I love this film. Zero Mostel is tirelessly hysterical as a slave longing for freedom, and the rest of the cast is terrific. The laughs never stop! I love corny and physical humor, so this film always puts me in a good mood. The ending is one joke after another that left me laughing my ass off. Phil Silvers is awesome as a brothel owner and Michael Crawford is so cute and clumsy. Buster Keaton, "old stone face" is the icing on the cake. The fact that he was dying when he made the film is astonishing. Great fun all around.

The story is set in the ancient Rome.Pseudolys, a lazy slave wants nothing more than to be free.He gets that chance when he finds out that the young master has fell in love.The girl is Philia, a virgin in the house of Lycus, a slave dealer who sells beautiful women.If Pseudolys gets the two lovebirds together, he's free.A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a very funny musical comedy.Zero Mostel is brilliant in the lead.There's also the silent comedy legend Buster Keaton there.It's most hilarious when Senex meets the goddess Philia at the door.And they tell him she's the new maid.Or Lycus doing acrobatics.The chariot race is really something.The song heard in this movie is really catchy.Something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone: a comedy tonight.

Transpose "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" to ancient Rome and you basically have "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". This story of a slave (Zero Mostel) having to help arrange a romance between two people is worth watching just for the chase scene at the end. If you've been to Spain or Italy, it's neat to see the sites again. But above all, this is what 1960s humor is all about. They must have had fun filming this movie. And personally, I think that it's a good idea that they cut down the musical aspect and left it a straightforward comedy. You're sure to have more than a few laughs.Also starring Phil Silvers, Michael Crawford, Jack Gilford, Buster Keaton, Jon Pertwee and Ingrid Pitt.

While I enjoy a lot of the classic musicals, I find that there are a lot of filler songs included. This is one of the instances that does not fit that category. The songs are excellent, and are performed in a definitive way. Zero Mostel is an incredible performer, and his antics here are spectacular. His supporting cast is equally memorable, but Zero steals the show. The direction and pacing of the show is also handled perfectly. It reminds me partly of Benny Hill, only a bit more fresh. It is surprising that this movie has not been held up as a watermark for both comedy and musicals. I place it in a category with Some Like It Hot.