The Inspector General

Plot synopsis:
Georgi (Danny Kaye), an illiterate member of a wandering band of Gypsies led by Yakov (Walter Slezak) escapes from a travelling medicine show after he innocently lets slip that the elixir they're selling is a fraud. Tired and hungry, he wanders into the small town of Brodny and whilst trying to sample the contents of a horse's feedbag, he's arrested as a vagrant and sentenced to hang the next day by a corrupt police chief (Alan Hale Sr.), desperate to prove his efficiency.
The town is run by a corrupt Mayor (Gene Lockhart), whose employees and councillors are all his cousins and equally corrupt and incompetent, but they are frightened when they learn that the Inspector General is in their neighborhood, and probably in disguise. The band of officials and the mayor want to protect their town and their lives, so, acting foolishly they seal off every road to keep the inspector from entering their town. They mistake Georgi for the Inspector and ply him with food and drink whilst plotting to have him killed. Yakov wanders into the small town and convinces Georgi to stay on as an inspector general and accept the bribes the officials so willingly throw at him. Of course, Yakov wants to seize Georgi's misfortune and turn it into a new start for his own life.
Meanwhile, hearing tales of his legacy and courageous efforts the mayor's wife instantly takes a liking to Georgi, hoping he will fall in love with her and whisk her away from the mayor and his lack of attention to her. However Georgi has fallen in love with a servant and wishes to marry her.
Naturally, their plans go awry and Georgi, despite his innocence, discovers how corrupt they really are. And when the real Inspector arrives suddenly, he also realizes that Georgi is the most honest fellow he's met since leaving Budapest. The Inspector General names Georgi the new Mayor of Brodny and presents him the mayoral gold chain, having taken it from the old mayor saying, "We'll put something else around your neck." Yakov becomes the new chief of police and Georgi gets the girl of his dreams.

Tags: comedy

Review:
Freely based on Nikolai Gogol's play , "The Inspector General" about a false Inspector who comes to examine a little corrupt town .
It deals with an illiterate called Giorgi (Danny Kaye, able to tongue twist faster than anyone else) along with his boss (Walter Slezak) , both of whom are wandering and acting as medicine men into a provincial town wherein panic .
Then Giorgi's detained for vagrancy charge but he's misidentified as a feared Inspector General who comes to check up on them and whom the corrupter town officers (the Mayor : Gene Lockhart married to Elsa Lanchaster and another officer played by Alan Hale) think is secretly moving in disguise .
The film is a Danny Kaye recital , he sings , dances , stooges , makes acrobatics , tongue twister and puts faces and grimaces .
Sylvia Fine , Kaye's wife , is the lyricist , composer , besides associate producer and dialogs writer , and responsible for many of the best known musical routines and songs for her husband .
Danny Kaye's films with Samuel Goldwyn established him as a leading movie comedian - singer from 1944 through the late 1940s.
It is likely that "The Court Jester" is his best film, but "The Inspector General" is close to the top.
Based on a 19th Century satiric play by Nicolai Gogol, Kaye plays Georgi, a decent fellow who works for the bullying Yakov (Walter Slezak).
Yakov and Georgi travel around the countryside selling "Yakov's elixir" which is supposed to cure all kinds of illnesses (that Kaye sings in a tongue-twisting song by Sylvia Fine, his wife).
Slezak knows that there are real opportunities here.The funny thing is that Gogol's play is not quite like the film.
But he liked THE INSPECTOR GENERAL, which attacked the worst aspects of Russian local government corruptions that the Tsar did want to see eradicated.
The Mayor and his cohorts (who do things like collecting for a church bell but pocketing the money themselves) do try to kill off the Inspector General - there is a funny sequence at a party where "Georgi" sings a song about "sing Gypsy, dance Gypsy", and keeps on just avoiding drinking his doctored drink during the song.
Although watered down from Gogol's stunning comic play, enough entertainment value remains in the film to make it worthwhile viewing, and a highpoint in appreciating Kaye's movie career..
A pleasant farce with a fine cast, "The Inspector General" gives Danny Kaye a chance to show off his many talents, and also tells a story that is quite humorous as long as you do not take it too seriously.Kaye plays Georgi, an illiterate traveling huckster who helps his boss Yakov (Walter Slezak) sell useless medicines to gullible peasants.
