November 19, 2022 21:00
A professional took over the job.
The main roles in Leonid Gaidai’s cult comedy “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession” had to be played by completely different actors. Yuri Nikulin was to play Ivan the Terrible and Bunsh, the house manager, and Andrey Mironov was seen as George Miloslavsky Gaidai. As a result, Yuri Yakovlev and Leonid Kuravlev starred in the film, and the latter became a real gem of the film.
Kuravlyov was constantly improvising and making up scenes that weren’t in the script.
In between filming, the actor smoked Marlboro cigarettes – and this prompted the director to include in the film a scene where Miloslavsky uses a pack as a microphone in the Kremlin chambers.
The episode with the fountain pen is also the work of Leonid Kuravlev. Kuravlev wore this pen with an interchangeable image during filming to amuse his colleagues.
Kuravlev gave his hero some catchphrases – it was the actor who had the idea to add to the words
“Citizens, keep your money in the savings bank!” clarification “If you have them, of course.”
