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The Inspector General

Play trailer Poster for The Inspector General 1949 1h 42m Musical Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 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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The Inspector General

Critics Reviews

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Bob Thomas Associated Press 07/25/2019
Sharper cutting could have made it a delight; it's still passable entertainment. Go to Full Review
Ian Kane Epoch Times 12/25/2022
4/5
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. Go to Full Review
Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com 02/18/2008
4/5
Danny Kaye has some hilarious moments. Go to Full Review
Eric Lurio Greenwich Village Gazette 09/05/2005
4/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/02/2005
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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Lieutenant B 08/13/2023 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. See more jack s 08/10/2022 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. See more 01/25/2022 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. See more 09/26/2021 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. See more @Blobbo 03/29/2021 Kid Blobbo much enjoy Kaye. See more Frances H 01/15/2021 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. See more Read all reviews
The Inspector General

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Movie Info

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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