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

Phil Silvers had to go without his trademark glasses for this film, as director Richard Lester did not want any historical anachronisms.

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Goofs

Lycas' toga is trimmed in purple; only Senators and youths were allowed to have purple on their togae.

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Quotes

Pseudolus: [He sees Philia kissing Senex but thinks its's Hero; to the audience] He gets to look more and more like his father every day.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits are a sequence of animated Roman frescoes. At the end of the credits, all the frescoes appear together as a gallery with the words "THE END" as a centerpiece.

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Connections

Referenced in Little Mosque on the Prairie: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Mercy (2008)

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Soundtracks

Lovely
Written by Stephen Sondheim
Performed by Annette Andre and Michael Crawford

User Reviews

Oldie but goodie

I never saw this in the 60's though I was of an age to...just saw it the other night on television and only watched it for Buster Keaton, whom I have recently developed a great joy in seeing. I enjoyed the whole thing...silly, (sexest,yes, a movie of the 60's), funny stuff. My kids aged 10 and 12 really enjoyed it, too.