A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
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- Approved
- 1h 39min
- Comedy, Musical
- 16 Oct 1966 (USA)
- Movie
A wily Roman slave schemes to earn his freedom by romantically uniting his master with a courtesan. But matters get complicated and he ends up dragging in his neighbors around him, leading to chaos.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Zero Mostel | ... |
Pseudolus
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| Phil Silvers | ... |
Marcus Lycus
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| Buster Keaton | ... |
Erronius
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| Michael Crawford | ... |
Hero
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| Jack Gilford | ... |
Hysterium
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| Annette Andre | ... |
Philia
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| Michael Hordern | ... |
Senex
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| Leon Greene | ... |
Captain Miles Gloriosus
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| Roy Kinnear | ... |
Gladiator Instructor
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| Alfie Bass | ... |
Gatekeeper
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| John Bluthal | ... |
Roman Chief Guard
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| Pamela Brown | ... |
High Priestess
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| Patricia Jessel | ... |
Domina
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| Beatrix Lehmann | ... |
Domina's Mother
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| Frank Thornton | ... |
Roman Sentry
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| Peter Butterworth | ... |
Roman Sentry
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| John Bennett |
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| Andrew Faulds |
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Jennifer Baker | ... |
Geminae #1
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Susan Baker | ... |
Geminae #2
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| Ronnie Brody | ... |
Roman soldier
(as Ronny Brody)
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| Frank Elliott |
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| Lucienne Bridou | ... |
Panacea
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Helen Funai | ... |
Tintinabula
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| Bill Kerr | ... |
Gladiator-in-Training
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| Jack May | ... |
Shopkeeper
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| Inga Neilsen | ... |
Gymnasia
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| Jon Pertwee | ... |
Crassus
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Janet Webb | ... |
Fertilla
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Myrna White | ... |
Vibrata
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Joaquín Gómez | ... |
Aerialist (uncredited)
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Joey Hamlin | ... |
Young boy (uncredited)
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| Ricardo Palacios | ... |
Marcus Lycus's Eunuch (uncredited)
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| Ingrid Pitt | ... |
Courtesan (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Richard Lester | ||
Written by
| Melvin Frank | ... | (screenplay) & |
| Michael Pertwee | ... | (screenplay) |
| Burt Shevelove | ... | (book) and |
| Larry Gelbart | ... | (book) |
| Titus Maccius Plautus | ... | (based on the play by) |
Produced by
| Melvin Frank | ... | producer |
Cinematography by
| Nicolas Roeg | ||
Editing by
| John Victor Smith | ||
Editorial Department
| Richard Bryan | ... | assembly editor |
| Peter Watson | ... | second assistant editor (uncredited) |
Production Design by
| Tony Walton | ||
Costume Design by
| Tony Walton | ||
Makeup Department
| Trevor Crole-Rees | ... | makeup artist |
| Bernadette Ibbetson | ... | hairdresser |
| Carmen Sánchez | ... | hairdresser |
| José María Sánchez | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Miguel Gil | ... | production manager |
| Clifford Parkes | ... | production manager |
| Roberto Roberts | ... | production supervisor |
| Elisabeth Woodthorpe | ... | unit manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| José López Rodero | ... | assistant director |
| Bob Simmons | ... | second unit director |
| Fabio Piccioni | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Syd Cain | ... | executive art director |
| Rafael Ablanque | ... | storyboard artist (uncredited) |
| José María Alarcón | ... | assistant production designer (uncredited) |
| Tim Hutchinson | ... | draughtsman (uncredited) |
| Francisco Prósper | ... | construction coordinator (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Bill Butler | ... | sound editor |
| Don Challis | ... | sound editor |
| Les Hammond | ... | sound (as Leslie Hammond) |
| Gerry Humphreys | ... | sound |
| Robin O'Donoghue | ... | assistant re-recording mixer (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Cliff Richardson | ... | special effects |
| John Richardson | ... | special effects unit supervisor (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Joaquín Gómez | ... | stunts acrobat (as Dan Barry) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Austin Dempster | ... | camera operator |
| Alex Thomson | ... | camera operator |
| Paul Wilson | ... | camera operator: second unit |
| Denis Cameron | ... | still photographer (uncredited) |
| Allan Jones | ... | focus puller (uncredited) |
| Anthony B. Richmond | ... | second assistant camera (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Dinah Greet | ... | associate costume designer |
Music Department
| Stephen Sondheim | ... | music and lyrics by |
| Ken Thorne | ... | incidental music / musical direction |
| Barrie Vince | ... | music editor (as Barry Vince) |
| Thurl Ravenscroft | ... | singer (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Rita Davison | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Ethel Martin | ... | dances |
| George Martin | ... | dances |
| Harold Prince | ... | based on the stage play produced by (as Harold S. Prince) |
| Richard Williams | ... | title designer |
| Mick Dillon | ... | stand-in: Buster Keaton (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- United Artists (1966) (United States) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1966) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1967) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1967) (Norway) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1967) (France) (theatrical) (as Les Artistes Associés)
- United Artists (1967) (Finland) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1967) (Denmark) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Dear Film (1967) (Italy) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1967) (Argentina) (theatrical) (as Artistas Unidos)
- National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1970) (United States) (tv)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1979) (Finland) (tv)
- Warner Home Video (1983) (West Germany) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1990) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1991) (United States) (VHS)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (United States) (VHS)
- Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (United States) (DVD)
- FS Film (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
- SF Home Entertainment (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Kino Lorber (2014) (United States) (video)
- 101 Films (2016) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- C.T.S. Studios (music recorded at)
- Samuel Bronston Española (made at)
- Richard Williams Films (titles)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Pseudolus (Zero Mostel), the laziest slave in Rome, has 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 Marcus Lycus (Phil Silvers), 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 (Michael Crawford). Of course, it can't be that simple, and everything begins to go wrong.
Written by John Vogel |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Something for Everyone! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Box Office
| Budget | $2,000,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | While Buster Keaton often used a stunt double due to his illness, he improvised running into a tree branch and falling backwards onto the ground, much to the horror of director Richard Lester and crew. See more » |
| Goofs | Lycus disguised himself as a woman in a yellow gown, but the gown changes to white during the chase scene and remains white for the remainder of the film. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (1982). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Comedy Tonight See more » |
| Crazy Credits | One fresco in the closing titles depicts a Roman orgy, but one character raises the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) seal in protest. The MPAA was in charge of deciding whether the content of a feature was too obscene. See more » |
| Quotes |
Philia:
That's the brute who raped my country, Thrace! Pseudolus: He raped Thrace? Philia: And then he came and did it again! And then again! Pseudolus: He raped Thrace thrice? See more » |