHARLES BRONSON’S FATHER ACTUALLY WAS A COAL MINER:

In at least one of The Dirty Dozen’s backstories, art really did imitate life. Charles Bronson’s Joseph Wladislaw reveals at one point that his dad used to work in the mines back in Poland.

The actor’s real father actually did the same job in his Lithuanian homeland! Bronson had first-hand experience of coal mining while growing up in Pennsylvania as well.

36. THE FAKE CHATEAU WAS BUILT TOO WELL:

The fake chateau built for The Dirty Dozen was supposed to be destroyed, however, the builders had done such a great job that exploding the structure would’ve taken roughly 70 tons of dynamite!

So, quick-thinking designers had to use much flimsier materials such as plastic and cork to recreate a part of the building for the scene in question. Boom!

35.  THERE’S A STRANGE VENTRILOQUISM ACT:

Either John Cassavetes’ Franko is a gifted ventriloquist or the sound editing team made a bit of a faux pas during one scene.

You can see, in the movie, the ex-criminal mutters the sarcastic line, “Three wise men, trust the major” after Wladislaw suffers a beating. But the words he says don’t match the shapes his mouth makes. Weird!

34. SEAN CONNERY ALMOST PUNCHED LEE MARVIN!

During some downtime, Marvin went to a London party where he took advantage of the drinks on offer. He also made an inappropriate remark to an older woman who just happened to be Sean Connery’s aunt.

As the 007 star tried to confront Marvin, when The Dirty Dozen’s producer Kenneth Hyman begged Connery, “Don’t hit him in the face, Sean, he’s got his close-ups tomorrow.” This plea managed to calm the situation down. And Marvin’s face was left intact.

33. THE CASTLE DOORBELL IS A SECRET CODE:

Hats off to you if you spotted this clever bit of sound trickery. The castle doorbell that’s quickly run three times by Bronsons and Marvin actually has a special meaning to it.

Its first four notes are borrowed from legendary German composer Beethoven’s famous “5th Symphony”, which was also used as an anthem by the Allies in World War II. The “da da da dah” pattern of the doorbell represents the letter ‘V’ for victory in morse code too!

32. ALDRICH HATED ENGLAND:

It’s definitely fair to say that Aldrich wasn’t enamored with English production staff. In fact, the director was constantly frustrated by their failure to keep up with his quick shooting style.

Yet the stars of The Dirty Dozen loved their stint on the other side of the Atlantic and regularly hit the streets of Swinging London.

31. SEVEN OF THE DOZEN FOUGHT IN THE WAR FOR REAL:

Over half of The Dirty Dozen’s main cast members could draw upon their genuine life experiences while filming.

Telly Savalas, George Kennedy and Bronson all served in the Army during WWII. Ernest Borgnin also did time in the Navy, whilst Robert Ryan and Clint Walker were part of the Marines.

30. ALDRICH MADE SURE ALL THE STARS GOT HAIRCUTS:

Aldrich wasn’t playing around when he ordered all the cast members to swap their modern-day haircuts for something a little more realistic. Yet while Marvin duly obliged with a crew cut, his co-stars were far more reluctant to go old-school style.

They soon headed to the barbers when Aldrich informed them they’d face legal action if they didn’t get their haircut!

29. IT HAS MAGICAL WINDSHIELDS:

The Dirty Dozen certainly has its fair share of continuity mistakes. In one driving scene, Bronson’s Wladislaw can be seen taking the wheel of a Jeep that seems to have no windshields.

However, when the camera angle changes from the front of the vehicle to the side, a pane of glass is suddenly shot!

28. THE DUKE TURNED DOWN THE LEADING ROLE:

One of the biggest celebrities, John Wayne, was initially supposed to play Major John Reisman. But the gun-slinging actor didn’t approve of his character being involved with a lady who was already married to a soldier.

Luckily, Marvin didn’t have such reservations and happily accepted the part instead.

27. THERE WAS A MINI-REUNION IN A KID’S FILM:

Four of The Dirty Dozen’s main cast members worked together in 1998, on the set of the children’s movie Small Soldiers.

However, Borgnin, Brown, Walker and Kennedy were hired to provide voices for the animated title characters. They even said some of their famous lines!

26. BRONSON ONCE THREATENED MARVIN FOR HIS DRUNKENNESS:

Marvin sure seemed to cause his fair share of chaos during filming. After failing to show for a particular scene, the act legend was discovered worse for wear by co-star Bronson in a London bar.

