Nickname applied to
Steve McQueen's character, Virgil Hilts, in the movie
The Great Escape. So called for his frequent and prolonged visits to the
cooler, the term applied to
solitary confinement in the
World War II German prison camp in which the movie takes place. Virgil is relegated to the cooler for various
indiscrections,
infractions, and numerous
escape attempts. He is the
quintessential cocky American rebel among the diverse group of prisoners.
Virgil endures his visits to the cooler by spending endless hours bouncing a baseball against the wall and catching it in a very well-worn leather mitt.
One of the funnier moments in the film occurs as Virgil is led to the cooler by a German guard for yet another extended stay. He passes by his somber fellow inmates, one of whom tosses the ball and mitt to him. McQueen catches the bundle with a wry, world-weary grimace, and tucks the mitt under his arm without breaking stride.