(The sequence where they try to sell their "elixir" is one of the movie's best scenes.) Georgi visits a small town, where through a series of coincidences, he is mistaken by the town's leaders for the Inspector General, an important official with sweeping powers to punish and reform.
The supporting cast is filled with fine character actors like Gene Lockhart, Elsa Lanchester, and Alan Hale, who add to the humor.
Not a lot of big laughs, but a steady stream of good-natured comedy all the way through.This is an enjoyable movie recommended for anyone who likes musical comedy..
A tramp (Danny Kaye) is mistaken for the Inspector General by the corrupt mayor and his equally corrupt officials.I find Danny Kaye one of the best performers of our times and he has given one of his best performances here.
Danny Kaye is a comedy genius.The Gypsy song was the best part of the film.
He gets to do his thing in a variety of songs, the outstanding one being "The Gypsy Drinking Song", another "Happy Times" penned by Sylvia Fine.He has the benefit here of excellent support from WALTER SLEZAK (a fake healer who, with Kaye, is a traveling salesman of his phony elixir), GENE LOCKHART (as a corrupt mayor), ALAN HALE, and especially ELSA LANCHESTER as the flirtatious woman who wants to run off with Kaye under the perception that he's The Inspector General.
It's the usual crazy identity mix-up that has all the villagers thinking Kaye is the man about to expose corruption of the town's leaders.Kaye does all his usual song patters and double takes and mugging with his usual zest and skill and the vehicle is clearly tailor-made for his talent.
True, it's overly silly at times and some of the routines are less than witty, but he's still fun to watch as he dodges the poisoned drink and swaggers through his impersonation while really trying to escape the clutches of the law.Best watched if you can find a good print--entertaining fluff with Kaye and Slezak obviously enjoying themselves..
Walter Slezak does a fantastic job of contrasting Kaye throughout the movie, but more of that later.Danny Kaye's performance here is not quite as seamless as many.
There were moments which, as I watched them, made me think, "That's so Danny Kaye." He has many of the same mannerisms and little twitches that make him so much fun to watch, along with an array of songs that would tie a normal tongue in knots.
His character (Georgi) is also contrasted masterfully with Slezak's (Yakov), making this movie a success.
It is Yakov's cruelty to Georgi that endears Kaye's character to the viewer.To sum up, The Inspector General is a lighthearted movie involving superb writing, excellent juxtaposition, and a wonderful star and supporting villain..
Danny Kaye was a wonderful performer, he would sing, dance, tell jokes, turn his face into rubber and just generally come off as a quality humanitarian.
Directed by Henry Koster, The Inspector General is loosely adapted from Nikolai Gogol's classic Russian story, and it finds Kaye as a stooge of Walter Slezak's iffy tonic peddler who is mistaken by iffy officials of a small Russian town for the much feared and respected Inspector General.
Also along for the ride are Elsa Lanchester, Alan Hale, Barbara Bates and Gene Lockhart.It's more a safe and solid Kaye movie for the family to enjoy, rather than a high end classic like The Court Jester, but sometimes the high energy jinks of Kaye is all you need to lift the blues away.
Danny Kaye steals the show as 'Georgi' in this Gogol comedy set somewhere in eastern Europe at some time in the 19th century that spoofs the gullibility of the masses and the venality of rulers.
Kaye plays an illiterate toady of a medicine-show operator who is confused with the Emperor's "Inspector General" who is charged with the duty to root out all corruption in any village to which he is sent.
Corrupt as they are, and scared of the consequences of being exposed, they expose Georgi (Kaye) to every peril possible -- including having to drink some of "Yakov's Golden elixir" that his boss Yakov (Walter Slezak) vends to unsuspecting suckers.
"Danny Kaye stars in this musical comedy about a case of mistaken identity and the poor fool caught in the middle of it.
Georgi (Kaye) is an illiterate member of a traveling medicine show who is mistaken by a small Russian village as the Inspector General, a royal official with vast powers.
Look for impressive Ida Moore in a great bit as the old "mother" Kaye wards off his potion.***** The Inspector General (12/30/49) Henry Koster ~ Danny Kaye, Walter Slezak, Elsa Lanchester, Gene Lockhart.
It is easy to see that this film was intended to be more of a vehicle for Danny Kaye's comedy antics than a fully developed and deep farce, but even so it is entertaining to watch, with some good tunes and a fair amount of funny moments to be had.
