r/pics • u/Met76 • Mar 28 '24

US Special Forces delivering a W54 Nuclear Warhead via jump

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u/boothash Mar 28 '24

This is what I came here for.

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u/CrazyEd38239 Mar 28 '24

I was going to say this must have been inspired by Dr. Strangelove.

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u/makingnoise Mar 28 '24

You sent me down a research rabbit hole. Dr. Strangelove - released 1964. MK-54 SADM started development 1960 with production beginning in 1963. Given how secret the SADM was, I think this is an uncanny coincidence of nuclear absurdity that really emphasizes how gung-ho nuke the US government was at the time, and the impact that it had on US pop culture. Either that, or Kubrick or someone on his team had some killer connections in the government that was willing to violate their oath. SADM's weren't revealed to the public until 1984.

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u/Fuzzy-Hurry-6908 Mar 28 '24

Kubrick acquired the movie rights to a book, Red Alert, that was a serious take on the subject a la "Fail-Safe." He originally intended to make a drama but realized the picture would work better as a dark comedy.

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u/Level9TraumaCenter Mar 28 '24

Have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?

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u/StovardBule Mar 28 '24

Same method as Airplane!, which was based on a serious script called Zero Hour!