6.9/10
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34 user 8 critic

The Inspector General (1949)

Approved | | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 31 December 1949 (USA)
The Inspector General Poster
A town's corrupt officials think a fool is actually an investigator in disguise.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (screenplay) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
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Won 1 Golden Globe. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
... Georgi
... Yakov
... Leza
... Maria
... The Mayor
... Kovatch
... Colonel Castine
... Inspector General
See full cast »
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Storyline

An illiterate stooge in a traveling medicine show wanders into a strange town and is picked up on a vagrancy charge. The town's corrupt officials mistake him for the inspector general whom they think is traveling in disguise. Fearing he will discover they've been pocketing tax money, they make several bungled attempts to kill him. Written by Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

screwball comedy | snake oil | corruption | medicine show | redheaded man | See All (32) »

Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

31 December 1949 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Happy Times  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound System)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Nikolay Gogol's play, "The Inspector General" opened in St. Petersburg, Russia. in April 1836. See more »

Goofs

When Yakov first reads the note from Leza we can see it says "They are trying to kill you. Don't go near the barn." Later, when the woodchopper reads it he says "Don't go near the barn. They are trying to kill you." See more »

Quotes

The Mayor: Your Excellency - he took bribes, he drank all my wine, he-he-he yelled out the windows, he even made love to my wife! How could... How could I doubt that he was an Inspector General?
See more »

Connections

Version of Al-mufattish al-amm (1956) See more »

Soundtracks

Gypsy Drinking Song
(1949) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Sylvia Fine
Performed by Danny Kaye
See more »

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User Reviews

Pleasant Farce With a Fine Cast
12 June 2001 | by – See all my reviews

A pleasant farce with a fine cast, "The Inspector General" gives Danny Kaye a chance to show off his many talents, and also tells a story that is quite humorous as long as you do not take it too seriously.

Kaye plays Georgi, an illiterate traveling huckster who helps his boss Yakov (Walter Slezak) sell useless medicines to gullible peasants. (The sequence where they try to sell their "elixir" is one of the movie's best scenes.) Georgi visits a small town, where through a series of coincidences, he is mistaken by the town's leaders for the Inspector General, an important official with sweeping powers to punish and reform. Half of the town fawns on him, while the other half panics over what he will discover in his "inspection". Kaye just wants to leave town before they figure out who he really is, but plenty of complications arise that keep things going for quite a while.

Kaye gets to sing, dance, and generally entertain the audience. The supporting cast is filled with fine character actors like Gene Lockhart, Elsa Lanchester, and Alan Hale, who add to the humor. Not a lot of big laughs, but a steady stream of good-natured comedy all the way through.

This is an enjoyable movie recommended for anyone who likes musical comedy.
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