Interesting facts about the comedy "Beware of the car"

On February 3, 1967, the Mosfilm film studio presented Eldar Ryazanov's film "Beware of the Car" to the audience. Today we decided to recall the famous movie masterpiece and prepared some interesting facts about its creation.

1. This story resembles a fantasy scenario: a modest and quiet amateur theater actor with a touching surname Detochkin actually turns out to be an irreconcilable fighter against bribe takers and other criminals, and he fights for the good of children. While another actor of the same theater, who by his occupation has to investigate the crimes of our "Robin Hood", he appears as a cunning, insidious and almost elusive attacker. Such an original script was invented by the most talented duo of Soviet cinema — Eldar Ryazanov and Emil Braginsky ("Office Romance", "Irony of Fate, or With a light Steam!" and other movie masterpieces) based on the folk legend of the noble car thief. Only at that time this legend was considered a true story, and Eldar Ryazanov spent some time unsuccessfully searching for a prototype of Detochkin — however, in reality such a character did not exist…

2. Initially, Yuri Nikulin was planned for the role of Detochkin, but he and the circus went on tour to South Africa for almost six months. Then Oleg Yefremov auditioned, but in the end the role was given to Innokenty Smoktunovsky, and Yefremov played the policeman Maxim Podberezovikov. During the approval of candidates for roles in the film, Smoktunovsky was undergoing treatment for tuberculosis of the eyes, which he had to interrupt for the sake of filming and then continue after their completion. The disease turned out to be very serious: it took almost two years for treatment.

3. It is noteworthy that both the performers of the main roles — Smoktunovsky and Efremov — were not comedic actors. Therefore, their images turned out to be quite serious and even dramatic, and the comedy "Beware of the Car" turned into a tragicomedy.

4. But the popular and beloved Soviet comedians Andrei Mironov and Anatoly Papanov very easily and successfully fit into the concept of the film, also providing the entire crew with a fun workflow with endless improvisation and sparkling humor. Andrey Mironov's work as a "trade worker" is considered by critics to be one of his most successful.

And quotes from the character of Papanov have firmly entered the life of Soviet society and are relevant, by the way, to this day, for example: "They'll help you, but don't steal!"