Even though we are Danny Kaye's devoted fans from his classic 'The Court Jester' he is most poorly directed in this movie.
Danny Kaye brings an innocence and energy to keep this movie going through the parts that try and bog the story line down I recommend this to for all ages although those under 10 may have a difficult time understanding parts of this film..
Very hilarious movie,very well crafted idea,near prefect screenplay,anyway everything is fabulous.....the sin was let Danny Kaye sings along the movie....he is awful as singer and outrageous funny as comedian and the smart Walter Slezak is amazing as cheater fulfilling the character and Gene Lockhart did not unnoticed,the remaining cast is colorful every single character has a fine and funny scene in this good picture....if Danny Kaye didn't has to sing!!
When he sings and makes his silly grimaces, it pains me--which is a shame, as the plot itself of "The Inspector General" is actually pretty good.Danny plays Georgi--a poor and slightly crooked man.
Danny Kaye was a crooner almost in the Crosby class and his talents are wasted in the "Inspector General".
I will admit it is entertaining.But I also have to say I'm not a big fan of the borscht belt style of overacting and Danny Kaye who started in the Poconos takes mugging to a new level.For me it brought the movie down, but I know everyone's tastes are different.It's a well made movie and has a bunch of songs.
The town's corrupt officials mistake him for the inspector general whom they think is traveling in disguise.
The town's corrupt officials mistake him for the inspector general whom they think is traveling in disguise.
Prior to seeing this movie I did't know much about Danny Kaye, other than knowing his name, what he looked like, and having a vague feeling that he's a "beloved" or "cherished" character actor.
The character she played in this movie was a total ninny (the mayor's wife who, along with the rest of the town, mistook Danny Kaye for the Inspector General and who was trying to get Danny to run away with her).
I'll be sure to steer clear of any and all Danny Kaye movies in the future!The story is decent enough (light farce), there's some singing and comedy and feel-good human decency and a love story ....
Good fluff for star Kaye as he masquerades as an important official in 19th Century Russia in this adaptation of the Gogol play.
Georgi is member of a wandering band of Gypsies led by Yakov.Our illiterate hero escapes after he innocently lets slip that the elixir they're selling is a fraud.He finds a town named Brodny and gets arrested as a vagrant.He's sentenced to be hanged the next day.The town is most corrupted, and there is a rumor the inspector general is coming, and he'd be wearing a disguise.Then they realize Georgi must be the inspector, which he's obviously isn't.In the town there's a sweet girl named Leza, and they're both attracted to each other.The Inspector General is a musical comedy from 1949 directed by Henry Koster.It's loosely based on Nikolai Gogol's play, which I read last year.Johnny Green won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Score.Kaye's wife Sylvia Fine wrote the original songs "The Inspector General" and Happy Times".Danny Kaye is really something as Georgi.Walter Slezak does excellent work as Yakov.Barbara Bates, who met a tragic end by her own hands, is wonderful as Leza.Elsa Lanchester is glorious as Maria.Gene Lockhart is great as The Mayor.Alan Hale is terrific as Kovatch.Walter Catlett does a great job as Colonel Castine.Rhys Williams is very good as Inspector General.Lew and Sam Hearn are funny as Izzick and Gizzick.I bought this movie on a DVD some time ago, and watched it a few days ago.I really enjoyed it.Danny Kaye was a really gifted comedian, and knew how to make people laugh.He followed the traditions of the early clowns but had his own unique style.A scene that makes you laugh is the eating scene, where he finds it very difficult to get anything in his mouth.It's a very funny scene where people keep coming to his room and he keeps hiding them.It's most hilarious how he sings "Gypsy Drinking Song" holding the glass filled with poison in his hand.For every Danny Kaye fan this film is a treat that can't be missed..
A fine example of this, "alone worth the price of admission" to this film, is where one of those corrupt officials, noted in other comments above, at first repeats about Georgi, "Less and less I like this Yakobovich...!" but as time goes on, and Georgi wins hearts & minds, his tune changes to repeating, "More and more I like this Yakobovich!" Gogol's original play was a bitter satire about corruption in Tsarist Russia, a theme and storyline that would likely puzzle Western audiences.
Danny Kaye got one of his most enduring and funniest parts in this adaption of Gogol's The Inspector General.
Kaye brings a lot of laughs as well as pathos to the part of the poor illiterate schnook who is a stooge for Walter Slezak, an itinerant peddler of snake oil known as Yakov's Elixir.
