This little-known film is a delightfully whimsical fable about male menopause, although the term didn't exist when it was made. William Powell, unwilling to face the encroachment of old age, receives the gift of a visitation from an altogether fetching mermaid, who sparks the diminishing flames of his youthful ardor. Powell is simply wonderful in the role, as he is in anything, as Maltin so rightly observes. This is a charming, touching, and, in the end, poignant tale.
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rupie9 May 2000
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Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
There could have been some real pathos here in the device of a man facing his mid-life crisis also happening upon a beautiful and very young mermaid. But instead the movie is just plain funny and fun. It's a good movie, and a deliberately limited one, the events taking place mostly in a little resort-seeming set where the lead man, Mr. Peabody (the wonderful William Powell), fights with the meaning of a mermaid who has fallen in love with him.
I say pathos right away because what the movie needs is some edge, and it's almost there. It's not at all as silly as it sounds. The mermaid, played by Ann Blyth (who was nineteen when it was filmed, next to Powell's 56), is certainly a coy and apparently enticing thing. Peabody is both taken with her, but (if you know Powell at all from the "Thin Man" or "My Man Godfrey") Peabody plays it cool and never quite falls for her, even if he would like to. He does however seem to abandon his wife at one point (or she abandons him, and he lets her), so the complications are echoes of the most ordinary situations in post-war America: an older man finds a younger woman and makes a mistake, or what the movie portrays as a mistake.
There are psychological and social depths here that are only hinted at, as would be the mode of the era, but in a way that's enough to make it a "delight," which is no demeaning word. Powell is great, finally done with his Thin Man series (the last was 1945), and he still has that elegant but odd charm about him that is utterly unique. The rest of the cast is played by types--the beautiful good wife with a little spunk, the beautiful temptress woman at the resort with a little too much spunk for the wife's taste, and a host of less characters. And the mermaid? None other than the daughter from "Mildred Pierce."
Scuba fans and underwater types will love all the really good footage of Blyth (the mermaid) doing a great job swimming and being a bit randy, as any good mermaid would who hadn't met a man for who knows how long. A highlight? When Powell shows her how to kiss. Check it out! -
JLRMovieReviews10 March 2010William Powell stars as Mr. Peabody, a married man and on the verge of 50, and Ann Blyth as a mermaid he snags on his fishing rod one fanciful day, and ultimately falling for her. Usually I don't read other reviewers, but I did happen to scan over a few and found most of them liked this film. You can't help but like anything that William Powell is in; he gives anything he's in charm and a high regard it may not possess without him.
Having said that, this movie suffers mostly from a weak script and an awkward feel to it due to its staginess and the use of a flashback, in the form of telling the story to a psychiatrist. I can't help feeling it would have been more effective in the present day, as it was happening right now. It does a mystical feel to it and I can see how someone would have fond feelings for it having seen it as a child and therefore see past its technical flaws.
Ann Blyth is good and quite striking as the mermaid, who rightly doesn't speak a word, unlike Glynis Johns in "Miranda." With Glynis Johns' "Miranda" being made in 1948 also, I get the feeling that this was made to capitalize on "Miranda"'s success. It may not have the magic and humor that "Miranda" has, but, if you like William Powell and like his usual quirky approach to life's dilemmas, you'll be pleased for 90 minutes. -
guil127 September 2002The man is William Powell, reaching the age of 50 [supposedly a land mark in a man's life] and feeling in low spirits with still such an attractive wife, played by the attractive Irene Hervey, snags a beautiful mermaid while out on a fishing spree. Of course, he is all in a dither to have caught this delectable sea creature, played with such lovely and simple sincerity by Ann Blyth, that he proceeds to bring her home, placing her in the bath tub, where she takes a bubble bath.
Mr. Powell is wonderful in these type of semi-comedy films where he can show his sensitive side as well as his impeccable timing of high class comedy. He steals the film, along with Miss Blyth, fresh from her scene stealing scenes as the bad girl in MILDRED PIERCE, who never speaks a word, but does some very intricate underwater swimming, including a water ballet that would make Esther Williams jealous. However, Miss Blyth had a fish tail attached to her.
