This is about the film. For the stage musical of the same name see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (musical).
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a film adaptation of the musical of the same name. It featured Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford from the original cast, as well as Leon Greene, reprising his West End role as Miles Gloriosus.
Cast[]
- Zero Mostel - Pseudolus
- Phil Silvers - Marcus Lycus
- Michael Crawford - Hero
- Jack Gilford - Hysterium
- Annette Andre - Philia
- Buster Keaton - Erronius
- Michael Hordern - Senex
- Leon Greene - Captain Miles Gloriosus
- Patricia Jessel - Domina
Plot[]
This film takes place in the city of Rome sometime during the reign of Emperor Nero. Pseudolus is "the lyingest, cheatingest, sloppiest slave in all of Rome", whose only wish is to buy his freedom from his master's parents, the henpecked Senex and his dominating wife Domina. When he finds out that his master, Senex's handsome but dim son Hero, has fallen in love with Philia, a beautiful virgin courtesan from the house of Marcus Lycus, buyer and seller of beautiful women next door, Pseudolus makes a deal: he will get the girl for Hero in return for his freedom. Unfortunately, the virgin has been sold to the great Roman soldier, Captain Miles Gloriosus, who even now is on his way from conquering Crete to claim her as his bride. Pseudolus blackmails his overseer, Hysterium into masquerading as the corpse of Philia to fool the captain, but things go wrong at every turn.
In the end, the boy gets the girl; Senex's next-door neighbor Erronius finds that Philia and Miles Gloriosus are in fact his long-lost children; and Pseudolus gets his freedom, a beautiful concubine to be his wife, and a dowry of 10,000 minae, compliments of Marcus Lycus.
Musical numbers[]
- "Comedy Tonight" - Pseudolus and Chorus
- "Lovely" - Philia and Hero
- "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" - Senex, Pseudolus, Hysterium and Marcus Lycus
- "Bring Me My Bride" - Miles Gloriosus, Pseudolus and Chorus
- "Lovely (reprise)" - Pseudolus and Hysterium
- "The Dirge" - Miles Gloriosus, Pseudolus and Chorus
- "Comedy Tonight (reprise)" - Pseudolus, Hero, Philia, Domina, Senex, Miles Gloriosus, Erronius, Hysterium and Chorus