It seems as though the city fathers have gotten word that The Inspector General, personal emissary of the Emperor is coming to town and he's been known to go places incognito and then reveal himself and all the fraud he uncovers.The paranoid city fathers of Brodny who include such people as Gene Lockhart, Alan Hale, Byron Foulger all start fawning all over Kaye who decides to just go with the flow.
That policy is encouraged by Slezak who arrives in Brodny and sees the great possibilities here.The Inspector General is one of my favorite films with Danny Kaye, he's so right for the part.
Mrs. Kaye, aka Sylvia Fine wrote the score for The Inspector General and gave her husband one of his best film songs, Happy Times which he sings to Barbara Bates who plays a serving girl at the local inn.
Kaye also has to fend off the amorous advances of Elsa Lanchester who is Lockhart's wife and who is no slouch at getting a few laughs herself.The Inspector General is a timeless classic, taken from a classic and is one of the best showcases for the many talents of Danny Kaye..
As I understand it, Henry Koster's movie version of "The Inspector General" is only a loose adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's play.
Danny Kaye provides a lot of fun as a illiterate drifter who gets mistaken for a government inspector in a town overrun with corruption in Napoleon-era France.
There are a couple of scenes in the movie that truly elicit a lot of humor, and the songs -- which Kaye's wife Sylvia wrote -- just go to show what one can do with a language.
I'm going to have to see if I can find a production of Gogol's original play (called "Revizor" in Russian, often called "The Government Inspector" in English).Also starring Walter Slezak (the Clock King on the 1960s "Batman" show), Gene Lockhart, Barbara Bates, Elsa Lanchester (the Bride of Frankenstein), Alan Hale Sr.
An illiterate buffoon named Georgi (Danny Kaye), part of a traveling Gypsy medicine sideshow in Eastern Europe somehow winds up mistaken for the all-powerful, visiting Inspector General whose assignment from Emperor Napoleon is to root out all evil and corruption in every town he visits.
Of course, being an Inspector General also means you're a target and much danger looms for Georgi.No mistaking this is the Danny Kaye show all the way.
The rest of the cast including Elsa Lancaster, Gene Lockhart, Alan Hale and Walter Slezak are all good no doubt but it's Kaye's singing, dancing and comedy routines that prove this film's main focus.
I rate this a nine out of ten because I really feel that the love story was unnecessary, although the love story does lend itself to a lovely song, true.Above all, this is Danny Kaye truly living up to his reputation as a superstar of his era, almost like the Chaplin of his time, only better since most of his talent shows in the patter songs and lines.
The Inspector General is one of those real Danny Kaye movies.
The mayor and his men want Georgi(Danny Kaye) dead so that they can climb to higher places.
At last the real inspector-general turns back to Brodny from a visit to the emperor (I thought) and soon Georgi and Yacov, who gave Georgi 'advice'(he wanted him actually dead so that he could get a lot of money from the townleaders)are caught and would soon be hanged.
The real inspector-general and his men come to the jail to take Georgi and Yacov outside to kill them.
The real inspector-general appreciates this so much he let them go and makes Georgi mayor and Yacov a very high soldier.
Their comical Gypsy music conveys the story's shrewd/wily cynicism and serves to skewer provincialism as Gogol intended.Transposing the setting to Hungary introduces newer audiences to the story of an illiterate carnival entertainer mistaken for the Emperor's emissary--although referencing Napoleon gets problematic.The Mayor of Klimenti (Nestor Paiva of Zorro serials fame, d.1966) kick-starts the plot, riding madly into his cousin's town of Brodny.
From then it's just a rush to a fairytale ending.Merely second-best of Danny Kaye movies; see The Court Jester(1956)..
I doubt that Gogol's original play had the fake Inspector General singing gibberish songs, but somehow it fits.
Barbara Bates plays the girl he loves and she's cute, but Walter Slezak's 'Yakov' character ruins the fun because he's such a scumbag, and in the end, he doesn't even get kicked out of the picture, in fact, he gets to hang around and enjoy the show.Movie is too long without enough laughs, but it's Danny Kaye and if you're a Danny Kaye fan like me, you'll want to see it..
The best man for this role would have been Danny Kaye at its best , talent of musical , fun , singing..
To sum up , a very good set up movie with a phenomenal unique talented Danny Kaye ..