Wonder Man (1945)

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... See full summary »

Director:

H. Bruce Humberstone

Writers:

Don Hartman (screenplay), Melville Shavelson (screenplay),

Stars:

Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny Kaye	...	Edwin Dingle / Buzzy Bellew
Virginia Mayo	...	Ellen Shanley
Vera-Ellen	...	Midge Mallon
Donald Woods	...	Monte Rossen
S.Z. Sakall	...	Schmidt
Allen Jenkins	...	Chimp
Edward Brophy	...	Torso
Steve Cochran	...	Ten Grand Jackson
Otto Kruger	...	District Attorney
Richard Lane	...	Asst. District Attorney
Natalie Schafer	...	Mrs. Hume
Huntz Hall	...	Sailor
Virginia Gilmore	...	Sailor's Girl Friend
Edward Gargan	...	Policeman in Park (as Ed Gargan)
Alice Mock	...	Prima Donna

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

park | nightclub | ghost | twin | murder | 

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Taglines:

It;s Gala-Gala with Girls, Gaiety and that Goldwyn Glamour! (original poster)

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

9 October 1945 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Csuda pasi

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The, Beverly Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Assistant art director McClure Capps was Sam Goldwyn's son-in-law. His wife, Ruth Capps, was Goldwyn's daughter by his first wife, Blanche Lasky, but the marriage ended so bitterly Goldwyn never publicly acknowledged it and led people to believe his second wife, Frances Howard, was his only one.

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Quotes

Edwin Dingle: In fact, I don't think I'm ever going to see Buster again.
[he hears the spooky Buster music and gasps]
Edwin Dingle: Buster!
Buzzy's Ghost: [popping out of a box] I'm a little devil, ain't I?

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997)

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Soundtracks

"So in Love"
(1945)
Music by David Rose
Lyrics by Leo Robin
Sung by Vera-Ellen (uncredited) (dubbed by June Hutton (uncredited)) and The Goldwyn Girls (uncredited) (all dubbed)
Danced by Vera-Ellen (uncredited)

User Reviews

The Best Of Danny Kaye

Despite the confusing name of this movie, this is actually a top notch ghost story with a twin brother who gets killed and then has to use his living brother to finish his earthly business. Kaye is in top form as he portrays two different characters. As some sort of precursor to Quantum Leap, Kaye is visited by the ghost of his brother who only he can see and hear. Forced out of his rigid and safe world of libraries and research, he has to enter his brother's world of drinking, performing and gangsters. The clashes and confusion of style are much of the humor as lovely Virginia Mayo shifts from loving him to hating him to worrying about him. The somewhat out-dated comedy bits and entertainment peices still work today as does the little mystery story that hides on the background. The movie ends up with Kaye turning an opera upside down with his unusual style for flair, timing and nimbleness. It's still a very wonderful movie for anyone to see.