Wonder Man (1945) – full review!

This showcase for the many (unique) talents of the singing dancing comedian actor Danny Kaye also won an Oscar for its Special Effects; its Score Sound (Gordon Sawyer’s first) and the Song “So in Love” (sung by Vera-Ellen) also received Academy Award nominations. This slightly above average fantasy musical comedy was produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by Bruce Humberstone. It’s based on a story Arthur Sheekman that was adapted by Jack Jevne and Eddie Moran and features a screenplay by Don Hartman (Road to Morocco (1942)) Melville Shavelson and Philip Rapp.

Kaye plays two parts super biological twins and the award winning effects seamlessly frame both of them in several scenes together. Vera-Ellen (in her film debut) plays Midge Mallon the fiancée and co-performer of Kaye’s Buzzy Bellew a nightclub entertainer; Virginia Mayo plays the budding love interest librarian Ellen Shanley of Kaye’s bookworm character Edwin Dingle whose twin’s name is really Buster. Bellew witnessed a murder by Ten Grand Jackson (Steve Cochran) and agrees to testify against him. But the gangster has other plans and has two of his mob Chimp (Allen Jenkins) and Torso (Edward Brophy) knock off the comedian and dump him in a lake at Prospect Park. The ghost of Buzzy then beckons Edwin to help solve his own murder and catch the criminals. Edwin’s appearance naturally befuddles Chimp and Torso and Ten Grand refuses to pay them their $10000 for knocking Buzzy off until they complete the job. So the two thugs follow Edwin around until they can kill him. Buzzy is able to inhabit Edwin’s body until his ectoplasm runs out enabling his twin to perform at the club. However since Buzzy’s not always around and (without him) Edwin has no knowledge initially about Midge or the murder and trying to explain things to Ellen makes no sense to her he ends up in situations confusing to everyone.

Donald Woods plays Monte Rossen the manager of the nightclub dubbed the Pelican Club who also has eyes for Midge. Ten Grand is a regular at the club. S.Z. Sakall plays Schmidt (Gisela Werbisek plays his wife) the owner of a delicatessen that figures in a couple of scenes. Otto Kruger plays the District Attorney and Richard Lane his assistant that want to prosecute Ten Grand. Natalie Schafer appears briefly (early in the film) as a library patron Mrs. Hume who’s assisted by Edwin. Eddie and Ralph Dunn appear uncredited as the two police officers who bring Edwin (thought to be Buzzy) to the station. The story culminates in an hilarious opera scene during which Edwin pursued by Chimp and Torso who now has the information the DA needs tries to communicate what he knows while on stage as part of the production to the attending prosecutor.

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