Film Snail

Wonder Man
Wonder Man

6.6

Wonder Man

NR·1945·98m

Summary

Boisterous nightclub entertainer Buzzy Bellew was the witness to a murder committed by gangster Ten Grand Jackson. One night, two of Jackson's thugs kill Buzzy and dump his body in the lake at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Buzzy comes back as a ghost and summons his bookworm twin, Edwin Dingle, to Prospect Park so that he can help the police nail Jackson.

Crew

Director

H. Bruce Humberstone

Adaptation

Jack Jevne

Adaptation

Eddie Moran

Lyricist

Sylvia Fine

Original Story

Arthur Sheekman

Screenplay

Melville Shavelson

Screenplay

Don Hartman

Screenplay

Philip Rapp

Reviews

Geronimo1967

Geronimo1967

July 1, 2022

6

Danny Kaye is "Dingle" - a charismatic, if slightly annoying, nightclub entertainer who, after witnessing an hit, falls foul of some mobsters. His ghost returns to try and inspire his rather timid twin to help deliver his killers to the cops. The split-personality approach allows for plenty opportunities for light comedy. "Dingle" must reconcile the attentions of his fiancée "Midge" (Vera-Allen) - engaged to the murdered man, and of the shy and retiring librarian "Ellen" (Virginia Mayo) who prefers the quieter man. This love triangle thread is a bit wearisome, to be honest, and concludes in a rather predictable way - indeed, the whole storyline is pretty unremarkable. Kaye is at his best when he is ostensibly "possessed" by his twin - and the flower-allergy number "Otchi Tchorniya" is the highlight of the film. Also quite notable are the visual effects. Both "Dingle" characters frequently and imperceptibly appear in the same shot, the ghostly apparition even walking through objects. Fans of the star may get more from this, but I found his performance just a bit too dominating, the rest of the film is as nothing to his appearances and the songs are all pretty lacklustre, save for Leo Robin & David Rose's "So in Love". It's quirky, colourful and well paced, so fans should enjoy it - it just over-did it for me.

Media

No Videos to show.

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Keywords

dance
possession
comedian
musical
murder
twins
hoodlum