Anachronisms to 1960s in a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

June 17, 2022 Post a Comment

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) Poster

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.

This was Buster Keaton's final movie before his death on February 1, 1966 at the age of seventy.

The line "Was 1 a good year?" was originally intended for the stage play, but was omitted because it was thought too leading. Somehow, though, it found its way into this movie.

The ever-present flies in the closing credits are a tribute to the actual flies that plagued the production. Fruits and vegetables were present throughout the sets on-location in Spain, and were often left to rot in the sun at the end of the shooting day.

Michael Crawford, whose character weathers a near-constant series of pratfalls, did most of his own stunts.

The names of some of the characters, such as Pseudolus and Miles Gloriosus, are actually the titles of ancient Roman plays by Titus Maccius Plautus who was known for his comedies at the turn of the second century B.C.

Since movie musicals were losing popularity in the late 1960s, most of the play's songs were cut, including Zero Mostel's popular tour de force "Free", which would've been sung immediately after he fell out of the tree upon making his deal with Hero.

"Senex" is the Latin word for "old man".

Phil Silvers had to go without his trademark glasses for this movie, as director Richard Lester did not want any historical anachronisms. But the line, "Was One a good year?" is an anachronism, because anno domini dating was not invented until 525. The Romans used dating from the year of the founding of the city of Rome.

Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford reprised their roles from the original Broadway production. Phil Silvers had been offered the role of Pseudolus on Broadway, but turned it down because he couldn't wear his glasses, and feared an on-stage accident. Silvers went on to play Pseudolus in a 1972 revival.

Even before it was released, producer Melvin Frank announced a sequel called "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Guillotine". It never went any further than development stage.

During filming, Phil Silvers locked himself in his trailer and refused to come out. Director Richard Lester asked Jon Pertwee to step into the role of Marcus Lycus, as he already played the part on stage. Once Silvers heard he had been replaced, he came out of his trailer, bursting with new enthusiasm for the project.

Pertwee was given the tiny role of Crassus as compensation.

"Miles Gloriosus", literally translated, is the Latin term for "glorious soldier". But it is also Latin slang for "blowhard" and "braggart".

The original Broadway production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" opened at the Alvin Theater on May 1, 1962, ran for 964 performances and won the 1963 Tony Awards for the Best Musical and Best Book.

Between takes, Zero Mostel clowned around throughout the production. He dressed himself in a red tunic and danced the Flamenco, fondled statues of cherubs, and batted his eyes at the women in the cast.

Jack Gilford was nominated for the 1963 Tony Award (New York City) for Best Supporting or Featured Actor in a Musical as Hysterium, the role he recreated in the movie version.

The script was constantly being re-written, with Denis Norden, cameraman Nicolas Roeg, and Richard Lester all making uncredited contributions. The creators of the original Broadway show were annoyed with the numerous changes made for this movie, and Richard Lester and Zero Mostel expressed dissatisfaction with the finished movie, although it was very popular.

Included amongst the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the five hundred movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.

Theatrical movie debut of Leon Greene (Captain Miles Gloriosus).

Though the film won an Academy Award for its musical scoring, the statuette went to Ken Thorne for his riotous background score as opposed to Stephen Sondheim, who composed the music and lyrics to the songs. The award was earned, however, as Thorne did not rely on Sondheim's source material for his score, save for the inventive end title sequence.

Included among the American Film Institute's 2004 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 America's Greatest Music in the Movies for the song "Comedy Tonight."