The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming is turning 60! This beloved comedy was filmed almost entirely on the coast, including Mendocino, Noyo, Cleone, and Westport. Mendocino so closely resembles an east coast village that it was the backdrop for the movie village of Gloucester Island, Massachusetts.
The film depicts the aftermath of a Soviet submarine running aground off the small New England island, and the following hijinks as the Soviet crew attempts to get away while the Americans think they’re being invaded. Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison directed the movie; he is also well known for directing Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Moonstruck (1987). The cast included Carl Reiner, Alan Arkin, Eva Marie Saint, Johnathan Winters, Brian Keith, and Ben Blue.
Filming of submarine scenes in The Russians Are Coming, 1965. (Gift of Bruce Levene)
Mendocino has a long history of being used as a filming location for movies and television. Local historian Bruce Levene details many of these Hollywood productions in his book Mendocino & the Movies. By 1965, it wasn’t a surprise that another film crew would be coming to town. On July 30th the Mendocino Beacon published “Again the Mendocino, Little River, Albion area is to become host to a movie colony, which doesn’t too greatly perturb us, for we have been there before.” Like other productions, many locals acted as extras on the movie, including “Mrs. Wanda McFarland, Jim O’Donnell, William Robinson, Ches Sandell, Tom Glynn, Mrs. Addie Reis, Fred Rimbach, Joe Gomes, Frank Brown, John Bovyer, Carl Sauer, Ike Jackson, Toni Lemos and [her] four daughters.”
Filming here took approximately three months, with the crew of 150 arriving from southern California in early September, and the film wrapping in early December. Several buildings in Mendocino were used for interior and exterior shots, including the Beggs-Bishop house on the northeast corner of Ford and Calpella Streets and the Denslow-Hayden House on the southwest corner of Williams and Calpella Streets.
To film the scenes of the submarine, the crew initially contacted the U.S. Navy, who would not let them borrow a sub. They subsequently contacted the Russian Embassy, who also refused. Instead, a submarine made of plywood with a steel reinforced bottom was rented from Paramount, where it had been used in the film Assault on a Queen. The boat was deconstructed and shipped to northern California on eight semi-trailers. The crew spent two weeks rebuilding the 140-foot-long boat in Noyo Harbor, and to make matters more complicated, the sub was German in design, not Russian. The Art Director Robert Boyle redesigned the exterior during the construction. The submarine was launched in Noyo Bay on October 21, and the Mendocino Beacon noted “It is hoped that the seas will remain calm enough that the craft can be floated to Los Angeles, between two barges, when its use is completed in this area.” Due to inclement weather that delayed some filming, this plan wasn’t carried out. The submarine was dismantled and shipped back to Hollywood in December.
In December, the Beacon wrote a long article on the last days of the film’s production in Mendocino. An early estimate reported that the production company spent $1.5 million locally. The Fort Bragg Advocate-News quoted Director Norman Jewison’s views on filming here: “I can truthfully say it is the first location I have hated to leave.” In June 1966, the film held a west coast premiere at Coast Cinemas in Fort Bragg. The Advocate reported that all the showings were nearly sold out. The film would go on to become a great critical and commercial success. It was nominated for four Oscars at the 39th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two Golden Globes that year.
Join us on November 9th for a special screening of The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming at Coast Cinemas in Fort Bragg at 4pm. From 2-3:30pm, there will be a reception and pop-up exhibit about the film at the Noyo Center for Marine Science’s Field Station (a filming location). This event is jointly hosted by the Mendocino Film Festival, the Kelley House Museum, and the Noyo Center for Marine Science.