The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming

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The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming

Promotional film poster
Directed by Norman Jewison
Produced by Norman Jewison
Written by Nathaniel Benchley (novel)
William Rose (screenplay)
Starring Alan Arkin
Carl Reiner
Eva Marie Saint
Brian Keith
Jonathan Winters
Music by Johnny Mandel
Bonia Shur
Cinematography Joseph F. Biroc
Editing by Hal Ashby
J. Terry Williams
Distributed by United Artists
Release date(s) May 25, 1966
Running time 126 min.
Country United States
Language English
Russian

The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming is a 1966 American comedy film. Based on the Nathaniel Benchley juvenile novel, The Off-Islanders, it was adapted for the screen by William Rose. The movie tells the Cold War story of the comedic chaos which ensues when the Soviet submarine, Спрут (Sprut, Squid), accidentally runs aground near a small New England island town.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

A Russian submarine draws too close to the New England coast when its captain wants to take a good look at America and runs aground on a sandbar near an island off Cape Cod. Rather than radio for help and risk an embarrassing international incident, the captain sends a nine-man landing party headed by the sub's second-in-command Lieutenant Rozanov (Alan Arkin) whom decide to search of a motor launch to help free the submarine. The men arrive at the house of Walt Whittaker (Carl Reiner), a vacationing playwright from New York City anxious to get his wife Elspeth (Eva Marie Saint) and two children, the obnoxious six-year-old Pete (Sheldon Collins) and the three-year-old Annie (Cindy Putnam) off the island now that summer is over.

Failing to convince the Whittakers that his group are Norwegians (all of the Russians are conspicuously dressed in all black clothing), Rozanov draws a gun and promises no harm if the family provides some questions about military on the island (none) and police force (small), and gives them keys to their car. Walt and Elspeth provide answers and the keys, and the Russians depart, leaving behind a young sailor, Alexei Kolchin (John Phillip Law), to guard the Whittakers and, subsequently, their attractive 18-year-old neighbor, Alison Palmer (Andrea Dromm).[1]

The first vehicle taken by the Russians, the Whittakers' station wagon, quickly runs out of gasoline, forcing them to walk. They steal an old sedan from Muriel Everett (Doro Merande), the postmistress; she calls Alice Foss (Tessie O'Shea), the gossipy telephone switchboard operator, and before long, wild rumors throw the entire island into confusion. As level-headed Police Chief Link Mattocks (Brian Keith) and his bumbling assistant Norman Jonas (Jonathan Winters) try to squelch the civil resistance movement of blustering Fendall Hawkins (Paul Ford), the Russians find and take a boat. Meanwhile, Walt and Elspeth manage to overpower Kolchin, who flees, but returns to the house once Walt and Elspeth leave to find help, and takes hostage Alison and Annie whom are left alone at the house.

In attemping to find the Russians on his own, Walt is re-captured by Rozanov and his men where they interogate him more to find a way to steal a motor boat to drag their submarine still aground. After subduing Mrs. Foss and disabling the switchboard phones to the island, seven of the Russians manage to steal a motorboat and head back to their submarine, while Rozanov goes to get Kolchin still back at the house, who by now is falling in love with Alison. Walt manages to free himself, and with Elspeth, they return to the house and almost shoots Rozanov who arrives at the house after they do. With the mis-understandings cleared up, the Whittakers and Rozanov and Kolchin decide to head into town together to clear the air over what is going on to the townspeople.

When the submarine frees itself, with the rising tide, the Russian captain (Theodore Bikel) takes his submarine into the small harbor in search of his missing men, where he finds Rozanov and Kolchin. He threatens to blow up the town unless the other seven Russians are returned to him. Chief Mattocks arrives with the rest of the armed villagers who threaten to fire on the submarine crew (on the sub's deck) with rifles and pistols. As tension mounts, a small boy, Jerry Maxwell (Johnny Whitaker) falls from his perch on the church steeple and hangs perilously from a gutter. Forgetting their differences, islanders and Russians unite to form a human pyramid and rescue the child.

With peace and harmony established, the submarine heads out of the harbor with a convoy of villagers in small boats protecting it. The boat with the seven Russians reaches the group shortly thereafter, and the seven board the submarine, just before two U.S. Air Force F-101B Voodoo jets arrive. They break off after seeing the convoy, and the submarine is free to sail to safe waters.[2]

[edit] Primary cast

[edit] Other first-billed cast

  • Andrea Dromm : Alison Palmer
  • Sheldon Collins  : Pete Whittaker (as Sheldon Golomb)
  • Guy Raymond  : Lester Tilly
  • Cliff Norton  : Charlie Hinkson
  • Michael J. Pollard : Stanley, the airplane mechanic
  • Richard Schaal  : Oscar Maxwell

[edit] Production

Aerial view of Noyo Harbor in California where part of the film was shot

Despite being set on the fictional "Gloucester Island" off the coast of Massachusetts, the movie was filmed on the coast of California, mainly in Mendocino. The harbor scenes were filmed in Noyo Harbor, a small town south of Fort Bragg. Because of the filming location on the West Coast, the dawn scene at the beginning of the movie was actually filmed at dusk through a pink filter.

The submarine used in the movie was a fabrication. The United States Navy refused to loan one for the production and barred the studio from bringing a real Russian submarine, forcing the studio to create their own. It was segmented into four parts, each having its own motor to power it. Upon close inspection while watching the film, the viewer may notice the separate parts as the "sub" floats in the water.

The planes were actually from the 84th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, located at the nearby Hamilton Air Force Base. They were the only Air Force planes that were based near the location of the supposed island.

The title alludes to Paul Revere's Ride, as does the subplot in which the town drunk (Ben Blue) rides his horse to warn people of the 'invasion'.

According to Norman Jewison, the film — released at the height of the Cold War — had considerable impact in both Washington and Moscow. It was one of the few films to portray the Russians in a positive light. Senator Ernest Gruening mentioned the film in a speech in Congress, and a copy of the film was screened in the Kremlin.[3]

[edit] Awards

Awards (wins):

Awards (nominations):

[edit] Audio clip

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hal Erickson, "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966)", New York Times, accessed January 1, 2009
  2. ^ "Overview for The Russians are Coming, the Russians are coming, Turner Classic Movies, accessed January 1, 2009
  3. ^ "The Russians Are Coming to Hollywood", (DVD featurette), 2002.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

West Side Story/A Majority of One (1961) · The Music Man/That Touch of Mink (1962) · Tom Jones (1963) · My Fair Lady (1964) · The Sound of Music (1965) · The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) · The Graduate (1967) · Oliver! (1968) · The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969) · MASH (1970) · Fiddler on the Roof (1971) · Cabaret (1972) · American Graffiti (1973) · The Longest Yard (1974) · The Sunshine Boys (1975) · A Star Is Born (1976) · The Goodbye Girl (1977) · Heaven Can Wait (1978) · Breaking Away (1979) · Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

Complete List · (1951–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–present)
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