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The Mouse That Roared ()


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An impoverished backward nation declares a war on the United States of America, hoping to lose, but things don't go according to plan.

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Cast verified as complete

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Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count Rupert of Mountjoy / Tully Bascombe
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Helen Kokintz
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Will Buckley
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Doctor Alfred Kokintz
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Benter
MacDonald Parke ...
General Snippet (as Macdonald Parke)
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United States Secretary of Defense
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Roger
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Cobbley (as Monty Landis)
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Air Raid Warden
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BBC Announcer
Harold Kasket ...
Pedro
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Beckett ...
American General (uncredited)
Nigel Bernard ...
Fenwickian MP (uncredited)
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Air Raid Warden (uncredited)
Jacques Cey ...
Ticket Collector (uncredited)
Charles Clay ...
British Ambassador (uncredited)
Henry De Bray ...
French Ambassador (uncredited)
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Soviet Ambassador (uncredited)
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Spectator (uncredited)
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Army Captain (uncredited)
Mabel Etherington ...
Ada - Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
Norman Fisher ...
Man in Subway (uncredited)
Tex Fuller ...
Fenwickian (uncredited)
Richard Gatehouse ...
Mulligan (uncredited)
Muriel Greenslade ...
Lady in Waiting (uncredited)
Fred Haggerty ...
Fenwickian (uncredited)
Lindsay Hooper ...
Fenwickian (uncredited)
Tony Jason ...
Fenwickian (uncredited)
Tommy Jenkins ...
Fenwickian (uncredited)
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Maybury (uncredited)
George Margo ...
O'Hara (uncredited)
Lionel Murton ...
American General at the Pentagon (uncredited)
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U.S. Policeman (uncredited)
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Reporter (uncredited)
Lisa Peake ...
Girl in Underground (uncredited)
Geremy Phillips ...
American youth (uncredited)
Pat Ryan ...
American General (uncredited)
Stuart Saunders ...
Cunard Captain (uncredited)
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American Policeman (uncredited)
Ken Stanley ...
Cunard Second Officer (uncredited)
Fred Stroud ...
Fenwickian (uncredited)
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American Admiral (uncredited)
John Timberlake ...
Fenwickian MP (uncredited)
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Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Del Watson ...
Fenwickian (uncredited)
John Wilder ...
American General (uncredited)
Billy Wilmot ...
Fenwickian (uncredited)
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Bird Seller (uncredited)

Directed by

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Jack Arnold

Written by

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Roger MacDougall ... (screenplay) (as Roger Macdougall) &
Stanley Mann ... (screenplay)
 
Leonard Wibberley ... (novel)

Produced by

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Jon Penington ... associate producer
Walter Shenson ... producer

Music by

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Edwin Astley

Cinematography by

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John Wilcox ... director of photography

Editing by

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Raymond Poulton

Art Direction by

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Geoffrey Drake

Costume Design by

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Anthony Mendleson

Makeup Department

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Stuart Freeborn ... makeup
Joyce James ... hairdresser

Production Management

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Leon Becker ... production supervisor
James H. Ware ... production manager (as James Ware)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Philip Shipway ... assistant director

Sound Department

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Red Law ... sound
Richard Marden ... sound editor
George Stephenson ... sound
John Aldred ... dubbing mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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Gerald Endler ... mechanical effects (uncredited)

Stunts

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Jack Cooper ... stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell ... stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Austin Dempster ... camera operator
John Winbolt ... second unit cameraman (as John Wimbolt)
Robin Browne ... clapper loader (uncredited)
Geoff Glover ... focus puller (uncredited)

Music Department

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Edwin Astley ... conductor

Script and Continuity Department

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Pamela Davies ... continuity

Additional Crew

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Maurice Binder ... titles designed by
Carl Foreman ... presenter (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

The Duchy of Grand Fenwick, the smallest country in the world, is nestled in the French Alps. Being as isolated as it is, its life is a throwback to olden days. It is a happy, peace-loving country. Its economy solely rests on export of its only wine, Pinot Grand Fenwick, to the US. When a California vintner starts producing and selling a knock-off of the Pinot Grand Fenwick at a lower price, the Grand Fenwick economy goes into a crisis situation, the country on the brink of bankruptcy. Three protests to the US go largely unanswered. Grand Fenwick's Prime Minister, Rupert of Mountjoy, believes the solution is to declare war on the US, and promptly lose the war in less than a day with no casualties on either side, after which the US, which it has historically done, will provide vast financial aide to rebuild the country. Grand Fenwick's monarch, the Grand Duchess Gloriana XII, ultimately supports this concept. The plan is to send an official declaration of war to the US, have a small army of approximately twenty sail from Marseilles to New York City, and the army immediately surrendering when they can't enter the US without visas anyway. Although seen as a hapless man, the person to lead the mission is Tully Bascombe, who inherited the roles of Grand Fenwick's head forest ranger, head field marshal and grand constable of the armed forces, which still uses longbows and arrows as their weapon. The Prime Minister and Duchess believe that even Tully cannot screw up losing the war. But things do not go according to plan, due largely to the US official receiving the declaration believing it to be a gag, and events happening in New York City the day the army arrives leading to the army having no one to surrender to. Things take a further turn when Tully believes that they can actually win the war by kidnapping Doctor Alfred Kokintz and his q-bomb - which is exponentially more deadly than the h-bomb - which he is developing for the US. This move by Tully leads to an all-out global crisis. In the process, they need to also kidnap Kokintz's daughter, Helen Kokintz, with who Tully falls in love, but who sees in Tully solely a criminal. Even the greatest diplomatic minds may not be able to figure a way out of this crisis, especially with Tully on the scene. Written by Huggo

Plot Keywords
Taglines The Hilarious Story of How the Duchy of Grand Fenwick Waged War on the U.S. - and Won See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • The Day New York Was Invaded (United Kingdom)
  • La souris qui rugissait (France)
  • Die Maus, die brüllte (Germany)
  • Un golpe de gracia (Spain)
  • Ревящата мишка (Bulgaria, Bulgarian title)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 83 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $450,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia Peter Sellers made this film in part as a means of emulating his hero, Alec Guinness, by playing multiple roles in one movie. See more »
Goofs After Grand Fenwick's army sets sail for home, the headlines in one American newspapers (the San Francisco Review) talks about war mobilisation. American newspapers would spell it mobilization. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (1982). See more »
Soundtracks Romeo and Juliet Love Theme See more »
Crazy Credits The Columbia Pictures logo in the beginning has the Torch Lady spot a mouse and run off. The logo at the end of the film has the Lady return back to the logo. See more »
Quotes Grand Duchess Gloriana: How did the war go?
Tulley Bascombe: Well, Your Grace, we're home. Actually, there's been a slight change of plan. I know it will come as a surprise, a pleasant one, I hope, but we sort of won.
Prime Minster Count Rupert Mountjoy: You sort of WHAT?
See more »

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