On the Double (1961)

American GI Ernie Williams, admittedly weak-kneed, has an uncanny resemblance to British Colonel MacKenzie. Williams, also a master of imitation and disguise, is asked to impersonate the ... See full summary »

Director:

Melville Shavelson

Writers:

Jack Rose, Melville Shavelson

Stars:

Danny Kaye, Dana Wynter, Wilfrid Hyde-White

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Danny Kaye	...	Pfc. Ernie Williams
Dana Wynter	...	Lady Margaret MacKenzie-Smith
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Colonel Somerset (as Wilfrid Hyde White)
Margaret Rutherford	...	Lady Vivian
Diana Dors	...	Sergeant Bridget Stanhope (as Miss Diana Dors)
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Captain Patterson
Jesse White	...	Corporal Joseph Praeger
Gregory Walcott	...	Colonel Rock Houston
Terence de Marney	...	Sergeant Colin Twickenham (as Terence De Marney)
Rex Evans	...	General Carleton Brown Wiffingham
Rudolph Anders	...	Oberkommandant
Edgar Barrier	...	Blankmeister
Pamela Light	...	Mrs. Somerset
Ben Astar	...	General Zlinkov

Storyline

American GI Ernie Williams, admittedly weak-kneed, has an uncanny resemblance to British Colonel MacKenzie. Williams, also a master of imitation and disguise, is asked to impersonate the Colonel, ostensibly to allow the Colonel to make a secret trip East. What Williams is not told is that the Colonel has recently been a target of assassins. After the Colonel's plane goes down, the plan changes and Williams maintains the disguise to confuse the Nazis about D-Day.

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Plot Keywords:

sergeant | independent film

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Taglines:

You'll double up laughing when you see Mr. Fun On The Run!

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1961 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

De Dolle Generaal

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dena Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Pfc. Ernie Williams: I'm on a salt-free, fat-free, high protein, low calorie, low cholesterol diet.

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Connections

Featured in The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Du, du liegst mir im Herzen"
(uncredited)
Traditional
In the score during the Germany Episode

User Reviews

Allied Intelligence uses his talent for mimicry

I was 14 and saw On The Double when it first came out and was impressed then by the regal beauty of Dana Wynter who was always playing Lady this or Mrs. that and always in the upper class of the United Kingdom. I also thought Danny Kaye was pretty funny.

On The Double gives Kaye his usual stage for patter and mimicry. The mimicry is most important because Kaye is asked to impersonate a one eyed British general who he bares a resemblance to. Kaye does other imitations like Churchill and Hitler. I'll bet could have come up with a mean FDR had he the occasion to.

The one he doesn't fool is the general's wife played by Dana Wynter who has put up with his frequent infidelities. Something about Kaye does touch her. It's always that we with movie comedians who play nebbishes, but funny nebbishes whether it's Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis or Danny Kaye.

Wynter gets into the spirit of things and at a very posh society party in an incident precipitated by Margaret Rutherford turns into an old fashioned food fight that John Belushi couldn't have handled better.

Britain's Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors is also on hand as the shapely sergeant that the general is having his current fling with.

On The Double is not the best of Danny Kaye films, yet his legion of fans will find it suits their taste admirably.