A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)

A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Melvin Frank (screenplay), Michael Pertwee (screenplay)

Stars:

Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zero Mostel	...	Pseudolus
Phil Silvers	...	Marcus Lycus
Buster Keaton	...	Erronius
Michael Crawford	...	Hero
Jack Gilford	...	Hysterium
Annette Andre	...	Philia
Michael Hordern	...	Senex
Leon Greene	...	Captain Miles Gloriosus
Roy Kinnear	...	Gladiator Instructor
Alfie Bass	...	Gatekeeper
John Bluthal	...	Roman Chief Guard
Pamela Brown	...	High Priestess
Patricia Jessel	...	Domina
Beatrix Lehmann	...	Domina's Mother
Frank Thornton	...	Roman Sentry

Storyline

Pseudolus is the laziest slave in Rome and has but one wish, to purchase his freedom. When his master and mistress leave for the day he finds out that the young master has fallen in love with a virgin in the house of Lycus, a slave dealer specializing in beautiful women. Pseudolus concocts a deal in which he will be freed if he can procure the girl for young Hero. Of course, it can't be that simple as everything begins to go wrong.

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Plot Keywords:

child kidnapping | kidnapping | neo screwball comedy | italy | virgin | 

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Taglines:

Something for Everyone!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Toll trieben es die alten Römer

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melvin Frank Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Between takes, Zero Mostel clowned around throughout the production. He dressed himself in a red tunic and danced the Flamenco, fondled statues of cherubs, and batted his eyes for at the women in the cast.

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Goofs

Lycus disguised himself as a woman in a yellow gown, but the gown changes to white during the chase scene and remains white for the remainder of the film.

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Quotes

Hysterium: Rather than let you down, I would die.
Domina: That is what I had in mind.

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Crazy Credits

One fresco depicts a Roman orgy, but one character raises the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) seal in protest. In the 1960s the MPAA developed a film rating system to judge whether a film's content was too offensive/adult for audiences.

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Connections

Referenced in Suddenly Susan: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Susan's Party (1998)

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Soundtracks

Everybody Ought to Have a Maid
Written by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Zero Mostel, Michael Hordern, Jack Gilford and Phil Silvers

User Reviews

It's fast, it's funny, it's Lester

Recently re-released on DVD, this film is a revelation for anyone who has only seen the pan-and-scan version. So many of the film's visual jokes are lost when you can't see the whole picture, and if there's one thing Richard Lester knows how to do, it's pack in visual jokes. Some people complain that Lester altered the original show too much, cutting songs and dialogue alike, but this is the only way people can see Zero Mostel's fantastic -- and frenetic -- performance, so count your blessings. Michael Hordern is also a hoot as the whipped Senex. Other members of Lester's stock company put in appearances, from Frank Thornton and John Bluthal to the always-welcome Roy Kinnear (as a matter-of-fact gladiator trainer). And Michael Crawford never had it better than when he was in front of Lester's camera.