Film Review
Eager to capitalise on the runaway success of Danny Kaye in his first
feature,
Up in Arms (1944),
producer Samuel Goldwyn rushed out another vehicle to fully exploit his
new star's multiple talents.
Wonder
Man is a made-to-measure Technicolor extravaganza, allowing
Kaye, cast in a double role, to prove himself as a comic actor, singer
and dancer. The plot may be a tad hackneyed and predictable, but
a succession of lively musical numbers and a delightfully over-the-top
performance from Kaye makes it a supremely enjoyable romp, which takes
the basic premise of Shakespeare's
Hamlet
and turns into a spirited, breakneck farce. The film was directed
with considerable verve by Bruce Humberstone, who had a proven track
record in the musical genre with such successes as
Sun Valley Serenade (1941),
Hello Frisco, Hello (1943) and
Pin Up Girl (1944).
This was the first occasion on which Danny Kaye was paired with another
of Goldwyn's discoveries, Virginia Mayo. The constantly
effervescent Kaye and endlessly radiant Mayo were made for one another
and form the perfect romantic team. Never one to miss a winner
when he sees it, Goldwyn brought them together for three more
films:
The Kid from Brooklyn (1946),
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
(1947) and
A Song Is Born
(1948). Making her screen debut is another stunner, Vera Ellen
Westmeyer Rohe, a superlative dancer whose talents are put to good use
in this film. Her dance numbers with Kaye, including the
enjoyably daft
Bali Boogie
which opens the film, provide the film with its energetic
highlights.
The impressive special effects, by which we are given two Danny Kayes
for the price of one (can you have too much of a good thing?), were
provided by John P. Fulton, who won an Oscar for his efforts. The
film was nominated for three other awards, in categories of Best
Original Song ('So in Love') , Best Score and Best Sound.
Whilst it may be a little overshadowed by Kaye's subsequent hits,
Wonder Man showcases the iconic
perfomer at his near-best and is nothing less than a frolicsome,
fun-packed bonanza.
© James Travers 2013
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Buster Dingle is a popular performer at a swanky New York nightclub,
the Pelican Club. The sole witness to a gangland killing, his
life is threatened when mobster boss Ten Grand Jackson escapes from
police custody. Having been murdered by Jackson's henchmen,
Buster returns to Earth as a ghost and persuades his identical twin
brother, a studious Edwin Dingle, to take his place and testify against
Jackson. Edwin reluctantly allows his dead brother to take
possession of his body so that he can convincingly take over his stage act,
unaware that by doing so he is putting his life in grave peril...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.