Other cast members include Andrea King as a delicious woman out on the make , she swims and sings] Clinton Sundberg cast in a very funny role of a man trying to give up smoking and Art Smith as the psychiatrist who examines Powell for possible lunacy in having met a mermaid only to reveal later that he, himself, had visions of a small ice skater who proceeded to skate across the window shade. Hmmmmm! Watch for another funny scene in a ladies' apparel shop when our hero requests from the saleslady, played wonderfully by Mary Field, for half a bathing suit.
This is a first rate small film, directed by Irving Pichel and written by Nunnally Johnson, made in the 40s, when films were an escape. And that's exactly what it does. Charms the tail right off of you. -
bkoganbing2 September 2011When William Powell was lent out to Warner Brothers for Life With Father it marked for him a transition to roles more suited for his age. In her memoirs Esther Williams noted that Powell felt very ridiculous trying to play a convincing love scene with Esther. MGM lent him out to Universal for Mr. Peabody And The Mermaid and while the film is not a classic like Life With Father, it is still a charming fantasy that holds up well after over 60 years.
The film is told in flashback by Powell narrating his involvement with a mermaid to a sympathetic psychiatrist Art Smith. Powell is on vacation in the Caribbean with wife Irene Hervey and he's finding it hard to admit he's reaching that crucial age of 50. In real life Powell was 56 when he made Mr. Peabody And The Mermaid.
Hugh French who's a vacationing lizard and would be gigolo puts the moves on Irene. Powell gets to do some deep sea fishing and catches a mermaid by hooking her tail. The mermaid is Ann Blyth who is absolutely enchanting as she steals the film without a word of dialog. Her facial expressions are priceless signifying wonder and terror and both at the same time.
Blyth gets a temporary home in the resort aquarium and Hervey suspects Powell of trying to romance vacationing Broadway singer Andrea King. King in fact gets to meet Blyth and she's not quite the same after that.
This fantasy had elements of it in the Ron Howard film Splash, but Mr. Peabody And The Mermaid will still delight audiences even today. I only wish Universal Studios had invested in some color cinematography. -
Arthur Peabody (William Powell) is a man of 50 who is brought to a psychiatrist's office by his wife, Polly Peabody, because he says he was in love with a mermaid. Almost the entirety of the film is thus a flashback as Peabody tells his story.
Arthur Peabody is a Bostonian who had a bad case of the flu. Being a man of seemingly independent means, he and his wife go to a Carribean island for the winter for him to recuperate. He's feeling old because of his recent long illness, because he just turned 50, and also because his wife is carrying on a flirtation with the dashing Major Hadley (Hugh French). So when Peabody catches a mermaid while fishing, he brings her back to his rented house and decides to deposit her in the large outdoor aquarium attached to his rental unit. At first he is just feeling responsible for her, but he soon finds himself falling in love with "Lanore" (Ann Blyth) the mermaid. His wife thinks all of the strange goings-on are because Arthur is having a romance with a grabby barracuda of a divorcee, Mrs. Livingston. His wife walks out because of this, and also because Peabody keeps trying to tell her about the mermaid and she is having none of it, believing he thinks her a fool.
This story adds a layer of complexity when Mrs. Peabody's car is found abandoned the next day along the road with no trace of her to be found. When Major Hadley tells the authorities about the arguments Mr. And Mrs. Peabody have had, they begin to think that Mr. Peabody may have done away with his wife. Complications ensue.
This was a great mature role for William Powell, and it is a shame it isn't better known. Ann Blythe is very good as the mute Lenore - Peabody's name for her. She seems to understand what the humans are saying, but she cannot speak at all, allowing Arthur Peabody to project whatever desirable traits he wishes upon her without having to deal with an actual personality. Yes there is a huge age difference, but that is the point - Peabody is having a middle-aged crisis. I did not like how at the end Peabody seems to just be telling everybody what they want to hear, probably partially to not be committed and also to make peace with his wife. He says that he knows the incident was just a hallucination. Yet the gift of a very strange and ornate hairpin he gives to his wife at the end made me realize that he does understand the truth of the matter. But in the production code era, things would have to work out this way. If you want things to work out like they did in "Splash!", you'll need to wait 35 years.
