The Inspector General
The Kaye way to chaos and corruption.
1949 | 101m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Henry Koster |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Philip Rapp, Harry Kurnitz |
| Staring: |
| An illiterate stooge in a traveling medicine show wanders into a strange town and is picked up on a vagrancy charge. The town's corrupt officials mistake him for the inspector general whom they think is traveling in disguise. Fearing he will discover they've been pocketing tax money, they make several bungled attempts to kill him. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 31, 1949 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Henry Koster |
| Writer: | Philip Rapp, Harry Kurnitz |
| Genres: | Comedy, Romance, Music |
| Keywords | corruption, mayor, escape, snake oil, medicine show |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros. Pictures, First National Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Danny Kaye | Georgi |
| Walter Slezak | Yakov |
| Barbara Bates | Leza |
| Elsa Lanchester | Maria |
| Gene Lockhart | The Mayor |
| Alan Hale | Kovatch |
| Walter Catlett | Colonel Castine |
| Rhys Williams | Inspector General |
| Benny Baker | Telecki (uncredited) |
| Leonard Bremen | Lieutenant (uncredited) |
| Robert Cherry | Peasant (uncredited) |
| Frank Conlan | OId Villager (uncredited) |
| Jimmy Conlin | Turnkey (uncredited) |
| Helena Dare | Townwoman (uncredited) |
| Bryn Davis | Councilman's Wife (uncredited) |
| George Davis | Ladislaus (uncredited) |
| Abe Dinovitch | Peasant (uncredited) |
| Art Dupuis | Sentry (uncredited) |
| Robert Filmer | Sentry (uncredited) |
| Byron Foulger | Burbis (uncredited) |
| Karen Hale | Councilman's Wife (uncredited) |
| Lew Hearn | Izzick (uncredited) |
| Sam Hearn | Gizzick (uncredited) |
| Herbert Heywood | Goatherd (uncredited) |
| Si Jenks | Deaf Villager (uncredited) |
| Fred Kelsey | Villager (uncredited) |
| Joleen King | Councilman's Wife (uncredited) |
| Marc Krah | Gypsy (uncredited) |
| Gracille LaVinder | Townwoman (uncredited) |
| Norman Leavitt | Lazlo (uncredited) |
| Ida Moore | Old Villager (uncredited) |
| Jack Mower | Villager (uncredited) |
| Alix Nagy | Councilman's Wife (uncredited) |
| Paul Newlan | Viertel - the Woodchopper (uncredited) |
| Nestor Paiva | Gregor (uncredited) |
| Barbara Pepper | Buxom Villager (uncredited) |
| Joe Ploski | Bela (uncredited) |
| Maudie Prickett | Townwoman (uncredited) |
| Harry Raven | Sentry (uncredited) |
| Buddy Roosevelt | Sentry (uncredited) |
| Lester Sharpe | Sentry (uncredited) |
| Pepi Sinoff | Councilman's Wife (uncredited) |
| Arthur Tovey | Townsman (uncredited) |
| Joan Vohs | Peasant Girl (uncredited) |
| Audrey Winn | Councilman's Wife (uncredited) |
| Jeff York | Guard (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Rudi Fehr | Editor |
| Johnny Green | Original Music Composer, Music Director |
| Edwin B. DuPar | Special Effects |
| Natalie Kalmus | Color Designer |
| Philip Rapp | Screenplay |
| Robert M. Haas | Art Direction |
| Stanley Young | Grip |
| Perc Westmore | Makeup Artist |
| C.A. Riggs | Sound |
| Arthur Lueker | Assistant Director |
| Saul Butner | Gaffer |
| Mitchell Kovaleski | Color Assistant |
| Elwood Bredell | Director of Photography |
| Fred M. MacLean | Set Decoration |
| Eugene Richee | Still Photographer |
| Eugene Loring | Choreographer |
| Bert LeBaron | Stunts |
| George Gordon Nogle | Camera Operator |
| Al Alleborn | Production Manager |
| Henry Koster | Director |
| Harry Kurnitz | Screenplay |
| Travilla | Costume Design |
| Nikolai Gogol | Theatre Play |
| Ben Hecht | Additional Writing |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Sylvia Fine | Associate Producer |
| Jerry Wald | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 6 |
| 2024 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 6 |
| 2024 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 3 |
| 2024 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 3 |
| 2024 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 4 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 3 |
| 2024 | 12 | 7 | 21 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
Oh, I have no wife. None of my family had wives. My father didn't like wives. I mean, my mother didn't like my father's wives. 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. The Inspector Ge ... neral showcases all of those talents. 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. Cue mistaken identity mayhem as the music numbers, gags, visual contortions and all round slapstick ensues. 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. 7/10