The Inspector General

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The Inspector General

Released Dec 31, 1949

1h 42m

Musical

Comedy

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91%

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11 Reviews

79%

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2,500+ Ratings

In this farcical Technicolor musical, snake oil salesman Georgi (Danny Kaye) is too honest for his own good. After his partner (Walter Slezak) fires him, the simple-minded Georgi wanders into a corrupt town where he is mistaken for a diplomat. As Georgi unknowingly enjoys his false identity, the townspeople make several botched attempts to assassinate him, believing he is a powerful politician. Matters get even more tangled, and amusing, when the real inspector general shows up.

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

Sharper cutting could have made it a delight; it's still passable entertainment.

Jul 25, 2019

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John Stanley

San Francisco Chronicle

Rated: 4/4

Oct 19, 2011

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Ian Kane

Epoch Times

In the end, “The Inspector General” is highly entertaining with some hilarious, often satirical dialogue that is elevated further by Danny Kaye’s infectious brand of physical humor.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 25, 2022

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Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

Danny Kaye has some hilarious moments.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 18, 2008

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Eric Lurio

Greenwich Village Gazette

Rated: 4/5

Sep 5, 2005

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 2, 2005

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Lieutenant B

Whomever told me this was one of Danny Kaye's better movies has some serious taste issues, as this was one of his worst. This was like an amatuer theatrical comedy done on the cheap. Who was the target. audience? It has the bad try-hard comedy of something aimed at children under 10. Danny's is over-hamming it to the point I want to call it bad acting. I cringed my way through this.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/13/23

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jack s

So-so Kaye vehicle, helped immeasurably by a strong supporting cast. But, let's face it, much of Danny's schtick doesn't age well and this time it frankly becomes a bit irritating. There are a couple of amusing comic scenes however, although the soundtrack and musical numbers are sadly forgettable. Rather check out "The Court Jester" or "Wonder Man" for examples of Kaye's best work.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Great to see a young Danny Kaye. What a gifted comic actor. Strange to see the faux Mexican sets standing in for Russia. The colorization was definitely overdone. Still looking for a copy of the Gogol play.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The movie is loosely based on a Nikolai Gogol play about two traveling medicine men who wind up in a small Russian town run by a corrupt government, with one arrested for vagrancy, but then they get the idea that he was actually the dreaded Inspector General in disguise, and he acts upon the misunderstanding to get himself fed. Basically the whole movie is a farce, with Danny Kaye doing a lot of singing and dancing that no real Inspector General would do. This is entertainment and not realistic historical drama, but still enjoyable if you can suspend disbelief enough.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

Kid Blobbo much enjoy Kaye.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Frances H

A movie that perfectly showcases all the talents that Danny Kaye could do better than anyone else--he was unique and perfect for this role Taylor made for him. A great cast of character actors back him up and make this flick a comedy delight.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/21

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Henry Koster

Director

Danny Kaye

Georgi

Walter Slezak

Yakov

Barbara Bates

Leza

Elsa Lanchester

Maria

Gene Lockhart

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Synopsis

In this farcical Technicolor musical, snake oil salesman Georgi (Danny Kaye) is too honest for his own good. After his partner (Walter Slezak) fires him, the simple-minded Georgi wanders into a corrupt town where he is mistaken for a diplomat. As Georgi unknowingly enjoys his false identity, the townspeople make several botched attempts to assassinate him, believing he is a powerful politician. Matters get even more tangled, and amusing, when the real inspector general shows up.

Director: Henry Koster
Producer: Jerry Wald
Screenwriter: Philip Rapp, Harry Kurnitz
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 31, 1949, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 11, 2016
Runtime: 1h 42m

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