The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming – Norman Jewison (1966)

“The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming is a 1966 American comedy film directed and produced by Norman Jewison for the United Artists. It is based on the 1961 Nathaniel Benchley novel The Off-Islanders, and was adapted for the screen by William Rose. The film depicts the chaos following the grounding of the Soviet submarine Спрут (pronounced “sproot” and meaning ‘octopus‘) off a small New England island during the Cold War. It stars Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin in his first major film role, Brian Keith, Theodore Bikel, Jonathan Winters, John Phillip Law, Tessie O’Shea, and Paul Ford. It was shot by cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc in DeLuxe Color and Panavision. … A Soviet Navy submarine called Спрут (Octopus) draws too close to the New England coast one September morning when its captain wants to take a good look at America and runs aground on a sandbar near the fictional Gloucester Island, off the New England coast, with a population of about 200 local residents. Rather than radio for help and risk an embarrassing international incident, the captain sends a nine-man landing party, headed by his zampolit (Political officer) Lieutenant Yuri Rozanov, to find a motor launch to help free the submarine from the bar. The men arrive at the house of Walt Whittaker, a vacationing playwright from New York City. Whittaker is eager to get his wife Elspeth and two children, obnoxious but precocious 9+1⁄2-year-old Pete and 3-year-old Annie, off the island now that summer is over. Pete tells his disbelieving dad that ‘nine Russians with tommy guns‘ dressed in black uniforms are near the house, but Walt is soon met by Rozanov and one of his men, Alexei Kolchin, who identify themselves as strangers on the island and ask if there are any boats available. … Robert Alden of The New York Times called it ‘a rousingly funny – and perceptive – motion picture about a desperately unfunny world situation.’ Arthur D. Murphy of Variety declared it ‘an outstanding cold-war comedy,’ adding that Jewison ‘has made expert use of all types of comedy technique, scripted and acted in excellent fashion by both pros and some talented newcomers to pix.’ …”
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YouTube: The Russians Are Coming! Teaser