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IMDbPro

1941

  • 19791979
  • PGPG
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
34K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,423
383
1941 (1979)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:47
1 Video
76 Photos
ActionComedyWar
Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
34K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,423
383
    • Steven Spielberg
    • Robert Zemeckis(screenplay)
    • Bob Gale(screenplay)
    • John Milius(story)
  • Stars
    • John Belushi
    • Dan Aykroyd
    • Treat Williams
    • Steven Spielberg
    • Robert Zemeckis(screenplay)
    • Bob Gale(screenplay)
    • John Milius(story)
  • Stars
    • John Belushi
    • Dan Aykroyd
    • Treat Williams
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 286User reviews
    • 76Critic reviews
    • 34Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars

    Videos1

    1941
    Trailer 1:47
    Watch 1941

    Photos76

    Ned Beatty in 1941 (1979)
    John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in 1941 (1979)
    1941 (1979)
    John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Robert Stack in 1941 (1979)
    John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Nancy Allen, and Dianne Kay in 1941 (1979)
    John Belushi in 1941 (1979)
    John Belushi in 1941 (1979)
    John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in 1941 (1979)
    1941 (1979)
    John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in 1941 (1979)
    John Belushi in 1941 (1979)
    Eddie Deezen in 1941 (1979)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Belushi
    John Belushi
    • Capt. Wild Bill Kelso
    Dan Aykroyd
    Dan Aykroyd
    • Sgt. Frank Tree
    Treat Williams
    Treat Williams
    • Cpl. Chuck 'Stretch' Sitarski
    Nancy Allen
    Nancy Allen
    • Donna Stratton
    Ned Beatty
    Ned Beatty
    • Ward Douglas
    Lorraine Gary
    Lorraine Gary
    • Joan Douglas
    Murray Hamilton
    Murray Hamilton
    • Claude Crumn
    Christopher Lee
    Christopher Lee
    • Capt. Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt
    Tim Matheson
    Tim Matheson
    • Capt. Loomis Birkhead
    Toshirô Mifune
    Toshirô Mifune
    • Cmdr. Akiro Mitamura
    • (as Toshiro Mifune)
    Warren Oates
    Warren Oates
    • Col. 'Madman' Maddox
    Robert Stack
    Robert Stack
    • Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell
    Lucille Benson
    Lucille Benson
    • Gas Mama (Eloise)
    • (as Lucille Bensen)
    Jordan Cohen
    • Macey Douglas
    • (as Jordan Brian)
    John Candy
    John Candy
    • Pvt. Foley
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    • The Patron (Dexter)
    • (as Elisha Cook)
    Eddie Deezen
    Eddie Deezen
    • Herbie Kazlminsky
    Bobby Di Cicco
    Bobby Di Cicco
    • Wally Stephens
      • Steven Spielberg
      • Robert Zemeckis(screenplay) (story)
      • Bob Gale(screenplay) (story)
      • John Milius(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to co-writer Bob Gale in the DVD documentary, many of the events in the movie are based on real incidents. The Army really put an anti-aircraft gun in the yard of a homeowner on the Maine coast. The Japanese submarine I-17 shelled a refinery in Ellwood on the California coast on the evening of February 23, 1942. Although the shells missed the refinery by a wide margin, the unexpected attack started an invasion panic that late the next night resulted in an air raid false alarm over Los Angeles. Civil Defense and Army weapons ended up firing into the air for about an hour, thinking they were being attacked by the Japanese. The infamous Zoot Suit Riots, between Hispanic youths and servicemen, took place in June 1943.
    • Goofs
      Herbie and Claude change position on the ferris wheel. Spielberg did that deliberately for comedic effect.
    • Quotes

      Japanese soldier: [trying to squeeze a large radio into the sub] We've got to figure out how to make these things smaller!

