The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)

Without hostile intent, a Soviet submarine runs aground off New England. Men are sent for a boat, but many villagers go into a tizzy, risking bloodshed.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Nathaniel Benchley (novel), William Rose (screenplay)

Stars:

Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carl Reiner	...	Walt Whittaker
Eva Marie Saint	...	Elspeth Whittaker
Alan Arkin	...	Lt. Rozanov
Brian Keith	...	Police Chief Link Mattocks
Jonathan Winters	...	Norman Jonas
Paul Ford	...	Fendall Hawkins
Theodore Bikel	...	The Russian Captain
Tessie O'Shea	...	Alice Foss
John Phillip Law	...	Alexei Kolchin
Ben Blue	...	Luther Grilk
Andrea Dromm	...	Alison Palmer
Sheldon Collins	...	Pete Whittaker (as Sheldon Golomb)
Guy Raymond	...	Lester Tilly
Cliff Norton	...	Charlie Hinkson
Richard Schaal	...	Oscar Maxwell

Storyline

In the Cold War, when the captain of a Russian submarine comes too close to the Gloucester Island in Massachusetts to give a look at America, the submarine gets stranded. A nine-man team commanded by Lieutenant Rozanov goes onshore to search a motor boat to release the submarine and arrives at the summer house of the New Yorker writer Walt Whittaker that is spending the weekend with his family in Gloucester. When he realizes that they are Russians, he believes that it is an invasion. Soon the information leaks, leading hysteria and paranoia along the inhabitants of the small village.

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Plot Keywords:

soviet submarine | stranded | soviet navy | language barrier | cold war | 

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Taglines:

Don't You Just Hate People Who Drop In Unexpectedly?

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

25 May 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!

Filming Locations:

Eureka, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$21,693,114

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the action in the film is supposed to take place on fictional "Gloucester Island" off the coast of New England, most of the outdoor scenes were filmed in Mendocino California. Mendocino in the 1960s was a somewhat remote artist colony on a rocky cape projecting into the Pacific Ocean, about 100 miles north of San Francisco. The harbor scenes were filmed in NOYO Harbor, just south of Fort Bragg, where Carine's Fish Grotto and Cappy's Bar still exist to this day. (2006)

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Goofs

As the flotilla of small boats moves away from the docks, registration numbers can be seen on their bows. Most of the registration numbers start with CF (California), even though Gloucester Island is in Massachusetts according to the shoulder patches on the police uniforms.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Rozanov arrives on the bridge of the Russian submarine after learing from the chart man how close they are to the USA coast]
Lieutenant Rozanov: [in Russian; subtitled] What is it Captain? What are you doing?
[to a chart man]
Lieutenant Rozanov: Show me our position.
[the chart man shows Rozanov how close they are to an island]
Lieutenant Rozanov: [in Russian] What? WHAT? Tovarich Captain...
The Russian Captain: [in Russian] Take it easy.
Lieutenant Rozanov: [in Russian] Permit me, Captain. Look at our position.
The Russian Captain: [in Russian] I don't need your advice.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

At the end it says THE KONETS, only with "konets" actually written in the Russian alphabet. The word, of course, means END. [It looks like "KOHEU," only with square corners on the U part.]

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Alternate Versions

Some local stations played a slightly different version of the film in the mid-80's: they cut at least part of both credits. For example, instead of beginning the movie with the credits that show the title, and such things (the one that alternates between Russian and American flags), but the tv version removes most of the opening credits. They only credit the writer, producer and director. This means that most of the credits are cut, and the film opens with the shot of the captain opening his eye over a black screen. Also, the end credits were also shortened-they fade out immediately after the last of the cast list has been shown, and it doesnt show the scroll end. This basically only deletes about three seconds, and all that is really noticable is the rather abrupt ending of the credit music.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Blood Feud (1991)

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Soundtracks

The Shining Sea
(uncredited)
Written by Johnny Mandel & Peggy Lee
Performed by Irene Kral

User Reviews

Funnier still if you've lived on a New England island

I lived on Martha's Vineyard for three years, which is why this film still commands a place in my heart. I was particularly amused by the habit of the lawmen (Keith, Winters) to regard the summer people as idiots because they don't know them, and the year-round residents as idiots because they know them too well. Gloucester Island is televisionless and almost radioless, as Nantucket was at the time, which added to the buildup of confusion in this long (in the style of the '60s) but still enjoyable comedy.