A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum Details

And an even funnier thing is that this toga-clad musical farce about ancient Roman scandals was inspired by Frankie Howerd's popular TV series, Up Pompeii. Richard Lester's undisciplined direction takes its cue from the great comic line-up: Zero Mostel as the slave seeking freedom, Phil Silvers as a Bilko-like brothel keeper, Jack Gilford as Hysterium and the great Buster Keaton in one of his last feature films as a man who's lost his children. Ramshackle it may be but it retains the verve and humour of its Broadway origins.

Bawdy farce from a Broadway musical inspired by Plautus but with a New York Jewish atmosphere. The film pays scant attention to the comic numbers that made the show a hit, but adds some style of its own, including a free-for-all slapstick climax.