Despite copious amounts of coffee, Marvin still couldn’t sober up. Marvin then tumbled from their vehicle when they arrived back on the set and a frustrated Bronson allegedly threatened to kill him!

25. ALDRICH WAS A PRANKSTER:

Despite the huge responsibility on the shoulder of director Aldrich, he still found time to have a little fun on set. While organising the scene involving the first inspection, the filmmaker positioned the 5 feet 9 inches Bronson next to Walker and Sutherland, both of whom stood over 6 feet 4 inches tall.

Apparently, Aldrish then spent several minutes secretly laughing at Bronson’s surprised response!

24.  BRONSON BELIEVED THE FILM WAS TOO VIOLENT!

You may find this particularly hard to believe, but apparently the man who built a career out of playing vengeful tough guys in films such as Death Wish, felt the Dirty Dozen contained way too much brutality.

In fact,  Bronson was so unsettled by all the blood on show that he left a screening halfway through.

23. BORGNINE’S DRINK-CHOKING SCENE WAS AD-LIBBED:

The Dirty Dozen’s script came from Oscar-nominated writer Nunnally Johnson. However, the cast who helped transfer his words to screen were allowed to improvise once in a while.

Borgnine, for example, on learning about the soldier’s antics, General Worden almost chokes in anger – a moment that was entirely unscripted!

22. THERE WERE SEVERAL 1980s TV AND MOVIE SPIN OFFS:

You may not know that The Dirty Dozen continued their adventures in several 1980s TV and movie spin-offs. In 1985 Borgnine, Marvin and Richard Jaeckel all resumed their roles in Next Mission.

Two years later Savalas played a different part, Major Wright, in The Deadly Mission. He and Borgnine also returned for 1988’s The Fatal Mission. There was even a short-lived TV series that same year, though this featured a completely different cast.

21. STAR PLAYER:

Brown had his advantages also being a Cleveland Browns player as he tried to make an acting career. His character, Jefferson, was originally supposed to have much less screen time.

However, NFL fan Aldrich was so excited about having a sporting great in his cast that he extended the role.

20.  THE FILM HAD A DIFFERENT TITLE:

It’s difficult to imagine Aldrich’s war movie being named anything other than The Dirty Dozen. It rolls off the tongue!

But in a profile of leading man Marvin for the TCM Network, it was revealed that the 1967 classic had a much wordier original title: Operation Dirty Dozen.

19. THERE’S AN ARMBAND ERROR:

The Dirty Dozen make their way to the test site in red armbands after learning they’ll be pitted against the Red forces led by Colonel Breed in training.

These are then changed to blue upon arrival, however, the dozen should never have sported red armbands in the first place, as this would only have alerted the enemy to the fact they had some in their possession.

18.  MARVIN MODELED HIS CHARACTER IN A PAL:

Marvin didn’t only draw upon his own experiences of World War II for his role of Major John Reisman, he also drew upon the experiences from one of his real-life best friends.

The Hollywood legend modeled his performance on John Miara, a Massachusetts native whom he’d once served alongside in the Marines.

17.  FRANK SINATRA MADE TRINI LOPEZ QUIT THE SHOOT:

Trini Lopez was one of the era’s most notable crooners, and as filming for The Dirty Dozen had not been completed on time, some believe this extended his time outside of the studio, which could have hurt his music career.

According to some reports, Frank Sinatra told Lopez to abandon his role of Jimenes and get back to his day job. Another rumor about the singer’s exit is that his agent failed to secure a pay rise. Either way, Lopez’s character was abruptly killed off instead of helping to save the day.

16.  THERE’S AN HOMAGE TO THE LAST SUPPER:

Prior to heading into the final mission, the twelve main characters can be seen eating food in the guards’ quarters. All positioned on one table side, facing away from the wall, which reminded some viewers of a famous painting.

Yes, this particular scene is said to be the home to Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

15.  THE MAN WITH NO NAME:

If you happen to watch the Spanish dubbing of The Dirty Dozen, you might notice that Cassavetes’ character has a different name. Whilst he goes by ‘Franko’ in the original, viewers in Spain will know him as Franchi.

Producers had to rechristen the part due to its similarity to Francisco Franco, the dictator who was ruling the country on the film’s 1967 release.

14.  JIMENEZ PLAYS GUITAR WITH NO SOUND:

Jimenez, played by Lopez, appeared to have taken a faulty guitar with him to entertain the rest of the dozen. Just after the hour mark, he treats everyone to a rendition of The Bramble Bush on the six-string.

