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The Dude (The Big Lebowski)[edit]
"The Big Lebowski" movie poster
Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski is an iconic movie character from the Cohen Brothers 1998 colt Classic, "The Big Lebowski". The Dude was born on December 4th, 1942, and is 48 in 1991, when the movie takes place. The Dude is a single, unemployed man whose hobbies include smoking pot, drinking White Russians, and bowling. He lives in Venice, California. He is also know as His Dudeness or El Duderino if you're not into that whole brevity thing. [1]
The Man Behind The Dude[edit]
The character of Jeff Lebowski is said to be based on Jeff Dowd who was a member of the anti-war radical group the Seattle Liberation Front. Jeff Dowd (born November 20, 1949) is an American film producer and political activist best known as a member of the "Seattle Seven," who went to jail (briefly, for contempt of court) following a violent protest against the Vietnam War. He later moved to Los Angeles and became an independent movie producer and promoter, producing such films as Zebrahead. He met the Coen Brothers while they were promoting their first film, Blood Simple. He is the basis for one of their most popular characters, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski from The Big Lebowski. In 2011, Dowd was the subject of an 18-minute documentary-short directed by Jeff Feuerzeig and broadcast on the USA Network as part of its "Character" series.[2]
The Music Behind The Dude[edit]
The Dude seems to be a fan of a broad range of music but is particularly partial to Creedence Clearwater Revival, or CCR for short. When his car is stolen, he is visibly disheartened to hear that his Creedence tapes are probably gone for good. The rest of the music from the movie is as follows:[3]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Man in Me" | Bob Dylan | Dylan | |
| 2. | "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles" | Captain Beefheart | Beefheart | |
| 3. | "My Mood Swings" | Elvis Costello and Cait O'Riordan | Costello | |
| 4. | "Ataypura" | Moises Vivanco | Yma Sumac | |
| 5. | "Traffic Boom" | Piero Piccioni | Piccioni | |
| 6. | "I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good" | Duke Ellington and Paul Francis Webster | Nina Simone | |
| 7. | "Stamping Ground" (The track actually includes two songs, starting with "Theme", which then leads to "Stamping Ground") | Moondog | Moondog | |
| 8. | "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" | Mickey Newbury | Kenny Rogers & The First Edition | |
| 9. | "Walking Song" | Meredith Monk | Monk | |
| 10. | "Glück das mir verblieb" (from Die tote Stadt ) | Erich Wolfgang Korngold | Ilona Steingruber, Anton Dermota and the Austrian State Radio Orchestra | |
| 11. | "Lujon" | Henry Mancini | Mancini | |
| 12. | "Hotel California" | Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Don Felder | The Gipsy Kings | |
| 13. | "Technopop" (Wie Glauben) | Carter Burwell | Burwell | |
| 14. | "Dead Flowers" | Mick Jagger and Keith Richards | Townes van Zandt |
The Bowler[edit]
Throughout the entire length of the film Jeffrey is never seen bowling, although a ball resembling his can sometimes be seen rolling down the lanes at the Hollywood Star Lanes bowling alley. [5]
The Look[edit]
The Dude is known for his signature Pendleton sweater as well as his goatee and trademark flowing locks of hair (which he momentarily takes time to pin back before bowling).[6]