Two of the MADdest scientists: where Strangelove Meets Dr. No; or, unexpected roots for Kubrick’s cold war classic

Although the script of Stanley Kubrick’s black comedy Dr. Strangelove (1964) was adapted from the cold-war thriller Red Alert, Kubrick and his writers were inspired by a wide range of cultural references in the course of their radical transformation of the original material. The essay shows how Kubrick’s vision of nuclear brinksmanship drew on such sources as specific issues of the journals Foreign Affairs and Playboy, the recent film version of Ian Fleming’s Dr. No, and the work of photo journalist Usher Fellig (Weegee).