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Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
The CRM 114 Discriminator, the radio device on the B-52 that prevents them from receiving the recall code, is a recurring element in Kubrick's films.
The alphanumeric code 'CRM-114' appears in other Stanley Kubrick films. For instance, in '2001: A Space Odyssey,' it is the name of a key component of the Jupiter spacecraft, and in 'A Clockwork Orange,' it's the name of a serum. This serves as a subtle signature from the director across his filmography.
The centerfold in the Playboy magazine that Major Kong is reading features actress Tracy Reed, who plays General Turgidson's secretary, Miss Scott.
This is a subtle inside joke that connects the world of the bomber crew with the high-level officials in the Pentagon, reinforcing the film's theme of the pervasive and often distracting influence of sexuality even in the face of nuclear war.
Many of the characters' names are sexually suggestive or have hidden meanings.
For example, 'Mandrake' is a root once thought to promote male fertility, 'Jack D. Ripper' is a clear reference to a famous killer, 'Buck Turgidson' suggests a virile and swollen persona, and 'Merkin Muffley' refers to a pubic wig. This naming convention reinforces the film's subtext about the link between sexual anxieties and military aggression.