The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947)
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80% of critics liked it
(5 reviews) -
84% of users liked it
(2,459 ratings)
James Thurber wasn't too happy with the Sam Goldwyn film adaptation of his 1939 short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but the Technicolor musical comedy proved to be a cash cow at the box office. Danny Kaye stars as Walter, a milquetoast proofreader for a magazine publishing firm. Walter… More James Thurber wasn't too happy with the Sam Goldwyn film adaptation of his 1939 short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but the Technicolor musical comedy proved to be a cash cow at the box office. Danny Kaye stars as Walter, a milquetoast proofreader for a magazine publishing firm. Walter is constitutionally incapable of standing up for himself, which is why his mother (Fay Bainter) has been able to arrange a frightful marriage between her son and the beautiful but overbearing Gertrude Griswold (Ann Rutherford). As he muses over the lurid covers of the magazines put out by his firm, Walter retreats into his fantasy world, where he is heroic, poised, self-assured, and the master of his fate. Glancing at the cover of a western periodical, Walter fancies himself the two-gun "Perth Amboy Kid"; a war magazine prompts Walter to envision himself as a fearless RAF pilot; and so on. Throughout all his imaginary adventures, a gorgeous mystery woman weaves in an out of the proceedings. Imagine Walter's surprise when his dream girl shows up in the flesh in the person of Rosalind van Horn (Virginia Mayo). The girl is being pursued by a gang of jewel thieves headed by Dr. Hugo Hollingshead (Boris Karloff), a clever psychiatrist who manages to convince Walter that he's simply imagining things again, and that Rosalind never existed. At long last, Walter vows to live his life in the "now" rather than in the recesses of his mind: he rescues Rosalind from the gang's clutches, tells his mother and Gertrude where to get off, and fast-talks his way into a better position with the publishing firm. Substituting the usual Danny Kaye zaniness for James Thurber's whimsy, Secret Life of Walter Mitty works best during the production numbers, especially Kaye's signature tune "Anatole of Paris." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Norman Z. McLeod
- Written By
- Ken Englund, Everett Freeman
- Genres
- Comedy, Kids & Family
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Sep 1, 1947 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Great Danny Kaye fantasy-comedy, making far turns from Thurber story basis.
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Cast
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Danny Kaye
as Walter Mitty
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Virginia Mayo
as Rosalind Van Hoorn
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Boris Karloff
as Dr. Hugo Hollingshead
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Fay Bainter
as Mrs. Mitty
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Ann Rutherford
as Gertrude Griswold
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Thurston Hall
as Bruce Pierce
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Florence Bates
as Mrs. Griswold
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Gordon Jones
as Tubby Wadsworth
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Konstantin Shayne
as Peter Van Hoom
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Reginald Denny
as R.A.F. Colonel
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Henry Corden
as Hendrick
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Doris Lloyd
as Mrs. Follinsbee
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Fritz Feld
as Anatole
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Frank Reicher
as Maasdam
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Milton Parsons
as Butler/Tyler
- Eddie Acuff
- Ernie S. Adams
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Sam Ash
as Art Editor
- Billy Bletcher
- Betty Blythe
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Mary Brewer
as Goidwyn Girl
- Betty Cargyle
- Sue Casey
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George Chandler
as Mate
- Jack Cheatham
- Dorothy Christy
- Wade Crosby
- Lorraine de Rome
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Vernon Dent
as Bartender
- Harry Depp
- Ralph Dunn
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Maude Eburne
as Fitter
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Bess Flowers
as Illustrator
- Mary Forbes
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Joel Friedkin
as Grimsby
- Jack Gargan
- Karen X. Gaylord
- Mary Gordon
- Dorothy Granger
- William Haade
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John Hamilton
as Dr. Remington
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Lumsden Hare
as Dr. Pritchard-Mitford
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Harry Harvey Jr.
as Office Boy
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Henry Kolker
as Dr. Benbow
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Frank LaRue
as Conductor
- Ethan Laidlaw
- George Lloyd
- Wilbur Mack
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George Magrill
as Wolf Man
- Chris-Pin Martin
- Sam McDaniel
- Moy Ming
- William Newell
- Paul Newlan
- Broderick O'Farrell
- Dick Rush
- Sid Saylor
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Charles Trowbridge
as Dr. Renshaw
- John Tyrrell
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Minerva Urecal
as Woman with Hat
- Irene Vernon
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Lynn Walker
as Goldwyn Girl
- Pierre Watkin
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Hank Worden
as Western Character
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Robert Altman
as Man Drinking
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Harry Woods
as Wrong Mr. and Mrs. Follinsbee
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James Brick Sullivan
as Cop
- W. Beal Wong
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Donna Dax
as Stenographer
- Dick Earle
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Raoul Freeman
as Department Head
- Mary Ellen Gleason
- Martha Montgomery
- Patricia Patrick