I would also say that for all of the care that Universal took with underwater shots this film really cried out for a Technicolor release so as to get the full effect. If you are a William Powell fan I'd definitely recommend this one. -
P3n-E-W1s37 February 2018While taking a vacation in the Caribbean, Mr Peabody (Powell) hears a strange and hauntingly beautiful singing. To his best judgement, he believes it to be coming from the quay opposite the villa. On his investigation, he hears splashing water and finds a bejewelled hair slide so he returns home. The next day, the slide has gone and the singing has stopped. Upset at not finding the owner of the beautiful voice he contents himself with fishing... and what a catch he reels in. A beautiful mute mermaid who he decides to take home. This is when the comedy excels.
Powell is brilliant as Mr Peabody and is adept at delivering the comedic lines deadpan, which adds more to their power. It also helps that the whole thing is brilliantly written especially the narrative. Add to this, the excellent chemistry between Powell and Irene Hervey, who plays his wife Polly. Clinton Sundberg has the best character in the film; Mike Fitzgerald is a man going through changes after seeing his quack of a doctor. On the Doc's advice, he's given up smoking. His reaction to anybody who lights up is great. I really loved the beach scene. It had me laughing out loud. He even has his own style of speech which adds a more comedic aspect to the mix.
Even though Ann Blyth has no lines in the film, she still has a presence. Besides, who needs a voice when your face can speak volumes(?) And the swimming sections are well choreographed and filmed. She works well in the water.
When I watch this film it makes the majority of today's comedy flicks appear even more infantile than they are. This is a comedy film with class, wit, and good writing. I wish there were more like this being made today. Therefore, I recommend this to anybody who wants a good laugh. -
planktonrules8 February 2011William Powell plays a man whose wife thinks he's having a mid-life crisis and who police later think has murdered his wife! It all is told through a flashback as Mr. Peabody tells how this all transpired. Apparently, he was in the Caribbean with his wife and managed to catch a sexy young mermaid (Ann Blythe). While he tries to tell his wife, she isn't willing to listen--even though he went to all the trouble to bring the mermaid home! Later, after the wife leaves him (she thinks he's having an affair), the cops begin to think he's killed her. What exactly happens next you'll have to see for yourself.
This is not the most distinguished film William Powell ever made. Now it's not because the story idea is bad, but the writing just didn't seem to always make a lot of sense. It was like they had a nice story idea but weren't sure exactly where to go with it. They seemed unsure if it should be a comedy, a fantasy, a romance or melodrama--and the ending sure didn't help. It SHOULD have been a lot better given the plot and Powell--a wonderful and generally underrated actor. Worth seeing, though. -
silverscreen88821 September 2005Some postmodernists have suggested this is a dramatic film. It is a satire--the sort of film where the hero cannot fail because of his/her values, ideas and ethical self-command. The central character in this well-loved feature is an man (William Powell) who has reached the age of fifty. He has a lovely wife (Irene Hervey) but he is restless; he has lost the sense of adventure in his life, and his wife is treating him as if he were "old". Then on a fishing trip, he catches a mermaid (Ann Blyth). She cannot talk, she has a tale and lives beneath the sea; but she does not think he is old, she finds him kind, fascinating and absorbing. Of course this fabulous find upsets his staid routine and disrupts all his relationships. He has to keep the lovely young mermaid a secret; He takes her home, where she takes a bubble bath. Andrea King all-but-steals the film; she is gorgeous, on the make for him, and suspicious that he is hiding something. A highlight of the film comes when she dons a bathing suit (she is a champion swimmer and gorgeous) and investigates the mermaid tale underwater, where Blyth bites her on the leg. Clinton Sundberg, one of the best line-readers on planet, plays a man who is giving up smoking with whom Powell has droll conversations. Art Smith plays the psychiatrist to whom he confesses his find; he is also older, and has had a fantasy of his own. Ever the practical sort, Powell tries to buy half a bathing suit, with hilarious results; he also eventually has to explain the goings on to his