Wonder Man (1945)
Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

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.

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...