Director Steven Spielberg was responsible for some of the greatest films of all time, but his disastrous World War II comedy 1941 wasn’t one of them. With an incredible cast of comedy stars, this joke-a-minute, slapstick failure squandered its incredible potential. Spielberg even knew that things weren’t going well and considered making a major change halfway through filming.

Although he’s a master of many genres, Spielberg never fully figured out how to make an outright comedy, and it was only when he combined other genres like action in Indiana Jones or crime in Catch Me if You Can that his funny side really came out. There are hints of greatness in 1941, but the harsh truth was it just didn’t work.

1941 Was The First Major Failure In Steven Spielberg’s Career

It Was A Big Letdown After Jaws And Close Encounters

Prior to the release of 1941 in 1979, it seemed Steven Spielberg could do no wrong. Having achieved his breakthrough success with Jaws in 1975, followed by the triumph that was Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg had taken Hollywood by storm and was the most exciting up-and-coming director around.

With the world at his feet and endless opportunities, Spielberg cashed in on his incredible success to make this big-budget war movie that featured comedy icons like Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and John Candy. On paper, this looked like a match made in heaven and the foundations for an instant classic, yet the results were less than impressive.

1941 was frantic but not funny. The jokes were coming a mile a minute; the problem was none of them really landed. The plot was confusing. The characters were never on screen long enough to make an impact. Spielberg threw everything at the wall to see what would stick, and what he was left with was a meandering film without much purpose.

Telling the story of the panic surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was difficult to even figure out who the main character of 1941 was supposed to be. While 1941 did moderately well at the box office, it was a total failure when compared to Spielberg’s previous success, and it signaled the first major letdown in his career.

Spielberg Considered Turning 1941 Into A Musical Halfway Through (& He Really Should Have)

Making 1941 A Musical Would Have Given It More Sense Of Purpose

Rewatching 1941, it’s clear that the movie just doesn’t work at all. However, Spielberg later revealed that he had considered turning the film into a movie musical. This would have been an absolutely terrific idea, as it would have contained the chaos of the film within a medium that could withstand it and would have justified the gigantic ensemble cast.

Spielberg spoke to Empire about his plan to turn 1941 into a musical and said he “had fantasized with John Williams about doing eight musical song and dance numbers.” However, Spielberg admitted, “I didn’t have the courage,” and he didn’t feel he was at the right point in his life to “tackle a musical.”

This is hugely disappointing, as the only remnant from the musical idea to make it into the final film was the best part of 1941. The jitterbug dance sequence gives audiences a glimpse into how a 1941 musical would have turned out, and this remains the most entertaining, urgent, and memorable aspect of the entire film.

Spielberg said the jitterbug sequence was “a fragment of what I really wanted to do,” and he always regretted the film wasn’t a “real old fashion, golden era musical.” Now, all these decades later, 1941 stands as perhaps Spielberg’s worst movie, yet if he had followed his creative instincts at the time, it might have continued his extraordinary early run of successes.

It Would Take Spielberg 42 More Years To Finally Make A True Musical

Spielberg Fulfilled His Ambition With West Side Story

After so many decades at the forefront of the movie industry, it’s shocking that it took Spielberg until 2021 to fulfill his long-standing ambition of making his own musical. This came with the release of West Side Story, an incredible reimagining of the classic Broadway show that proved Spielberg was a natural fit for movie musicals.

Spielberg thought about making West Side Story for a long time before it actually went into production and even said in 2004 (via Slash Film) he’d been on the lookout for something similar for decades. When the film was finally released, it actually bombed at the box office but was praised by critics, and its box office takings were hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ve always wanted to make a musical. Not like Moulin Rouge though – an old-fashioned, conservative musical. … Like West Side Story or Singin’ in the Rain. I’ve been looking for one for twenty years. I just need something that excites me”. – Steven Spielberg, 2004.

As a director who has seemingly achieved every accomplishment a filmmaker could hope for, it’s amazing it took so long for Spielberg to make his own musical. While the results weren’t a success from a financial point of view, artistically it showcased him at his absolute best.

Had Spielberg listened to his instincts when it came to 1941, I’m certain the results would have been an absolutely extraordinary film. West Side Story proved he’s got a natural instinct for directing outstanding song and dance numbers, and I personally hope Steven Spielberg doesn’t wait another 42 years to release his next movie musical.

Sources: Empire, Slash Film