| The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster by Jack Davis | |
| Directed by | Norman Jewison |
| Screenplay by | William Rose |
| Based on | The Off-Islanders 1961 novel by Nathaniel Benchley |
| Produced by | Norman Jewison |
| Starring | Carl Reiner Eva Marie Saint Alan Arkin Brian Keith Jonathan Winters Theodore Bikel Tessie O'Shea Ben Blue John Philip Law Andrea Dromm Paul Ford |
| Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc |
| Edited by | Hal Ashby J. Terry Williams |
| Music by | Johnny Mandel |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Russian |
| Budget | $3.9 million[1] |
| Box office | $21.7 million[2] |
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming is a 1966 American Cold War comedy film directed and produced by Norman Jewison for United Artists. The satirical story depicts the chaos following the grounding of the Soviet submarine СпруT (“SpruT”, pronounced "sproot" and meaning "octopus") off a small New England island. The film stars Alan Arkin in his first major film role, Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Keith, Theodore Bikel, Jonathan Winters, John Phillip Law, Tessie O'Shea, and Paul Ford.
The screenplay is based on the 1961 Nathaniel Benchley novel The Off-Islanders, and was adapted for the screen by William Rose. The title alludes to Paul Revere's midnight ride, as does the subplot in which the town drunk (Ben Blue) rides his horse to warn people of the "invasion".
The film premiered on May 25, 1966, and was a widespread critical and commercial success.[3] At the 39th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Alan Arkin. It also won two Golden Globes, for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Arkin.
- ^ Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 186
- ^ "The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming!, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
- ^ "Jonathan Winters - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-25. Retrieved 2019-12-14.