Comedy Tonight

Annette Andre

"An honest virgin"

The 1966 film adaption of the hit Broadway musical comedy, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum: A Comedy Tonight, wasn’t one of director Richard Lester's better efforts. Still it has great comedic actors, funny dialogue, and some great scenes.

As with anything Mostel ever did, visuals are important. The song and dance number “Everybody Ought To Have A Maid” with Mostel, Silvers, Gilford, and Hordern is priceless. Anyway, those are some of the reasons "Forum" always shows up on my list of favorite movies.

I had the opportunity to see the revival of the Broadway stage version with Phil Silvers in the lead role of Pseudolus. Once you adjusted to the idea of a Roman slave wearing horn-rimmed glasses, it was great. He had to go without his trademark glasses for the film, as director Richard Lester did not want any historical anachronisms. According to Wilipedia http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Funny_Thing_Happened_on_the_Way_to_the_Forum, he turned down the original role, as did Milton Berle..

What follows are just a few of my favorite quotes. Enjoy!

Bayou Bill

==

Cast & Credits:

PSEUDOLUS: Zero Mostel (slave)
HYSTERIUM: Jack Gilford (chief slave)
SENEX: Michael Hordern (their hen-pecked owner)
LYCUS: Phil Silvers (flesh peddler)
ERRONIUS: Buster Keaton (befuddled old man)
MILES GLORIOSUS: Leon Greene (army captain)
PHILIA: Annette Andre (an honest virgin)

Director: Richard Lester
Script: Larry Gelbart & Burt Shevelove
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

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Lycus: I'll kill him! I'll kill him!

Crassus: Who?

Lycus: The lyingest, cheatingest, sloppiest slave in all Rome!

Crassus: Oh, Pseudolus.

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Pseudolus: An honest virgin! What a terrible combination!

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Senex: A word of advice: never fall in love during a total eclipse.

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Hysterium: I live to grovel

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Pseudolus: I shall return in a nonce. At most, two nonces.

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Miles Gloriosus: Arrange food, drink, entertainment, and a sit-down orgy for forteen.

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Miles Gloriosus: Oh, her bridal bower becomes a burial bier of bitter bereavement!

Pseudolus: Very good! Can you say "Titus the tailor told ten tall tales to Titania the titmouse"?

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Miles Gloriosus: What is she like?

Pseudolus: A face so fair, a heart so pure - Sir, if you had been born a woman, you would have been she!

Miles Gloriosus: As magnificent as that?

--

Miles Gloriosus: You, slave, will be torn apart by horses, to the plaudits of the troops and the amusement of the children.

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Erronius: My daughter, a eunuch?

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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?