wife; this is a character-based adult script by Nunnally Johnson adapted from Guy and Constance Jones' novel "Peabody's Mermaid"; and it makes, by my lights, an unforgettable, charming and beautiful made film. Irving Pichel directed with verve and intelligence. others in the cast include Lumsden Hare, Fred Clark, James Logan, Mary Field, Beatrice Roberts, Mary Sommerville and many more in smaller roles. The film boasts fine underwater cinematography by David Horsley and Russell Mettey's usual very fine work. Original music was composed by Robert Emmet Dolan with art direction supplied by Bernard Herzbrun and Boris Leven; the difficult set decorations were supplied by talented Russell A. Gausman and Ruby R. Leavitt with costumes designed by Grace Houston. Carmen Dirigo is credited with the film's challenging hair stylings and Bud Westmore with the makeup for Lenore the mermaid and the rest of this talented and beautifully-chosen cast (a hallmark, I suggest of Nunnally Johnsons' films, since he co-produced as well as writing the script). This is not a film about someone being old; it is a wistful and intelligent look at being human, using the fantasy of a mermaid who is decidedly real as a symbol of youth itself--Mr. Peabody's youth--in which others believe or do not depending on their attitude to selfhood and individual desert. I find this film a touching and memorable screen achievement, thanks to all concerned.
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writers_reign12 December 2016Back in 1948 moviegoers who were into mermaids were spoilt for choice between Glynis Johns in Miranda (UK) and Ann Blyth as Lenore in Mr.Peabody And The Mermaid. Unless or until Miranda is released on DVD, screened by some outfit like the NFT/AFT or televised by TCM or Talking Pictures (as Mr. Peabody was recently) we have no way of comparing and/or contrasting them which leaves us only Mr. Peabody to discuss. The biggest thing in its favour is William Powell as the eponymous character and if Powell has ever turned in a bad performance I have yet to see it. I've never really cared for Ann Blyth but here she weighs in with a half decent performance possibly because she doesn't speak. It's gossamer of course but with a screenplay by Nunnally Johnson and a leading man like William Powell it's Industrial strength gossamer and will reward the average viewer.
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moonspinner559 November 2006Rather mediocre comic fantasy has married William Powell consulting a psychiatrist after having an encounter with a mermaid (seems the Mrs. is the jealous type, and Powell's mermaid is interfering with their marriage!). Made back in the day when psychiatrists themselves were kooky gag-characters and Powell's uptight "Thin Man" panache was a surefire laugh-getter. Seen today, the film simply doesn't hold up, not even as '40s nostalgia. Talky and surprisingly unimaginative; the cast does try its best, however the colorless script just about sinks the actors in a sea of silly chatter. Production design is handsome, but film could have used more wit and more magic. ** from ****
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johno-2123 April 2006I've only seen this movie a couple of times as it seems it was hardly ever shown on television and I don't know why it was so overlooked. It's not a big film and is a typical escapism fantasy fun film that were so popular in the 1940's but it's well done and deserves a look. William Powell whose days as a leading man were waning plays a man who is turning 50 and going into a mid-life crisis (Powell was in reality 56) so while on a seaside vacation with his wife away, he snags a mermaid while out fishing. A beautiful mermaid, played by the 20 year old Ann Blyth who in 1948 was breaking away from teen roles with this film and two others released that year, A Woman's Vengeance and Another Part of the Forest. This is adapted from the Constance and Guy Jones novel Peabody's Mermaid by noted screenplay writer Nunnaly Johnson who wrote The Grapes of Wrath, Tobacco Road and The Three Faces of Eve. Versitle director Irving Pichel who worked in comedy, drama, film noir, westerns and sci-fi and did such films as The Most Dangerous Game, Tomorrow is Forever, They Won't Believe Me and had just come off the sentimental The Miracle of the Bells, directs. Proliffic cinematographer Russell Metty photographs with underwater sequences filmed by respected visual effects photographer David S. Horsley. Irene Hervey and Andrea King are also in the cast. Ann Blyth looks beautiful and makes one of the best on screen mermaids ever in an unusual role. I would give this an 8.0 out of 10.
