Stripes
Down‑on‑his‑luck taxi driver John Winger joins the Army to find direction, only to rally a ragtag squad of misfits into chaotic heroics that threaten an international incident when his reckless antics seize control of a combat vehicle behind enemy lines.
“The story of a man who wanted to keep the world safe for democracy...and meet girls.”
Synopsis
John Winger, a down-on-his-luck taxi driver, finds himself directionless after being fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend. He enlists in the U.S. Army along with his close friend, Russell Ziskey. After a period of barely satisfactory performance in basic training, the irreverent Winger becomes the de facto leader of a group of misfits. His antics, however, threaten to spark an international scandal when he inadvertently takes control of a military assault vehicle behind enemy lines.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 49+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Harry KellerShot by Bill ButlerScored by Elmer BernsteinDesigned by James H Spencer
Box Office
1981 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 8.5× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$85.3M
Opening weekend: $6.1M — 7% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Peak 1,074 theaters
Also known as
- Ich glaub' mich knutscht ein Elch!de
- El pelotón chifladoes
- Les Bleusfr
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Cast & Crew
49 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Bill Murray
as John
John Candy
as Ox
Harold Ramis
as Russell Ziskey
Warren Oates
as Sgt. Hulka
P J Soles
as Stella Hansen
Sean Young
as Louise Cooper
John Larroquette
as Capt. Stillman
John Voldstad
as Stillman's Aide
John Diehl
as Cruiser
Lance Legault
as Col. Glass
Roberta Leighton
as Anita
Conrad Dunn
as Francis "Psycho" Soyer
Supporting cast
27Judge Reinhold
as Elmo
Antone Pagan
as Hector
Glenn Michael Jones
as Leon
William Lucking
as Recruiter
Fran Ryan
as Dowager in Cab
Joe Flaherty
as Border Guard
Nick Toth
as Border Guard
Bill Paxton
as Soldier
Linda Dupree
as Wrestler
Dennis Quaid
as Extra at Graduation Ceremony
Timothy Busfield
as Soldier with Mortar
Dave Thomas
as M.C.
Robin Klein
as Cheerleader
Robert J Wilke
as Gen. Barnicke
Lois Hamilton
as Stillman's Girlfriend
Samuel Briggs
as Corporal
Joseph X Flaherty
as Sgt. Crocker
Hershel B Harlson
as Shoeshine Man
Solomon Schmidt
as Store Owner
Gino Gottarelli
as Russian Officer
Gene Scherer
as Russian Officer
Dawn Clark
as Mud Wrestler
Anita Merritt
as Mud Wrestler
Susan Mechsner
as Mud Wrestler
Sue Bowser
as Mud Wrestler
Leslie Henderson
as Mud Wrestler
Craig Schaefer
as Soldier Outside Motor Pool
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
2Other crew
7Parents Guide
AI Personalities
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Ratings & reviews
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