THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING (1966)
The 5 Jun 1966 NYT reported that two studios rejected the film adaptation of Nathaniel Benchley’s 1961 novel, The Off-Islanders, before the Mirisch Corporation and United Artists (UA) offered financing to director Norman Jewison. Both companies also approved Jewison’s plans to film on location with a cast of highly skilled but lesser-known actors. The screenplay by William Rose was intended as a foundation for the improvisational talents of actors Jonathan Winters, Theodore Bikel, Carl Reiner, and Alan Arkin in his first featured screen role. A letter in the 8 Mar 1965 DV noted Jewison’s desire to cast Russian actors as a “cultural exchange” with the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and criticized the director for wanting to hire “communists.” According to the 14 Jun 1966 NYT, the screenplay was reviewed by Soviet officials, who made such recommendations as giving Russian characters more authentic names, and developing the romance between the characters “Alison” and “Kolchin.” However, Jewison received no response to his request for an international coproduction. The 4 Aug 1965 DV reported that the director embarked on an unsuccessful domestic search for Russian-speaking actors, followed by a visit to Czechoslovakia. Two weeks later, the 18 Aug 1965 DV noted that Jewison planned to interview Russian-speaking actors in San Francisco, CA, after “preliminary work” at Fort Bragg, CA. The U.S. Air Force loaned the production a pair of F-101 fighter jets, and Twentieth Century-Fox Studios provided a full-scale model submarine, used the previous year in Morituri (1965, see entry). Although Jewison would have preferred a real submarine, the 16 Jun 1965 DV revealed that the U.S. Navy denied his request, explaining that it could not allow its vessels to fly a Soviet flag.
       The 18 Aug 1965 LAT announced that actress and expectant mother Felicia Farr would join the cast as “Elspeth Whittaker.” However, Farr withdrew shortly after, as reported in the 31 Aug 1965 DV, due to the “rigorous” Northern California filming location and the increased insurance risk. She was replaced by Eva Marie Saint. Principal photography began the 9 Sep 1965, according to DV production charts published the following day.
       The 26 Oct 1965 LAT revealed that location filming was planned for the island of Nantucket, off the Massachusetts coast. When it was determined that photography would continue into early autumn, topographically similar Fort Bragg, CA, was chosen, in hopes of avoiding inclement weather. However, the Fort Bragg area was plagued by intermittent rain and fog over the ensuing weeks, and crew members struggled to match shots from cloudy and sunny days. The article estimated location costs at $1.5 million. That same day, DV reported that the Soviet delegation to the San Francisco Film Festival was invited to observe the production.
       The 8 Nov 1965 LAT noted that talk show host and former burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee brought a camera crew to the location, where they videotaped castmembers entertaining Fort Bragg residents and each other on a rainy day. Among the highlights was actors Tessie O’Shea and Paul Ford dancing the “Watusi.” On 11 Dec 1965, LAT listed assorted developments among cast members during their extended stay in Fort Bragg. Several, including Eva Marie Saint and Alan Arkin, bought puppies; Paul Ford, Theodore Bikel, Brian Keith, and Carl Reiner bought cameras to photograph the puppies with their owners; and Jonathan Winters took up whittling. After six consecutive days of rain, Norman Jewison reportedly wept in the presence of his company and the rain miraculously stopped. The 5 Jun 1966 NYT noted that Fort Bragg residents served as background actors, and were invited to screenings of the rushes.
       The 25 May 1966 DV revealed that Jewison had taken the completed film on a two-week tour of the U.S. before its New York City opening, showing it to a variety of demographics, some of which saw little humor in the Cold War theme. The director also screened the picture for Soviet diplomats in Washington, D.C., who objected to the line, “Russians are taught to hate Americans,” repeated three times in the screenplay. Actor John Phillip Law traveled from Baton Rouge, LA, where he was filming Hurry Sundown, (1966, see entry) to replace the word “hate” with “mistrust” and “dislike.” The revised prints were expected 30 May 1966, five days after the film’s New York City opening on 25 May 1966. The Los Angeles, CA, debut followed on 17 Jun 1966. Reviews were positive, with the 26 May 1966 NYT describing it as “rousingly funny--and perceptive.” That same day, DV reported the appearance of the Washington Post review on the newspaper’s editorial page, with a prediction that the picture would be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. According to the 27 May 1966 DV, the review was reportedly sent to the USSR by Tass, the Soviet news agency, and cited during a session of the U.S. Senate by Ernest Gruening of Alaska, who believed the film offered insights into “the absurdity of international conflict.”
       The 1 Jun 1966 DV noted that, prior to the Boston, MA, opening, press agent Joe Longo stenciled “The Russians Are Coming” over the entrance to the Belmont, MA, chapter of the anti-communist John Birch Society. Longo was charged with “malicious damage to private property and inciting to riot,” but reportedly drew laughter from the judge after explaining that it was merely a publicity stunt. The idea was attributed to Alan Friedberg, general manager of the Sack Theatres chain.
       According to the 14 Jun 1966 NYT, the picture was first accepted, then rejected, as the official U. S. entry to the 1966 Karlovy-Vary Film Festival in the former Czechoslovakia, one of the Eastern European nations comprising the Russian hegemon. The 24 Jul 1966 LAT stated that the decision was influenced by fears that the film might offend the Soviet government. Although the picture garnered a warm reception at the 1966 Berlin Film Festival, organizers asked that the title, a reminder of the looming threat from the east, be changed. With the help of UA, Jewison took the film to Moscow, Russia, for two private screenings, one of which was for elite members of the national film workers union. Response from both audiences was reportedly enthusiastic. He also learned, through filmmmaker Gregori Chukrai, that a number of secret showings had occurred around the city. The 8 Jul 1967 LAT stated that the picture was entered in the 1967 Moscow Film Festival. It was later rejected, however, because members of the Soviet film industry feared government reprimand for ignoring Jewison’s request for a coproduction.
       A news item in the 10 Mar 1967 DV stated that the picture was banned in Taiwan, a U.S. ally. According to the island nation’s censorship board, “The theme of peaceful coexistence was extremely dangerous.” This sentiment was not shared by the people of Glassboro, NJ, the site of a 23 Jun 1967 summit between U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin. As noted in the 24 Jun 1967 NYT, a local movie theater ran The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming to celebrate the event.
       The film marked the motion picture debuts of Andrea Dromm and Harry Davis, and the acting debut of musician Alex Hassilev. The 3 Dec 1965 LAT included Maryesther Denver among the cast. According to a the 7 Jul 1965 DV, British actor Richard Attenborough was considered for a role.
       The 1 Feb 1966 LAT reported that Serbian actor Milos Milosevic, billed as Milos Milos, died in an apparent murder-suicide, shooting himself after killing his lover, Barbara Ann Thomason Rooney, the estranged wife of actor Mickey Rooney. The act was reportedly prompted by the Rooneys’ impending reconciliation.
       The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming received four Academy Award nominations: Actor (Alan Arkin), Writing--Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Film Editing, and Best Picture; it won Golden Globes for Best Actor--Comedy or Musical (Arkin) and Best Motion Picture--Comedy or Musical. John Phillip Law and William Rose were also nominated. In addition, Norman Jewison was nominated for a Directors Guild of America (DGA) award, and received a Silver Ticket Award from the National General theater chain. The film was listed in the 25 Dec 1966 NYT as one of the ten best of the year. It also won a gold medal from Photoplay magazine, and achieved second place in the 1966 Film Daily poll. The 4 Jan 1967 Var reported rentals totalling $7.75 million to date.