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SnoopyStyle14 March 2021Polly tells her doctor that her husband Arthur Peabody (William Powell) is in love with a mermaid. She had only seen the tail but she believes him. Of course, no one else believes the tale but at least, the doctor is fascinated with the Caribbean fishing story.
I love the opening minutes of this movie. I love the kid calling him crazy. I love that the doctor is taken with catching a big fish on that particular line whether it's a mermaid or not. I love that there is a questioning of reality like Harvey. The movie loses something when it actually shows the mermaid. I would have liked for this to be another Harvey. Maybe he could be sent to a retreat where nobody believes him except some patients and they could go find the mermaid together. The opening has great humor and a sense of mystery. The flashback in the main body of the movie has some fun but the reality of the situation is no longer in question. It becomes a sitcom of misunderstandings and missed meetings. It's less fun than the opening but it's still a little fun. -
I'm not sure whether Mr. Peabody's(William Powell) tale of falling in love with a singing mermaid is simply a bizarre manifestation of a midlife crisis, or perhaps the result of a bout of schizophrenia, or maybe the result of taking a psychoactive drug. In any case, his tale clearly was disturbing to those he told it to. Clinton Sundberg's character was so disturbed that he resumed drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes: 4 at a time! Strangely, no one else saw what he saw, only a big fish. For the most part, I found the film boring. Perhaps it was meant mostly to entertain children, in the manner of "The Little Mermaid". It might have been made more palatable if Lenore(Peabody's name for Ann Blyth's mermaid) was given the capacity to talk as well sing eerily. She seemed to understand English, so why couldn't she talk, thus providing some insight into her past and life? His wife(Polly) confused his ardor for Lenore with an interaction with Cathy(Andrea King): a casual acquaintance, who seemed to take a liking to him. Polly got mad and left Peabody for home. Incidentally, Irene Hervey , who played Polly, looked a good deal like Myrna Loy, Powell's frequent costar, as in "The Thin Man "series. See it, if you wish, at YouTube.
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barbarella7011 January 2003Slightly bizarre little '40's comedy about a middle-aged married man's mid-life crisis solved by the discovery of a young mermaid while fishing in the Caribbean.
William Powell (The Thin Man series) carries the picture on his charm alone and Ann Blyth (Veda in Mildred Pierce) makes a very cute and seductive sea creature. Some droll set pieces -Peabody's attempt to purchase a swim top for his catch, the various encounters with the busy-body's who come to snoop- work quite nicely and Powell actually creates some genuine moments of heartfelt desire but it runs out of steam before long, turns dark, then ends with a thud.
Regardless, the film is a harmless little buried treasure and more than worth a look. -
HotToastyRag19 May 2019Despite the silly-sounding title, I had such high hopes for Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid. William Powell, approaching fifty and unhappy about reaching middle-age, falls in love with a mermaid, Ann Blyth. I thought it was going to be the predecessor of Splash, which it was, and I thought it was going to be absolutely darling, which it mostly was. While most of the movie is sweet and funny, there are little hints along the way, including the music during the opening credits, that show the movie might have a dramatic card up its sleeve.
The opening scene shows Bill being dragged to a therapist's office by his wife, Irene Hervey, and reluctantly he tells his story. Since the story is told in a flashback, it should be clear that Bill has not left his wife and married his mermaid, so don't expect a direct copy of Splash. Ann Blyth is so darling, and she and Bill Powell are very sweet together. She's mute, but she learns to understand what he says to her, so she pouts and splashes water with her tail when she's angry, and she wraps her arms around him and puckers her lips when he flatters her with compliments. Bill teaches her how to kiss, and he even buys her a bikini top so the camera doesn't have to cleverly hide her nakedness. You can imagine how hilarious and awkward it is when he walks into a ladies' lingerie shop and asks for "just the top" of a bathing suit.
There are also some very impressive underwater sequences where the audience is treated to seeing Ann swim in her mermaid tail and play in her underwater grotto. She's so beautiful and adorable in this movie, it's impossible to describe. If you want to see what's easily her cutest movie, rent this fantasy. -
This film was passed over by the critics when it came out. Many of them perceived it as empty and without humor.
