Stalag 17 (1953)

Otto Preminger: Oberst von Scherbach

Photos 

Quotes 

• Oberst Von Scherbach : I'm grateful for a little company. I suffer from insomia.

  Lt. James Skylar Dunbar : Did you ever try 40 sleeping pills?

• Oberst Von Scherbach : Curtains would do wonders for this barrack. You will not get them.

• Oberst Von Scherbach : All right then, gentlemen, we are all friends again. And with Christmas coming on I have a special treat for you. I'll have you all deloused for the holidays and I'll have a little Christmas tree for every barrack. You will like that.

• Oberst Von Scherbach : Nobody has ever escaped from Stalag 17. Not alive, anyway.

• Geneva man : I want to talk about Lieutenant Dunbar. Is this Lieutenant Dunbar?

  Oberst Von Scherbach : It is.

  Geneva man : What exactly is he charged with?

  Oberst Von Scherbach : Whatever it is, it's out of your jurisdiction. This man is not a prisoner of war. Not anymore. He's a saboteur.

  Geneva man : He's a prisoner of war until you can prove sabotage.

  Lt. James Skylar Dunbar : I didn't do it. I was in the Frankfurt station and the train was three miles away when it blew up.

  Oberst Von Scherbach : Come now, you threw a time bomb.

  Lt. James Skylar Dunbar : How could I have had a time bomb? They searched me when they took me prisoner.

  Geneva man : And the way you search your prisoners, it does sound rather unlikely.

  Oberst Von Scherbach : All I know is he did it. I am satisfied.

  Geneva man : I am not. According to the Geneva Convention, this man...

  Lt. James Skylar Dunbar : Is there anything in the Geneva Convention that'll let a guy sleep?

  [he stumbles over to von Scherbach's couch and falls asleep] 

  Oberst Von Scherbach : You were saying?

  Geneva man : Simply this. After the hostilities are ended, there will be such a thing as a War Crimes Commission. If the man should be convicted without proper proof, you will be held responsible, Oberst von Scherbach.

  Oberst Von Scherbach : Interesting.

  Geneva man : Isn't it?

  Oberst Von Scherbach : Very well. If you insist on details, I have ways of finding out about that blasted time bomb. Good day, sir. You will forgive me for receiving you like this.

  Geneva man : Perfectly all right. I do not like boots.

• Oberst Von Scherbach : [Animal throws Joey's ocarina into a puddle, which splashes mud onto his boots]  Who did this?

  [silence] 

  Oberst Von Scherbach : I will give the funny man exactly five seconds to step forward.

  [no one moves] 

  Oberst Von Scherbach : Then you'll all stand here if it takes all day and all night.

  [Animal steps forward] 

  Oberst Von Scherbach : That is better.

  [Harry then steps forward, and the others all follow suit] 

  Oberst Von Scherbach : I see. 600 funny man. There will be no Christmas trees. But there will be delousing with ice water from the hoses.