I was researching actors for my upcoming production of Tom Jones at the Florida Studio Theatre and quite by accident discovered that Adolph Hitler films are listed on his own IMDB page. This, of course, made me ponder out loud:
“Hitler Has His Own IMDB Page?”
He certainly does. He has four “Writer” credits, 29 “Self” credits, and my favorite: 1 “Miscellaneous Crew” credit. Miscellaneous Crew? Was he the caterer? He wasn’t even in SAG. But there are 683 Hitler films listed. That’s quite the body of work. I’ll tell you right now, there are not 683 Michael Caine films.
Under the Trivia section, it claims Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was one of Hitler’s favorite films. I have no idea if that is true but it certainly makes me scratch my head and giggle. In fact, an article in The Telegraph claims Hitler liked to draw Disney characters. Somehow I can’t image Hitler drawing Bambi and Thumper.
So I got to thinking, if Hitler has an IMDB page, what about Stalin? Sure enough, Joseph Stalin has an IMDB page, but his filmography is not nearly as extensive as Hitler’s filmography. There’s no way anyone can match 683 Hitler films. But Stalin does have some bon mot trivia.
“Stalin was diagnosed with ‘Typical clinical form of paranoia’ in 1927, by the leading psychiatrist Doctor Bekhterev and his assistant doctors. Next day Doctor Bekhterev and his assistant died of poisoning.”
Yeah, you don’t want to tell a dictator he’s paranoid.
“Stalin loved the Tarzan movies. He was amused by the concept of a man being able to communicate with apes. Stalin ordered an expedition in Africa, which gathered over 100 apes and monkeys for his plans of breeding an obedient soldier. After several years of non-results Stalin ordered the principal scientists executed and lost interest in breeding soldiers from apes.”
An army of monkeys? Like the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz? Oh I wish this was true but there is no proof this ever happened. The Stalin Monkey Army is an urban myth but it makes me laugh.
