McNear: The Mendocino Coast again subbed for New England in a Cold War-era film

Of the over 50 movies and television shows filmed along the Mendocino Coast from 1904 to 2001, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming is one of the films shot almost entirely on the coast. The cast included Carl Reiner, Alan Arkin, Eva Marie Saint, Jonathan Winters, Brian Keith, and Ben Blue.

The comedy portrays the aftermath of a Soviet submarine crashing near a small New England town in the 1960s. With the Cold War looming over the characters, the Soviet crew attempts to escape safely, while the Americans believe they’re being invaded. Ben Blue, depicting town drunk Luther Grilk, channels Paul Revere as he attempts to warn his neighbors that the Russians are coming.