1941 (1979)

Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Robert Zemeckis (screenplay), Bob Gale (screenplay)

Stars:

John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Treat Williams

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Aykroyd	...	Sgt. Frank Tree
Ned Beatty	...	Ward Douglas
John Belushi	...	Capt. Wild Bill Kelso
Lorraine Gary	...	Joan Douglas
Murray Hamilton	...	Claude Crumn
Christopher Lee	...	Capt. Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt
Tim Matheson	...	Capt. Loomis Birkhead
Toshirô Mifune	...	Cmdr. Akiro Mitamura (as Toshiro Mifune)
Warren Oates	...	Col. 'Madman' Maddox
Robert Stack	...	Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell
Treat Williams	...	Cpl. Chuck 'Stretch' Sitarski
Nancy Allen	...	Donna Stratton
Lucille Benson	...	Gas Mama (Eloise) (as Lucille Bensen)
Jordan Brian	...	Macey Douglas
John Candy	...	Pvt. Foley

Storyline

Hysteria grips California in the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. An assorted group of defenders attempt to make the coast defensible against an imagined Japanese invasion, in this big budget, big cast comedy. Members of a Japanese submarine crew scout out the madness, along with a Captain in Germany's Kreigsmarine (Navy).

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Plot Keywords:

year in title | year 1941 | female nudity | pearl harbor | fighter pilot | 

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Taglines:

A Comedy Spectacular!

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese German Spanish

Release Date:

14 December 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Night the Japs Attacked

Filming Locations:

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,701,898, 16 December 1979, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$31,755,742

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$92,455,742, 31 December 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,Columbia Pictures Corporation,A-Team

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 146 min (director's cut) 142 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Stereo (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Stereo (Todd-AO)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale met while attending the University of Southern California Film School. One of USC's most famous school Presidents was Rufus von Kleinschmidt, for whom the character of Captain Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt (Sir Christopher Lee) was named. Several buildings on campus bear his name. One of von Kleinschmidt's many accomplishments was helping start the film school.

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Goofs

During the general's speech at the airport, a number of WW2-era planes serve as a backdrop. Some new airliners and what seems to be a B-52 are visible in the background.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: On December 7, 1941, the Naval Air Arm of the Imperial Japanese Fleet, in a surprise attack, struck the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and hurtled an unsuspecting America into World War II.
Title Card: American citizens were stunned, shocked and outraged at this treacherous attack. On the West Coast, paranoia gripped the entire population as panic-stricken citizens were convinced that California was the next target of the Imperial Japanese Forces.
Title Card: Major General Joseph W. Stilwell, ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

During the closing credits shooting explosions are seen.

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Alternate Versions

The Blu-ray edition released by Universal in 2015 has a few oddities compared to previous home video versions (likely restoration errors). At about 55 minutes in the long version, 40 in the theatrical version (start of chapter 7), a subtitle for "Hollywood Boulevard, 7:35 p.m." is seen far to the right of center instead of centered like all the others; and in the visual cast credits, Dub Taylor's name is shown in blue instead of white after the flash effect.

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Connections

Spoofed in Crimewave (1985)

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Soundtracks

Swing, Swing, Swing
(uncredited)
Music by Johnny Mandel
Musician: clarinet solo Abe Most

User Reviews

Whatever Floats Your Boat

In 1975 Speilberg gave us the spine tingling horror of "Jaws." In 1977 we were visited by the mothership in the awe inspiring "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." In 1981 he made "Raiders of the Lost Ark" a modern day artifact. He then took time to write "Poltergeist." Finally in 1982 he put together one of his greatest and most profitable films to date "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial." So with these credentials what happened right smack dab in the middle in 1979 when he tried to pull together "1941." With this odd ball comedy you either like it or you don't. It's either funny or it's not. Sometimes when there are a number of huge stars you expect too much and then become disappointed when your anticipation is not met.

Another example of this is "The Bonfire of the Vanities" you may feel the story lacks but still appreciate it for the big stars whether they meet your expectations or not. Myself I didn't care for "1941" on the other hand I liked "The Bonfire of the Vanities." The point is for every good review you read about "1941" your bound to find a bad one and the only way you will truly know is to see the film yourself. If you like that "Three Stooges" type comedy then you may appreciate "1941." There is no doubt that this is not Speilberg's finest work, but it does offer some laughs. Now if you are one of those types that must see everything Speilberg has his hands in then you need to add this to your rental list.

The film is a comedy centered around California preparing to defend itself from a possible Japanese attack. In it's wake a silly Japanese submarine crew delivers many of the laughs.