Group Captain Lionel Mandrake is a British RAF exchange officer who was in a conflict against the Soviet Union along with the insane Jack D. Ripper.
Biography[]
During the Cold War, Lionel worked with Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper, who warns Major Kong to use Plan R to defeat the Russians. Lionel realizes that Jack has gone insane, thinking that the Russians are contaminating U.S. drinking water with fluoride in a plot against our "precious bodily fluids." Ripper locks them both in his office. After Ripper returns fire with an M-60 against U.S. Army troops sent to investigate and reach Ripper to recall the attack code, he realizes that his troops are surrendering and his arrest is imminent. Admitting that he will not hold out under torture, he commits suicide, leaving Lionel with no way of escaping. Later, Lionel is freed by Colonel "Bat" Guano, who needs Ripper to call President Muffley, but since Ripper is dead, Guano threatens to kill Lionel only for Lionel to reason with him, forcing him to let Mandrake call Muffley instead. Madrake gives the President and the officials at the Pentagon, the three-digit code prefix based on "Purity Of Essence" to send to the CRM-114 Discriminator to allow the recall code to go through. Unfortunately, one damaged B-52, under the command of Maj. Kong, never receives the recall code, drops its nuclear bomb, activating the doomsday device.
Behind the Scenes[]
Mandrake was portrayed by Peter Sellers, who also plays Dr. Strangelove and Merkin Muffley in the same film (along with playing Clare Quilty in Lolita).