Updated September 23, 2021 5.8K votes 1.2K voters 303.7K views
Over 1.2K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of 18 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Big Lebowski'
Voting Rules
Vote up the most interesting facts that really tie this list together.
The Big Lebowski is a special kind of cult classic. First off: The Dude. Jeff Bridges drinking White Russians will forever have a place in our special box of '90s nostalgia, man. Second, how many films do you know that have their very own festival? How about their very own store in Greenwich? Better yet, how many movies have inspired an entire religion?!
Needless to say, there's nothing quite like The Big Lebowski. Trying to summarize or describe the film is like trying to get The Dude to like The Eagles... it's futile. Instead of trying to put this cinematic experience into words, we've decided to dig up some facts you may not know about the film masterpiece. So kick back, relax, pour yourself a White Russian, and enjoy.
1
299 VOTES
The Dude's Wardrobe Came From Jeff Bridges's Closet
Though he's a member of the bowling team, the Dude is the only team member never seen bowling throughout the entire movie - not even once.
298 votes
3
218 VOTES
T Bone Burnett Is The Reason The Dude Hates The Eagles
T Bone Burnett acted as music consultant on the movie and helped Joel and Ethan Coen establish The Dude's taste in music. Burnett selected many of the songs on the film's soundtrack, and also suggested The Dude's hatred towards The Eagles (Burnett himself is not a fan). One of the band's members, Glenn Frey, was reportedly so dismayed about this that he once angrily confronted Jeff Bridges about it when they ran into each other.
Norwegian posters and video cassettes featured the text, "anbefales av norsk bowling forbund," which translates to, "recommended by the Norwegian Bowling Association."
The Dude tells Maude he was a roadie for Metallica on their (fictional) "Speed of Sound" tour and refers to the band members as a "bunch of a**holes." Metallica themselves were flattered to be referred to in a Coen Brothers movie, with guitarist Kirk Hammett once noting in an interview that they'd tried to think of a way to incorporate that scene into their live shows.
In the original script, The Dude drove a Chrysler LeBaron, as Jeff Dowd (film producer and real life inspiration for The Dude) once owned one, but that car wasn't big enough to fit John Goodman.
