With so many odd details to obsess over about 1998's quirky Coen brothers comedy The Big
Lebowski, it's no wonder the cult classic is still being dissected decades later.
Casual viewers may not see much beyond the surface of this tale of a stoned slacker and
his oddball bowling buddies getting caught up in a kidnapping case.
But if you dig deeper, there's more going on, both onscreen and behind the scenes.
Here are a few little-known facts about Lebowski and its impact.
The Dude Refrains
Appearances of John Turturro's purple jumpsuit-wearing "Jesus" character aside, the many scenes inside
the bowling alley bring a working-class realness to the film's often cartoonish protagonists.
"Yeah, well, y'know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man."
Oddly enough, however, at no point in the film does The Dude himself — who is clearly
a passionate bowler — actually bowl.
It's true: the closest we get is the dream sequence when he does a sort of "bowling dance"
with Maude, but even then, she is the one that rolls the ball, and then the ball becomes
The Dude.
Make of that what you will.
The press-averse Coen brothers haven't commented on this choice, but actor Jeff Bridges, in
Dude-like fashion, both downplays it and elevates it.
In a 2008 interview with Fort Worth's Star Telegram, Bridges says he took bowling lessons
before filming, and hints that he did bowl on camera — but those scenes were cut.
But he also says he sees the bowling in the film as a metaphor: "Like many things in life
and in our artistic pursuits, the pins are down even before you draw your hand back."
The Dude Exists
The character of Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski was based on a real person, something the
Coen brothers hint at when The Dude gets into his backstory with Maude …
"I was one of the authors of the Port Huron statement."
"You ever hear of the Seattle Seven?"
"Mmm."
"That was me … and six other guys."
The "real" dude, Jeffrey Dowd, really was one of the "Seattle Seven," an actual anti-war
activist group during the '60s, and The Port Huron Statement was a real document authored
by the group.
In the early '90s, Dowd began working as an independent film producer and promoter, which
is how he met the Coen brothers.
He only has a handful of actual credits to his name, including serving as co-executive
producer of 1992's FernGully: The Last Rainforest, but he's considered one of the godfathers
of independent cinema for his marketing work.
And he's still active in Hollywood today, working as a producer when he's not attending
Lebowski Fests and giving speeches on college campuses.
And yes, Dowd's nickname is, indeed, "The Dude."
The Dude Adapts
One of the most iconic scenes in the film is the "homework" scene, also known as the
"Find a Stranger In The Alps" scene, thanks to the absurd censorship it receives on basic
cable …
"You see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
This is what happens!"
Once his stolen car is recovered, the Dude finds homework he believes belongs to the
car thief in the back seat.
This sends the Dude and Walter on a wild goose chase that winds up with two cars destroyed
and the protagonists gaining nothing in their search for the truth behind the kidnapping
and the ransom.
As bizarre as it sounds, this whole sequence is also loosely based on a true story.
The character of Walter is a combination of a few people the Coen brothers have known,
but many traits were generously borrowed from the life of Paul Exline, the man who greenlit
the Coens' 1987 movie Raising Arizona.
Exline's car was stolen, and he had to track it down to the impound lot.
He found a kid's homework in the car, and he brought along his friend for an impromptu
interrogation.
He even put the homework in an evidence-like bag and wore a suit to look more official.
The similarities don't stop there, either: the house was, in fact, owned by an elderly
man using an oxygen tank — but not an iron lung ...
"And a good day to you, sir!"
The Dude Disparages
Despite being a fairly passive, laid-back character, there are a few things one definitely
knows about The Dude.
He loves bowling and White Russians, and he hates the Eagles ...
"C'mon, I had a rough night, and I f------ hate The Eagles, man."
And while actor Jeff Bridges says that particular character trait led to a few uncomfortable
encounters over the years with late Eagles frontman Glenn Frey, it helped the Coen brothers
secure Townes Van Zandt's cover of the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers" for use in the film.
Turns out the rights to the song were owned by former Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein,
who initially demanded $150,000.
The Coens invited him to watch an early cut of the film.
At the Eagles-disparaging line, Klein stood up in the middle of the screening — and
insisted they could have the song for free.
The Dude Inspires
Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is a huge fan of The Big Lebowski, and considers it
a big inspiration.
His cult comedy starring Kristen Bell as an accidental, amateur sleuth in Southern California
was chock-full of references to the film ...
"Careful man, there's a beverage here."
"Careful, man, there's a beverage here!
Hey!"
"Vinnie, this is not 'Nam.
This is bowling.
There are rules."
"Smokey, this is not 'Nam.
This is bowling.
There are rules."
Speaking to Vulture, Thomas says they were actually trying to sneak the entire movie
into the show line-by-line, but couldn't quite pull it off before being canceled after three
seasons.
And one Lebowski fan, journalist Oliver Benjamin, was so inspired by the film he created his
own laid-back religion based on it.
Dudeism is a modern form of Daoism that's based on The Dude's worldview — and it has
nearly half-a-million registered and ordained "Dudeist" priests as of the making of this
video, who are legally allowed to perform wedding ceremonies in certain states.
"How many people are in an ordinary church?
100?
200?
How many people are in a bowling league?"
"We are designed to be in tribes of 100 to 200 people, and to look out for each other."
"I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that."
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