Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Tuesday's Overlooked Film: The Incredible Mr. Limpet


For the third week in a row, Tuesday's Overlooked Film in an aquatic one. This week, it's the 1964 Don Knotts vehicle The Incredible Mr. Limpet.

Knotts plays the titular Henry Limpet, who attempts to enlist in the Navy, along with his buddy, days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Declared 4-F, a despondent Henry stares into the ocean below a pier and says "I wish, I wish, I were a fish," then suddenly falls overboard into the sea, finding himself turned into a fish.

As a fish, Henry befriends a female fish who he uncreatively names Ladyfish, and a crab whose personality lives up to his name. Together, they discover Henry's ability to propel large objects with a sonic sound he generates, which proves useful against Nazi U-boats.

Yes: it's fish vs Nazi U-boats. And that is awesome.

The film was a perennial on TV when I was a kid, and I always looked forward to it. I found it's blending of animation and live action ahead of its time, even though it really wasn't. Still, the film is a lot of fun and a fine choice for family viewing. It's not only available on DVD, but in Blu-Ray as well.

Here is the film's trailer. Thanks!


2 comments:

Todd Mason said...

Well...I liked this film better (particularly when I first saw it) than I did HELLO DOWN THERE and what I saw of BW,WD...and this one definitely has a cult following...

Anonymous said...

Yet another film that would have been better as a re-release than a remake.