“The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!” was filmed on the Mendocino Coast in 1965. As part of the 60th anniversary of this classic cold war comedy, we asked folks who were part of the production to share their stories. Here’s what we learned.
Jone Lemos
I was 10 years old when I had my acting debut as an extra in TRAC. I was there with my three sisters and our mother, Toni Lemos, as part of the “townspeople.” All the townspeople had gathered at the pier on the river to look at the Russian submarine. Suddenly a little boy screamed and we all turned around to see the boy who had climbed up the church tower roof to have a better look at the sub. He had fallen off the roof and was hanging by his belt on the gutter. All the townspeople rushed over to stare up in horror at the little boy (who actually was a adult stunt double). We then watched as the Russians and townsmen joined together to save the little boy. I remember we had to repeat this scene, running from the pier to the church, what seemed like 50 times. After about the third time, I was bored and ready to quit. But all in all, it was a memorable experience and at least we got out of school for a few days!
Ed Sheldon
I saw your FB posting about the movie. Attached is a photo of the house that was built for the movie. My mom, my sister & I were allowed to roam around in the house before filming began. There was food in the refrigerator (Foremost Milk).
Nobody paid attention to 2 teenage kids rattling around. The outside windows were lower than normal; I think this was for the cameras to get a better angle. We were told that the house was burned to the ground.
The prop department “acquired” old wooden fences to be placed around the property. Some pro guy was stacking firewood outside the house. The wood was oak but not the type found near the coast.
House that was built for “The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!” in 1965. (Courtesy of Ed Sheldon)
Cheryl Phillips Shatto
My uncle Chris was an extra in this film. He was the man in the red and black jacket that helped untie Carl Reiner and the telephone operator after they rolled down the stairs. I aways thought it was funny that Uncle Chris was Russian.
Nancy Fereira
There’s an editing mistake in the film. At the end when the Russian sailor is saying goodbye to the girl, people are rushing to boats to escort the submarine. Aunt Addie was wearing a royal blue sweater coat and a white blouse, she has white hair. She goes by in the same direction twice in that scene!
Dana Hall
As far as my favorite memories….
The scene with Jonathan Winters took all day to shoot. They had to set up many different camera angles so in between takes we kids would go outside and sit in the yard. Jonathan would come out and make jokes and draw caricatures to entertain us. Truly a fabulous man.
During the shoot we were told to pay attention while eating our cereal. By the time mid-afternoon came around, the milk in the cereal was…lumpy…that is why I grabbed a brownie to nibble on towards the end.
One more local star, Sid Noyes…I believe he was the only youngster to have a speaking part. When confronted by the Russians he screamed “Maaa!” (if I remember correctly…also he was eating something, maybe a pomegranate. He had sticky stuff on his face.)
It was a great experience…and the best $20 bucks I ever made! The only negative…I was overlooked during the Oscar nominations!
Steve Jordan
This is about Eva Marie Saint, who was in TRAC. I wasn’t, although i really tried to get a part. One day I saw Eva Marie Saint on the street with her two children, and took a photo of them. Eva really wanted the negative of the print, so I very nervously drove up to the hotel in Fort Bragg where she and her kids were staying and gave her the negative. I thought that was the end of it, but I eventually got a letter in the mail from Eva and it included the negative. I was very surprised to get it back, but even more thrilled to have received a letter from her.
Two events today, 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 6𝘵𝘩! 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 3:30-4:30𝘱𝘮. Plus, join us for the Kelley House Holiday Party from 5pm-7pm.