The film is actually both funny and touching. It depicts the desire of Mr. Peabody to find that he is still alive and has a reason for living. The enchantment which the beautiful young mermaid brings to him fulfills this desire. She affirms that he is still a man who can be loved and needed.
If you wish to be charmed not only by the lovely little mermaid but also by an interesting psychological study of aging and life itself, see this film. And you will also end up believing in mermaids -- as I do. -
JoeytheBrit3 July 2020Not even the urbane charm of William Powell can save this clunker from the pen of Nunnally Johnson, who wrote such classics as The Grapes of Wrath and The Gunfighter. He's Mr Peabody, a man struggling with the onset of middle age, who engages in a romance with the real live mermaid he snares while fishing on holiday. Ann Blyth, who plays the mute mermaid, was 36-years Powell's junior- and it shows when they share scenes of romantic intimacy. Once Powell catches her the film goes nowhere, but it takes a long laughless time doing so, despite a fairly trim running time.
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lweiss-210 October 2006As a girl of 9 I saw Mr Peabody and the Mermaid and was blown away by it. It stayed in my memory as a mysterious and haunting film, with her song still ringing in my ears 56 years later.
Luckily I found out that my TV/video is compatible with the NTSC system.(There is no DVD made as far as I know.)
So through the magic of E-bay I bought the video from someone in America, who posted it to me in Australia. Tonight I played it. I saw that the humor of it went over my head as a child, but I still enjoyed it immensely. How divine and delightful is Anne Blythe! Loved her also in Rose Marie and The Student Prince.
Leonie -
tpirro-221 December 2005I have wanted to see this film for many years now and have been awaiting its release on DVD. It is a funny and whimsical film and I have seen it many times growing up. Mr. Peabody and The Mermaid is a film that was shown quite often as I was growing up, but I haven't seen it for years. Very funny movie and I can't wait until someone gets it out on DVD. This film was any young boys dream come true, to go out and catch a beautiful mermaid and to bring her home was such a wonderful fantasy. I rate this as one of my all time favorite films and can't wait until its long over due release on DVD. I have often tried to find a VHS copy and have not been able to do so. Perhaps it will appear soon.
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maeander17 December 2004Funny. Thoughtful. Great script. Incredible dialog. Wonderfully cast.
You might guess that I like this film. William Powell has never been as warm and funny. Ann Blyth is every man's unattainable beauty. And Nunnally Johnson has never written a better script. This is high comedy with a heart.
I cannot imagine a more perfect cast. Even the minor roles hold their own.
There are many movies we see when young that don't hold up as well as we get older. This one gets even better. If you can't find a copy of it, then petition AMC or TCM to broadcast it. You won't be sorry you did. -
holdencopywriting8 June 2007There are lots of charming moments in Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid. I especially enjoyed the scene in which William Powell tries to buy only the top half of a women's two-piece swim suit for the mermaid (I don't know the name of the actress who plays the salesperson, but she perfectly captures the weariness and irritation that lies behind the professional salesperson's smile and memorized patter). It's interesting to see the old Male Menopause plot line done a little differently. Instead of turning 50, feeling old, and so chasing younger women to prove himself still virile, William Powell's Mr. Peabody turns 50 and loses himself in a little innocent romance. I enjoyed this film.
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dougdoepke11 September 2011That scene in the women's wear shop is a hilarious gem of scripting and acting. The relentless saleslady (Field) won't give poor addled Peabody (Powell) a break as he tries oh-so-tactfully to buy half of a swim suit for his uncovered half-woman half- fish (Blythe). Note how he doesn't even mention the pertinent word 'brassiere', a sign, I suppose, of Code-enforced times.
Powell's superb in this whimsical fantasy of replacing your ordinary pet goldfish with a lovely pet mermaid who can trill a siren's song. Trouble is Peabody's got an edgy wife (Hervey) who keeps nosing in at the wrong time, plus an amorous female acquaintance (King) who can't seem to keep her dress on. Naturally, all this produces a series of amusing situations, made more so by the expert cast, including Blythe who only needs to look silently alluring.
