The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Jameson Brewer (screenplay) &
John C. Rose (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 March 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Family | War | Fantasy

Tagline:

GLUB! The Face That Launched A Thousand Torpedoes!

Plot:

Milquetoast Henry Limpet experiences his fondest wish and is transformed into a fish. As a talking fish...

Plot Keywords:

Fish | Submarine | Shark | Period In Title | Shapeshifting

Cast

Don Knotts	...	Henry Limpet
Carole Cook	...	Bessie Limpet
Jack Weston	...	George Stickel
Andrew Duggan	...	Harlock
Larry Keating	...	Adm. P.P. Spewter
Oscar Beregi Jr.	...	Nazi admiral (as Oscar Beregi)
Charles Meredith	...	Fleet Admiral
Elizabeth MacRae	...	Ladyfish (voice)
Paul Frees	...	Crusty (voice)

Also Known As:

Be Careful How You Wish (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

99 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:G (DVD rating) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | USA:Approved (Certificate No. 20319)

Filming Locations:

Weeki Wachee, Florida, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The premiere was shown in a huge underwater theater at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Henry is dreaming about his military parade a flying wing is shown and is jet propelled. There were no jet propelled flying wings during WWII for the Americans.

Quotes:

Fleet Admiral: Harlock, you've either been drinking or you're suffering from severe combat fatigue.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Little Mermaid (1989)

Soundtrack:

Be Careful How You Wish

A Fish Story that refuses to become outdated.

There are not many movies that I can watch and enjoy with my grand kids, but this is one of them. This movie uses Knotts's voice, which was his greatest gift, to portray a fish who becomes a hero that Henry Limpet (classified 4f), could not be in real life. This movie is funny because it has the Navy recognizing a fish for a decoration and pay for his widow. The go between is Jack Weston, who plays the "other man" between Limpet and his wife. Weston seems more interested in Limpet's wife, while Limpet is more interested in fish. It's this gloss-over that makes it possible to watch the movie with youngsters without too many questions being asked. The ability to write scripts and make movies that can appeal to different levels at the same time seems to be lacking in today's movies.

Also found in this movie, and lacking in many current movies, is the obvious desire of Limpet to do his part in facing the enemy of the time. The movie is a flash back to WWII when the Nazi sub force was decimating Allied shipping, even before war was declared. The US Navy had to have loved this movie for helping with its recruiting, and they had to laugh at some of the "career boosters" for those involved in using a fish to fight subs.

Contrary to some previous posts, this movie does have enemies and victims. The Limpet and the Navy blew up a lot of ships. The nice thing about WWII was that our enemies were more clearly defined.