Stripes (1981)

Stripes is a 1981 military comedy starring Bill Murray and Harold Ramis (both would later re-team with director Ivan Reitman for the 1984 comedy classic Ghostbusters) as two buddies who decide to leave their crumbling civilian lives and join the US Army. Despite being a broad farce with implausible situations, the film was indicative of the mindset of the U.S. military's volunteer army in the mid to late 1970s (i.e. the immediate Post-Vietnam War years). Morale was not high, and despite an active Cold War with the Soviets, the military's budget was slashed under then-President Jimmy Carter. Stripes was filmed with the cooperation of the U.S. Army who provided a Command Sergeant Major as technical adviser, and many of the scenes were filmed at the active Army base in Fort Knox, Kentucky (but nowhere near the famous Bullion Depository). Despite being irreverent, the film still depicted American soldiers as brave and dedicated, albeit a little weird and goofy. It was that positive portrayal of the U.S. Army in general (despite some comical and incompetent characters) which allowed the Defense Department to approve lending assistance for the production. In 2005, a special edition DVD was released that included an extended cut of the film.
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=Rifles=
==M16A1==
During basic training, the recruits are seen with M16A1 rifles. In the Extended Cut, an M16 rifle is seen.
thumb|none|600px|During training the recruits hold M16A1s. What is interesting is that they still have their magazines locked, which is unnecessary since they are just on a forced march/run.
thumb|none|600px|During bayonet training, we see a mix of M16A1 and M16 (SP1) rifles. Here, Ox (John Candy) engages in a bayonet charge with his M16A1.
thumb|none|600px|Francis "Psycho" Soyer (Conrad Dunn) shoots live rounds at a flock of ducks and hits an observation tower. In reality, this kind of action would result in the immediate removal of such a recruit.
==M16 (SP1)==
Mixed in the M16A1 rifles are M16 (SP1) 'slab side' receiver rifles. Though there may have been some left over original M16s in Army inventory during the 1970s, when this movie was filmed, it would have been rare. These are 'movie' guns; SP1 rifles converted to full-auto by movie armorers.
thumb|none|450px|M16 aka SP1 (flat "slab side receiver") with A1 "birdcage" flash hider, used to imitate the M16A1 in many Vietnam-era movies. This version has a 20 round magazine - 5.56x45mm
thumb|none|600px|John Winger (Bill Murray) uses an original M16 (SP1) during bayonet training.
thumb|none|600px|"All I know is, finally I get to kill somebody." <BR> Private Francis "Psycho" Soyer (Conrad Dunn) loads a 20 round magazine into an SP1 'slab side' rifle.
==M1 Garand 'Training Rifles'==
During the boot camp sequences of the film, the recruits don't actually use real M1 Garand rifles. They instead use plastic & metal training rifles patterned after the M1 Garand.
thumb|none|600px|Winger leads his platoon with plastic & metal M1 Garand Training Rifles.
thumb|none|600px|Some detailed shots of Winger's Plastic & Metal M1 Garand training rifle.
==M1 Garand==
In the Extended Cut, several of the South American rebels that capture Winger and Ziskey carry authentic M1 Garand rifles.
==Valmet M71S==
Many of the Russian soldiers at the base in Czechoslovakia carry Valmet M71S rifles, since real AKs or AK clones were near impossible to get in the 1980s. Only with the advent of imported rifles from China and Egypt (after 1983) did American movies get to see closer versions of the AK-47. The Valmet M71S rifles used in the film appear to be the 5.56mm versions.
thumb|none|450px|A Valmet M71S - 5.56x45mm. The Valmet was also offered in 7.62x39mm.
thumb|none|600px|Leading the RV into the camp, "Russian soldiers" carry the Valmet M71S.
thumb|none|600px|"Russian guards" carry their Valmet M71S rifles (both with 20-round magazines).
thumb|none|600px|A pair of "Russian" guards, one with a Valmet M71S, the other with a real Uzi submachine gun, not the fake 'MAC-Uzi'.
==Winchester Model 1894==
In the Extended cut, several of the South American rebels carry Winchester Model 1894 lever action rifles.
==AR-18==
In the "Extended Cut", the Army Special Forces unit leader is seen getting onto the transport with an ArmaLite AR-18 or AR-180 rifle over his shoulder. One of the other soldiers also appears to carry an AR-18.
=Handguns=
==M1911A1==
The M1911A1 is seen as the standard sidearm of US Military personnel (officers, NCOs, Military Police) in the film. What is interesting is that the Russian soldiers (i.e. the officers) at the end of the film also carry M1911A1 pistols, likely because the production could not acquire Tokarev TT-33 pistols or Makarov PM pistols. However, they still could have acquired Walther PP pistols though, which greatly resemble the Makarov PM (Indeed, the Makarov PM is based on it). In the Extended Cut, two rebel fighters are seen with M1911A1s.
thumb|none|600px|PVT John Winger (Bill Murray) threatens a Czechoslovakian border guard (Joe Flaherty) with his M1911A1 while PVT Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) thinks of the consequences. Note: This is a fictional uniform for the Czechoslovakian soldier, made up of obsolete American uniform parts - It looks nothing like the real uniform that a border guard would have worn.
==Unidentified Revolver==
In the Extended Cut, a female rebel fighter is seen with an unidentified revolver.
