Editing Slim Pickens (section)

===Dr. Strangelove===
Pickens' most noted role was as [[B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] pilot Major T. J. "King" Kong  in ''[[Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb|Dr. Strangelove]]''. [[Stanley Kubrick]] cast Pickens after his first choice for the role of Major Kong, [[Peter Sellers]], sprained his ankle and was unable to perform the role. Pickens was chosen because his accent and comic sense were perfect for the role of Kong, an absurdly patriotic and [[gung-ho]] [[B-52]] commander. Pickens was not told that the movie was a [[black comedy]], but was instructed to play the role straight. He was also not given the script to the entire film, but only those portions in which he played a part. Pickens is best remembered for three scenes:

# Reading aloud to his crew the contents of their survival kits (possibly the first mention of [[condom]]s in a Hollywood film);
# Pickens riding a dropped [[hydrogen bomb|H-bomb]] to a certain death, as if the bomb were a rodeo [[bronco]] and waving his [[cowboy hat]]. Its detonation will trigger the end of the world;
# When he receives the definitive inflight order to bomb a strategic target within the [[USSR]], he addresses his crew as follows:

<blockquote>
"Well, boys, I reckon this is it — nuclear combat toe to toe with the Rooskies. Now look, boys, I ain't much of a hand at makin' speeches, but I got a pretty fair idea that something doggone important is goin' on back there. And I got a fair idea the kinda personal emotions that some of you fellas may be thinkin.' Heck, I reckon you wouldn't even be human bein's if you didn't have some pretty strong personal feelin's about nuclear combat. I want you to remember one thing, the folks back home is a-countin' on you and by golly, we ain't about to let 'em down. I tell you something else, if this thing turns out to be half as important as I figure it just might be, I'd say that you're all in line for some important promotions and personal citations when this thing's over with. That goes for ever' last one of you regardless of your race, color or your creed. Now let's get this thing on the hump — we got some flyin' to do."
</blockquote>

Pickens credited ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'' as a turning point in his career. Before 'Dr. Strangelove' he was "HEY YOU" on sets, and after it, he was addressed as "Mr. Pickens." "After 'Dr. Strangelove,' the roles, the dressing rooms, and the checks all started gettin' bigger." He claimed to be amazed at the difference a single movie could make.