But in one shot his hand is clearly seen playing the instrument – and yet no music is heard!

13. THE CHAMP IS HERE:

The Dirty Dozen’s cast was graced by the presence of boxing royalty during filming – Muhammad Ali. Ali was a pal of Brown’s and was nearby at the time due to his fight with Brian London.

The sporting icon headed down to shoot during a break in training and posed alongside the actors for snaps.

12. IT HAS AN IMPRESSIVE OSCARS PEDIGREE:

There are few war movies which have a cast as stacked as The Dirty Dozen, particularly when it comes to Oscar recognition. Ryan, Savalas, Jaeckel and Cassavetes each have at least one Academy Award nomination to their name.

Borgnin, Kennedy and Marvin all got the chance to make an acceptance speech at the film industry’s biggest ceremony.

11. THE CAST WAS CONSIDERED TOO OLD:

When it comes to high school movies, Hollywood is infamous for casting actors way too old for the age of their character, The Dirty Dozen too proved that even in war films, age is no barrier to a meaty role.

Marvin, Bronson and the majority of their fellow military men were in their 40s when they were chosen to play much younger characters.

10.  ALDRICH CARED MUCH MORE ABOUT THE MOVIE THAN THE OSCARS:

Aldrich may have claimed Best Director at the Oscars if he had taken advice about a certain scene.

The director was informed that his award chances would be significantly improved if he removed the controversial moment when Brown tosses hand grenades in the German bunker, however, Aldrich decided to ignore this request in order to ensure that his ‘war is hell’ message was properly explored.

9.  THE FILMS’ WILDLY DIFFERENT FROM THE BOOK:

The Dirty Dozen is based on a novel of the same name by E.M. Nathanson’s book, which hit bookstores just two years before filming began. The mission of the film, however, is barely addressed in the source material.

You actually have to wait until the very end of the book before you come across the main plot of the film.

8.  THE WOMEN’S HAIRDOS ARE HAIR DON’TS:

Whilst director Aldrich was very particular about the haircuts of the male cast, he was very lax with the hairdos of the female cast. Both the fashions and hairstyles seen in the ball scenes belong in the late 1960s era.

This, of course, is more than two decades after The Dirty Dozen’s World War II setting.

7.  POSEY’S FATE IS NEVER ACTUALLY REVEALED:

There are several characters’ destinies that are not explicitly shown, but we can still deduce what may have happened to them. For example, the roof explosion suggests that Gilpin had his life to ensure the antenna was destroyed.

Those wondering, however, about whatever happened to Posey will just have to use their imaginations. He vanished towards the end of the film for no apparent reason.

6.  ITS TITLE WAS LIKELY INSPIRED BY THE FILTHY THIRTEEN:

There may not have been a real-life dirty dozen, but apparently there was a military gang dubbed The Filthy Thirteen. Some believe that Nathanson, who wrote the novel, was inspired by this bunch of WWII paratroopers.

If you’re wondering what was so filthy about them, well, they rarely shaved or washed during their D-Day preparations.

5.  IT HELPED LAUNCH DONALD SUTHERLAND’S CAREER:

Sutherland was only cast just before shooting kicked off – only after the first choice pulled out over fears the film may harm his career. The father of Hollywood star Keifer certainly made the most of the opportunity.

According to reports, the sequence in which Sutherland impersonates a general is said to have led his star-making role in hit show M*A*S*H.

4.  MARVIN NEEDED TO HAVE HIS SAY:

Leading man Marvin not only took on his protagonist duties, but also helped to ensure props and clothes were as authentic as possible. The actor had actually served in World War II and put his genuine experience to use.

Marvin was so committed to maintaining accuracy that he’d argue with director Aldrich on set. These arguments especially came to a head during the scene in which Posey and Reisman grapple over the former’s bayonet, which Marvin felt was especially implausible.

3.  IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST FILMS TO SHOW AMERICAN SOLDIERS COMMITTING WAR CRIMES:

The Dirty Dozen did not shy away from the atrocities carried out but the Allies during WWII. It was one of the first major studio films to feature troops from the U.S engaging in acts considered war crimes.

An example includes when a hand grenade was thrown into a German bunker containing civilians.

2.  THERE WERE A FEW MISTAKES:

Do you remember the scene when Marvin’s Major Reisman and Ralph Meeker’s Captain Stuart Kinder are deep in conversation about the dozen? Well, in one shot a canteen that certainly wasn’t there before mysteriously pops up out of nowhere.

During that same discussion. The whiskey glasses also move around of their own accord too.