My one complaint is the undersea climax. It looks like the screenplay wanted it both ways, happiness with both the mermaid and the wife. But the underwater climax makes no sense and gets only a half-hearted explanation (an air pocket) as if writer Johnson is flummoxed too (maybe by the demands of a meddlesome producer).
Nonetheless, the movie remains an amusing slice of fantasy served up in Powell's inimitable style. -
JohnHowardReid7 March 2018NOTES: Marjorie Fowler is Nunnally Johnson's daughter, Gene Fowler, Jr. is his son-in-law. Guy and Constance Jones also wrote There Was A Little Man, filmed in the same year it was published - 1948 - as Luck of the Irish. Fred Clark who plays Basil was not a professional actor but a real-life butler - for Humphrey Bogart.
SYNOPSIS: Not a clone of "Miranda" at all. In any event, "Miranda" was not published in the U.S. until 1948, two years after the Jones' book. In this one, the mermaid is a device - a charming device - to circumvent the Hays Office. It's a sadly wistful little sex "comedy" of youth and old age, beautifully summed up in William Powell's line, murmured with an off-hand sadness, an almost casual regret: "Fifty - the old age of youth; the youth of old age."
COMMENT: A much under-rated and misunderstood film. I blame myself too. First time I saw it, I found it a complete mystery that such a slight piece of whimsy could have been adapted from a novel of no less than 242 pages. Did Johnson throw all the novel's amusing characters and incidents away, I wondered, to concentrate on the one-joke mermaid? Ah, youth!
Actually, the mermaid doesn't come in for thirty minutes - charmingly introduced in what would have been Irving Pichel's one really inspired piece of direction, were it not undermined by Mrs Fowler's intercutting a banal reaction shot of William Powell. But even daughters cannot ruin Johnson's delightful idea of making the mermaid silent. What a contrast to the garrulous Miranda!
True, Miranda sings, but off-camera, a siren song deftly blended by the voices of Winifred Harris and Lydia Bilbrook.
Miss Blyth herself is not one of my favorites, but Russell Metty's soft, flattering photography lends her face an endearingly perfect vulnerability. Her appeal to Powell is from the very start, protective.
Powell's performance is one of the most skillful of his career. He and Johnson manage to balance between creating an involving, amusing and sympathetic character without toppling into farce, disdain or outright unbelievability.
The support players and characters are a big assist here. Clinton Sundberg is most amusing, yet totally credible, and makes the most of his richly witty lines.
Lumsden Hare is a more familiar type - the stage Englishman - but who could fail to respond to his irritated running gag and the perversely named "Flying Squad" which is passed by everything on the road?
This film was obviously made on a tight "A" budget. The sets are both artistic yet dramatically functional. All the same, obvious backdrops and special effects reveal to the trained eye that the film was entirely lensed in the studio. Even the underwater location sequences in Florida were made by a second unit with an extremely-difficult-to-detect double for Miss Blyth (who does her own swimming in the close-ups).
Pichel's direction, alas, is somewhat ponderous and heavy-handed, altogether too emphatic, although players like William Powell most of the time and Clinton Sundberg all the time are able to deliver their lines with just the right touch of casual off-handedness that embellishes dry wit.
Metty's superlative photography has already been commented upon. It only remains to laud the delightful music which contributes so much to both pace and atmosphere; and the technical wizardry of the mermaid itself. -
jimjo121630 August 2013I wasn't expecting much from this rather obscure comedy, so I was surprised by how funny it was. The script sparkles at times, making this an under-the-radar gem. If you're curious and have 90 minutes to spare, check it out. You might be in for a treat.
The vacationing Mr. Peabody (William Powell), struggling with middle age, takes in an enchanting young mermaid and finds himself in the middle of misunderstandings with his wife, his fellow residents, and the police. Powell is always great and he's joined by a very capable cast of lesser-known actors and actresses. Clinton Sundberg makes an impression as the dry-witted, cigarette-starved fellow American and Lumsden Hare is a hoot as a British soldier of the old school. Irene Hervey plays Powell's attractive wife, who never gives him the chance to set straight her mistaken notions. Ann Blyth (MILDRED PIERCE) is adorable with a tail fin.