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1941
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Photos (see all 20 | slideshow) Videos (see all 2)
1941 (1979) -- Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.
1941 (1979) -- Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor.

Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   11,913 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Writers:
Robert Zemeckis (story) &
Bob Gale (story) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for 1941 on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 December 1979 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | War more
Tagline:
A Comedy Spectacular!
Plot:
Hysterical Californians prepare for a Japanese invasion in the days after Pearl Harbor. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. more
NewsDesk:
Spielberg's Musical Aspirations
 (From WENN. 25 June 2002)

User Comments:
Worth watching at least once. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dan Aykroyd ... Sgt. Frank Tree

Ned Beatty ... Ward Douglas
John Belushi ... Capt. Wild Bill Kelso
Lorraine Gary ... Joan Douglas
Bobby Di Cicco ... Wally Stephens
Murray Hamilton ... Claude Crumn

Christopher Lee ... Capt. Wolfgang von Kleinschmidt

Tim Matheson ... Capt. Loomis Birkhead
Toshirô Mifune ... Cmdr. Akiro Mitamura
Warren Oates ... Col. 'Madman' Maddox

Robert Stack ... Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell

Treat Williams ... Cpl. Chuck 'Stretch' Sitarski
Nancy Allen ... Donna Stratton
Lucille Benson ... Gas Mama (Eloise) (as Lucille Bensen)
Jordan Brian ... Macey Douglas
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Night the Japs Attacked (USA) (working title)
1941 (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
1941 (France) [fr]
1941 (Finland) [fi]
1941 (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
1941 - Uma Guerra Muito Louca (Brazil) [pt]
1941 - Ursäkta, var är Hollywood? (Sweden) [sv]
1941 - Wo bitte geht's nach Hollywood (West Germany) [de]
1941 - Wo, bitte, geht's nach Hollywood? (Austria) [de]
1941 - anteeksi, missä on Hollywood? (Finland) [fi]
1941: allarme a Hollywood (Italy) [it]
more
Runtime:
118 min | USA:146 min (director's cut) | West Germany:111 min
Country:
USA
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Filming Locations:
Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This was regarded as such a failure in the US that when the advance teaser trailer for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) was made, it listed all of Steven Spielberg's previous films except this one. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Betty's costume undergoes numerous changes from dirty to clean and clean to dirty, as well as completeness. When she and Wally first get into the dance, Wally pulls her blue jacket off her and wraps it around Cpl.Sitarsky's head. For the rest of the movie, she has the jacket back on. While Betty and Sitarsky are rolling around underneath the truck, her skirt is very dirty. The next time you see her, it still dirty, but not as dirty as it was in the previous scene. When Betty is shown at her house the morning after the attack by the Japanese sub, her entire outfit is completely clean. more
Quotes:
Pvt. Ogden Johnson Jones: [laughing at Foley, who is covered in black powder] Hey, hey, hey, get to the back of the tank!
[laughs maniacally]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Down By The Ohio more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
22 out of 32 people found the following comment useful:-
Worth watching at least once., 19 March 2005
7/10
Author: zmanjz from York, PA

1941 is a unique movie. 1 part of it is animal house-esque lowbrow humor, 1 part is B-movie love story, and 1 part stoic war movie, and 2 parts insane hilarity.

It is a weird mix to say the least.

First, the problems: 1. The first half of the movie is slow. It grinds on making you wonder why you're watching this movie.

2. The "Love story" subplot is poorly executed for what this movie is trying to do.

3. many of the actors are not used to their fullest potential (especially Dan Akroyd and John Candy) while others receive excessive screen time. (see: The slow moving love story sub-plot) But then there are the good aspects: 1. John Belushi is hilarious. He would have been funnier had he interacted with more characters rather than appearing in many solo shots, but he was funny.

2. The "Epic Battle" was great. It had me laughing as my sides hurt.

3. Slim Pickens: His appearance in the movie was truly where the movie stopped being slow, and the fun really started. He was great in his scenes and between the dialogue and his visual scenes, you can't help but laugh.

There's more, but in short, if you don't mind sitting through a slow build up, the payoff is worth the wait.

It's not the best movie ever, but in the barren entertainment landscape that is Weekend Television: Finding this movie can be like an oasis in the desert. It's solid Saturday afternoon fun.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for 1941 (1979)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The same tank as in Sahara 1943? josborn828
Barracks Scene Deleted? moonpuppy_ver1-1
Couldn't buy a laugh parillamilt
DVD of Theatrical Release dutcher2005
Sorry, but I really like this movie! KatrinaW
Belushi and Mifune suusuu
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