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

Marcus Lycus, while disguised as a woman, reaches for a coin. In doing so, he takes the veil off his face. When he hands the coin to a guard, the veil is instantly covering his face again, even though he is not shown moving the veil.

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Quotes

Lycus: If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times; do not fan the girls when they're wet! But you'll never learn, you'll be a eunuch all your life.

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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 Being Human: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Me Killing You (2011)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A manic classic.

Zero Mostel. Need I say more? Reason enough to rent this movie, despite the hideous 'pan and scan' that makes viewing it a chore. Based on a Broadway musical, it's clever and fast and sexist in that kind of 1960's way. Buxom ladies, lascivious men with comb overs abound. It's fun if you're in the right mood, and Zero Mostel makes it all go down smoothly. I think this (and the Producers) was his best role, and it also has many recognizable supporting players that make you laugh simply by showing their faces.