35 years ago, Stripes introduced us to a deadbeat cab driver named John Winger (Bill Murray), who lost everything (job, girlfriend, car, two window panes, his last beer…) over the course of one terrible afternoon. After a visit from his buddy, Russell Zisky (Harold Ramis), he’s convinced that both of them need to join the Army, what with becoming a monk not sounding appealing at all.
As Winger leaves his Tito Puente records behind and heads off to boot camp, he goes from a guy willing to use his plants as leverage to try to keep his ex from leaving, into a cool, confident platoon leader — and even a full-fledged American hero. He manages to do all this through persistence, determination, a little bit of sarcasm, and a surprising flair for leadership. The next time you need to take over a situation, let these John Winger lines be your guide.
“I’m sure that there’s a lot of ways I’ve gone that you haven’t.”
Even before Winger makes that fateful trip to the Army Recruitment Office, he shows that he has a knack for taking control of a bad scene. After two guys run out on a fare, he picks up a wealthy socialite who belittles him non-stop. Winger, however, gets right out in front of it, starting with a few snide remarks before breaking out his camera to take some “action shots” of his passenger during the drive, all before parking his cab on a bridge while it’s blocking two lanes of traffic. No matter what life throws at you, you’ve got to keep the upper hand. Having a prop camera around wouldn’t hurt either, just for the effect.
“An army without leaders is like a foot without a big toe. And Sergeant Hulka isn’t always gonna be here to be that big toe for us.”
Winger’s first real foray into leadership happens when all the recruits gather together for a casual chat to help get to know one another. After endearing himself to the guys in the platoon, Winger decides right then to volunteer as the platoon leader in front of Sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates). Did he know what he was getting into? Maybe, but he didn’t waste time worrying about it. He just saw a chance to take control, and he jumped on it. A valuable lesson in not just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself, but making that moment happen for you instead.
“I know that I’m speaking for the entire platoon when I say this run should be postponed until this platoon is better rested.”
Sure, this remark makes Sergeant Hulka add an extra five miles to the platoon’s planned five-mile run, which certainly doesn’t win Winger any friends, but you have to admire his commitment as a leader. He’s barely awake here and yet he’s still ready to speak on behalf of everyone. Sure, his flippant attitude usually translates into doing pushups by himself for a big part of the training montage, but no one ever said taking charge wouldn’t have its downsides.
“You’re weird. You’re a mutant. You’re a killer. You’re a trained killer. You’re a lean, mean, fighting machine!”
You’d never think a guy like Dewey Oxberger (John Candy) would jump into a mud-wrestling match against a quartet of bikini-clad opponents. But the fact that he does it is a testament to the charismatic leadership of John Winger, and his ability to really rile people up while they find a new kind of self-confidence. It’s this kind of can-do attitude we could all learn a valuable lesson from. Though Winger’s advice as a wrestling coach could use a little polishing up.
“We’re Americans, with a capital ‘A’, huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world.”
With Sergeant Hulka out of commission (“Blowed up, Sir!”), and the platoon at its lowest point (before being captured, that is), Winger really gets the chance to come into his own as a leader. He rallies the troops — literally — and gets them to work out a formation routine over the course of a few hours, just in time for them to storm in late to their big graduation ceremony and wow everyone in attendance. No matter how bad things get, or how much it looks like the deck’s stacked against you, a bonafide first-generation Winger speech like this lets everyone know that you’re the one in control.
“We zip in, we pick ’em up, we zip right out again. We’re not going to Moscow. It’s Czechoslovakia. It’s like going into Wisconsin.”
When the stakes are raised dramatically, Winger proves he not only can handle himself beyond basic (“Army!”) training but that he has a real sense of morality, too. After convincing Russ to take the EM-50, a top secret urban assault vehicle, into West Germany for a little rendezvous, they find out their stunt has led to their platoon being captured. Once that’s happened, Winger wastes no time going into full-on hero mode, rescuing his fellow soldiers from behind enemy lines. You wanna take over a situation? You’ve got to be prepared to do the right thing.
“That’s the fact, Jack.”
Finally, there’s nothing like sitting back and taking in a little “Razzle Dazzle” to celebrate Stripes on its 35th birthday. A movie that’s old enough to run for President, and has the service record to campaign on.