=Submachine Guns=
==Fake Uzi Submachine gun aka "The MAC-Uzi" (modified MAC-10)==
Seen in the film are the fake Uzi Submachine guns, fabricated out of MAC-10s (9x19mm versions) by Special Effects Unlimited, in the 1970s. There may have not been enough real blank adapted Uzis in the US at the time so these faux Uzis were used in several movies. These fake Uzis were famously used in the Christopher Walken film The Dogs of War as well as High Risk, The Killer Elite and Raw Deal and such 1980s television series as The A-Team.
The Fake Uzis in the film are equipped with fixed wooden stocks and are seen used mostly by Russian soldiers. The use of Uzis (represented by both the fake 'MAC-Uzis' and actual versions in the film) by Warsaw Pact forces during this period would have been quite unlikely. It is possible these weapons were standing in for the Sa 23 (9x19mm Parabellum) and Sa 24 (7.62x25mm Tokarev) Czech SMGs, which weren't available at the time of filming. 
thumb|none|600px|Czechoslovakian Border guard (Joe Flaherty) with his mockup 'MAC-Uzi' with a full wooden stock.
thumb|none|600px|Closeup of the 'MAC-Uzi' with a full wooden stock.
thumb|none|600px|The "Russian" Soldier in the tower reacts to the RV's rocket launcher while holding a 'MAC-Uzi'.
==MAC-10==
Standard MAC-10s are used by John Winger (Bill Murray) and Stella Hansen (P.J. Soles) during the rescue and by Russell Ziskey (Harold Ramis) at the end of the film.
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thumb|none|600px|John Winger (Bill Murray) and Stella Hansen (P.J. Soles) wield their MAC-10s during the rescue of their platoon.
thumb|none|600px|Russell fires his MAC-10 at the charging Russians.
==Uzi==
A few real Uzis with full wooden stocks are briefly seen mixed in with the other weapons at the Russian base. Like their fake counterparts, the real Uzis in the film are equipped with fixed wooden stocks and are used mostly by Russian soldiers. The use of Uzis (represented by both the real versions and the aforementioned fake 'MAC-Uzis' in the film) by Warsaw Pact forces during this period would have been quite unlikely. It is possible these weapons were standing in for the Sa 23 (9x19mm Parabellum) and Sa 24 (7.62x25mm Tokarev) Czech SMGs, which weren't available at the time of filming.
thumb|none|600px|Seen at the lower left of frame, a Russian soldier holds a wooden stocked Uzi. Note: Observe the "Russian Officers" uniform - No Soviet officer would wear their rank like that; the ranks were on the shoulder boards (which this uniform lacks) and they did not have service hash marks on their sleeves.
=Machine Guns=
==M60==
In the "Extended Cut", an Army Special Forces soldier is seen getting onto the transport armed with an M60 machine gun with the bipod removed.
==Browning M2HB==
A Browning M2HB is briefly seen mounted atop a US Army M113 APC.
=Other=
==M72A2 LAW==
An M72 LAW is seen carried by Corporal Tyson (John Voldstad) when the platoon gets ready to go after Winger and Ziskey. The LAW rocket launchers are the M72A2 version, however, they have the large sticker on the side indicating that they are the trainers, not the standard rockets. In the Extended Cut, an Army Special Forces soldier is seen with a LAW.
thumb|none|600px|CPL Tyson (John Voldstad) loads a bunch of M72A2 LAW rockets (trainer rockets in reality).
==81mm Mortar==
Recruits at Fort Knox are seen firing 81mm mortars at the range. The mortars do not resemble any mortar in use by the US Army. The bipods resemble the M23A1 bipods of the M29A1 mortar in service during the 1980s, and the sights resemble the M53 sights of the M29A1, possibly missing a few parts. However the tubes are obviously not from an M29A1, and might be props improvised from available material. The baseplates are not shown, likely because doing so would reveal a hose conveying propane or similar gas to the tube, and a wire to electrically trigger the mortar to fire.
thumb|none|600px|Recruits checking out the mortar.
thumb|none|600px|Captain Stillman (John Larroquette) challenges a recruit to fire the mortar.
thumb|none|600px|Closeup of the mortar.
==M67 Hand Grenade==
Corporal Tyson (John Voldstad) must get rid of a supposedly 'live' M67 hand grenade of which Captain Stillman (John Larroquette) accidentally pulls the pin. But it is clear that he holds the blue painted M69 Training hand grenade. A few notes - (a) An Army officer would not be allowed to have live ordnance sitting on his desk, (b) the Corporal would probably have the presence of mind to not run with the grenade (and possibly trip) and just hold down the spoon until he can dispose of it (hopefully he is near the grenade range) or just take the pin and re-insert it into the fuse body and (c) in the film, Tyson yells "Grenade!" seconds after he leaves the office and we hear an explosion... one wonders where he threw the grenade since it was so near to an Army administration building full of people(?) 
Winger and Stella are seen with M67 hand grenades.
==M114 155 mm howitzer==
Two M114 155 mm howitzers are seen in the hall where the unit trains.
thumb|none|600px|The howitzers are seen in the background.
==Field Gun==
A field gun (direct fire artillery versus a howitzer which is a high-angle of fire weapon) is used by a Russian gunner. It tries to destroy the American "Urban Assault Vehicle" with direct fire. Its second shot goes wild. The field gun does not resemble any gun in service by any country, and appears to be a prop constructed of lightweight materials.
thumb|none|600px|SGT Hulka (Warren Oates) knocks out the Russian gunner, causing the barrel to swing upwards and fire.
==C4==
Stella attempts to breach a door using C4 explosives.
Category:Movie
Category:Comedy
Category:War
Category:Ivan Reitman