The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966)

This is a warm and funny movie from an earlier time. Clever and fun. Character driven without the silly special effects so common in modern movies. It relies upon good writing, quality acting and genuine physical comedy to do the job. I see that some reviewers did not like the ending, but this is integral to achieving the positive message that the movie wanted to convey. During the Cold War, people were in credible fear and this was an attempt to calm the fears while also giving a message of hope. If you do not appreciate this movie, you need to look at our history and once informed, consider it in the context of the day. Otherwise, from the late Brian Keith, "I thought all the nuts went home on Labor Day." :-)

Perhaps this movie played a lot better back in 1966 or perhaps it was a really, really poor year for films or perhaps the Oscar folks were just nuts. All I know is that when I saw "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming", it was hard to imagine that it was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar! The picture begins with an accident in which a Soviet submarine gets stuck. It seems the Captain (Theodore Bikel) wanted to get a look at America and the ship just got too close. So, an officer (Alan Arkin) takes a few men ashore--looking to steal a boat so they can tow the sub away from the sandbar. Obviously, they should have just asked for help and by sneaking ashore, townsfolk soon think they are being invaded. Ultimately, this results in a huge confrontation where the Captain threatens to blow up the town and the Sheriff (Brian Keith) threatens to shoot back! This confrontation is broken up by an accident involving young Johnny Whitaker--and everyone is instantly buddies and the world is saved.All in all, the film suffers from three problems. First, as a comedy, it just isn't funny. Second, at times the film shows poor writing. The romance happens way too fast and way too easily and the ending involving Whitaker is embarrassingly done, as it's so contrived and obvious. And, what happens next strains credibility WAY beyond the breaking point. Third, the film tries hard to make a statement about peace and the Cold War--and I think it should have focused more on this than attempts at humor (attempts, mind you, only ATTEMPTS). All in all, a great idea for a film and some nice performances--but it's all for naught. A decent time passer but NOT another "Dr. Strangelove"--another picture that was nominated for Best Picture but actually deserved this (and so much more).By the way, although some of the principles in the film (Keith, Arkin, Paul Ford and Carl Reiner) all have good parts and make quite a bit of it, some other folks are totally wasted. In particular, Jonathan Winters is in the film but has absolutely NOTHING to do and is wasted. How could they do this with such a naturally funny man?!

I remember seeing "The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming" when it came out in 1966. My impression was that it was meant to be funny, but I believe that it was overdone. Some aspects were amusing, such as when the Russians asked Walt about the area (military bases, town fuzz, etc.) Pete, going into fourth grade (or had been promoted, could not tell which), declared that Daddy was acting like Arnold Benedict! (He obviously meant the Revolutionary hero-turned-renegade Benedict Arnold.) Another laugher was the Russians' stealing the Ford station wagon that the Whittakers had borrowed/rented, and have it run out of gas, followed by strains of "Long, Long Way to Tipperarie". There also were pleasant aspects of the flick, like the Whittakers' summer house, which reminded my of my grandparents' summer home in Little Deer Isle, Maine, and of cottages that my family rented in Ocean Park, Maine. One aspect of the costuming also stood out, that Elspeth wore wheat jeans much like those that I often wore in those days! I did not think much of Alison Palmer; some people to whom I described the movie thought she was a dud! I noted that the book, The Off-Islanders by Nathaniel Benchley, was basis for the movie; some aspects of the book were omitted. On the whole, I liked the book better than the movie.

What happened to make sixties comedies unpleasant? "The Russians Are Coming" presumably satirizes Cold War hysteria, but this mess does not work. This is not "Doctor Strangelove" and it is most certainly not "The Charge of the Light Brigand". Unlike the makers of those masterwork films,Norman Jewison never attains a plausible sense of the pervading hysteria of the sixties. I do not know why because he directed many excellent films. One would never know that from this movie.Eva Marie Saint is as enchantingly beautiful as she is in other films, but she is wasted here. What made anyone think that Carl Reiner and Jonathan Winters yelling was funny? Both men were said to be comedic geniuses, but here they are not comical. The dialogue is mind numbing and repetitive.An annoying aspect of the movie is that the largely California locations look nothing like New England, though Nantucket was one location used.This film is just not funny; that it might once have seemed amusing is a sad commentary on our taste during the sixties.