The Inspector General (1949)

A town's corrupt officials think a fool is actually an investigator in disguise.

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Philip Rapp (screenplay), Harry Kurnitz (screenplay)

Stars:

Danny Kaye, Walter Slezak, Barbara Bates

Won 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Danny Kaye	...	Georgi
Walter Slezak	...	Yakov
Barbara Bates	...	Leza
Elsa Lanchester	...	Maria
Gene Lockhart	...	The Mayor
Alan Hale	...	Kovatch
Walter Catlett	...	Col. Castine
Rhys Williams	...	Inspector General

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

screwball comedy | horse riding | shooting into the air | shooting a bird in flight | kiss on both cheeks | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 December 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Happy Times

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Near the beginning of the movie Leza (Barbara Bates) is tightening the corset of Maria (Elsa Lanchester. Maria demands that Leza tighten the corset more and Leza explains that it's already tight. After Maria leaves, another character comments that Leza was correct and the corset was too tight: "it makes her eyes bug out." This was an inside joke, since Elsa Lanchester's eyes were somewhat protuberant.

---

Goofs

When Georgi sees the twins together for the second time, the same shot is used from the first time he sees them. This is evident as the background is different (the fireplace should be in the background in the second shot and it is not) and there is a girl, on the left of screen in the close shot, who is not there in the longer shot.

---

Quotes

Georgi: [nervously] Oh, I have no wife. None of my family had wives. My father didn't like wives. I mean, my mother didn't like my father's wives.

---

Connections

Referenced in Bored to Death: The Case of the Lonely White Dove (2009)

---

Soundtracks

The Medicine Show
(1949) (uncredited)
(aka "Yakov's Elixir")
Music and Lyrics by Sylvia Fine
Played by Musicians at the Medicine Show
Sung by Danny Kaye
Variations played in the score

User Reviews

Entertaining vehicle for Danny Kaye's peculiar comedy gifts...

I'm disappointed that I've only been able to come across poor Public Domain prints of THE INSPECTOR GENERAL which I believe looked much better originally than the washed out prints currently circulating. The Technicolor looks less than vibrant, but DANNY KAYE is the main reason for watching this anyway. He gets to do his thing in a variety of songs, the outstanding one being "The Gypsy Drinking Song", another "Happy Times" penned by Sylvia Fine.

He has the benefit here of excellent support from WALTER SLEZAK (a fake healer who, with Kaye, is a traveling salesman of his phony elixir), GENE LOCKHART (as a corrupt mayor), ALAN HALE, and especially ELSA LANCHESTER as the flirtatious woman who wants to run off with Kaye under the perception that he's The Inspector General. It's the usual crazy identity mix-up that has all the villagers thinking Kaye is the man about to expose corruption of the town's leaders.

Kaye does all his usual song patters and double takes and mugging with his usual zest and skill and the vehicle is clearly tailor-made for his talent. True, it's overly silly at times and some of the routines are less than witty, but he's still fun to watch as he dodges the poisoned drink and swaggers through his impersonation while really trying to escape the clutches of the law.

Best watched if you can find a good print--entertaining fluff with Kaye and Slezak obviously enjoying themselves.