    • Crazy credits
      End credits feature scenes showing cast members screaming.
    • Alternate versions
      The version released on network television and VHS/DVD/laserdisc is Spielberg's original director's cut, running 146 minutes, fleshing out sub-plots and characterizations, including:
      • Wally and Dennis getting thrown out onto the street by Mr. Malcomb after he fires them from the diner where they work.
      • Miss Fitzroy lecturing a group of women, Betty and Maxine among them, about tonight's USO dance which is interupted by a group of Army service men and Sailors entering and chanting wanting the women.
      • A department store scene with Wally fussing about buying an expensive new zoot suit and Dennis sounding a phoney air-raid siren which leads to panic in the store including a gun-toting Santa Claus yelling out command orders which is revealed to be a set up by Wally who walks out of the store wearing the zoot suit while Dennis meets the twin girls for the first time.
      • A scene with Scioli outside his house arguing with his non-English speaking wife about converting their car into an armored car while talking with Claude about sending him and someone else atop the Santa Monica ferris wheel on a spot mission for Japanese planes.
      • A extra scene with Ito and the I-19 Japanese submarine shore party disguising themselves as Christmas trees in a remote Christmas tree lot and the drunken Hollis Wood trying to "chop" them down which leads to his capture.
      • Scioli arriving at the ferris wheel with Claude and Herbie and explaing to them about their mission in the ferris wheel.
      • A dinner scene at the Douglas home and Ward explaining to Betty about her going to the USO dance and telling her about the pros and cons about meeting servicemen.
      • A barracks scene with Odgen Johnson Jones arriving for the first time at the barracks and imediately quarling with the racist Foley about property lines within their quarters.
      • A scene outside the USO club where Wally arrives and meets with Martinez and his Zoot Suit friends where they are denied access to the club where Corporal Stretch shows up and sets Wally's zoot suit afire which nearly leads to a riot between the Zoot Suiters and the Servicemen. Wally then meets Dennis dressed up as a Marine in order to gain entrance into the club with the twins as his dates.
      • Additional dialoge between Captain Birkhead and Donna in their car on the way to the airstrip and being afraid of the dark.
      • Another barracks scene where Sergeant Tree breaks up a fistfight between Jones and Foley by informing them about the riot on Hollywood Blvd. and showing them climing into their tank and starting it up.
      • A scene of the Japanese submarine I-19 arriving for the first time outside the Douglas house and the sub's entire crew on the deck watching Joan Douglas taking a bath through the bathroom window.
      • A scene of the tank traveling down a residential street and Wally shooting up Officer Miller's police car to pieces, sending the policeman and some paserby's running for their lives.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Special Show: The Magic of Spielberg (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Down by the Ohio
      Music by Abe Olman (uncredited)
      Lyrics by Jack Yellen (uncredited)
      Performed by The Andrews Sisters
      Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.

    User reviews286

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    GUARANTEED ENJOYABLE COMEDY ACTION ENTERTAINMENT
    If you liked the old war-era POPEYE cartoons then you'll love "1941" !

    It was great FUN when it first came out and its still enjoyable on so many levels ...

    Opening gag alluding to JAWS, Slim Pickens doing his DR. STRANGELOVE homage, Chris Lee as a most despicable pulp villain, Robert Stack crying at a dumb DUMBO premiere, sexy Nancy Allen ... howza'bout Treat Williams doing his tuff GI bit in an amazingly choreographed USO dance-hall sequence that predates the fun of TEMPLE OF DOOM's opening dance number ?

    This is a massive film along the frenetic lines of ITS A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD and Spielberg should be proud of it (which I am sure he is, despite the bashings he took from world film critics wanting to "put him in his place" at the time).

    Way to go Steven ...

    And thanks for all the fun ...
    helpful•12
    5
    • commandentertainment
    • Jun 19, 2001

    FAQ3

    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 14, 1979 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • Japanese
      • German
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Gold Beach, Oregon, USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Columbia Pictures
      • A-Team
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 58 minutes
      • Color

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