When you sift through old Hollywood material you are occasionally surprised to see expressionistic style films that were once passed off as realism to audiences that otherwise would have ignored the effort. "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" (1948) is a particularly noteworthy example. 1948 was the year of film mermaids as it also featured Glynis Johns in "Miranda", a comedy much closer to "Splash" (1984) in style and tone. "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" is a much darker film, with a mute mermaid (wonderfully played by a perfectly cast Ann Blyth), the manifestation of the protagonist's mid-life crisis fueled imagination.The hope that William Powell's "Thin Man" popularity would translate into a box office bonanza led to his unfortunate casting as the title character. Powell's actual performance is fine as is Irving Pichel's acting for the camera direction, but Powell brings way too much baggage with him to effectively sell this complex character. And the problem is exacerbated by a screenplay deviating from the source novel to create a "Thin Man" tone for much of the film. Imagine 30 minutes of Nick, Nora, and Asta renting a vacation villa on a Caribbean beach; with the standard light comedy and mildly eccentric supporting cast. Suddenly Nick hears the song of a mermaid and trips out on his personal "Peter Pan" exploration of the mysteries of middle age male discontent. While both styles work fine on their own, their lack of unity makes the film far less powerful than it might otherwise have been (insert source novel here).The 5' 2" Blyth was 19 when this was filmed while Powell was 56 and in poor health, which made him look a bit older and make their scenes together even more surreal. In the source novel: "Peabody baited and put out his line ... Close to the boat his quarry struggled weakly and succumbed. He pulled it in.... It was incredible but there it was, his catch, from the waist up, was a woman! Her little b.... ts were pointed and rosy tipped. On a small scale, she was maturely voluptuous!" The little mermaid revives when Peabody brings her back to the villa. She is mute and enjoys kissing him. He names her Lenore (Min in the book) and keeps her in a fish-pool beside his villa. Misunderstandings result when he tries to keep Lenore hidden from his wife. The island police believe that he has murdered someone after he returns Lenore to the sea.The comedy in the source novel came mostly from its satire of the tendency of mid-life crisis men to seek out unspoiled girls half their age (behavioral traits that once had significant genetic and evolutionary advantages) and land them. Some of this satire is in the film but one has to look hard to see it. Unlike the Jones' novel, the film is book-ended by Peabody's visit to his hometown psychiatrist, with his mermaid story told as a flashback story. And the film goes out with Peabody giving Lenore's comb to his wife, signifying that his crisis has passed, he has surrendered and is moving on with his life. The book's ending is less tidy.Oddly, just two years after this expressionistic effort Pichel would direct "Destination Moon", perhaps the most extreme example of Hollywood realism. You would be hard pressed to find a director who can boast effective examples of two such contrasting film styles.The underwater scenes were filmed at Weeki Wachee Springs Florida, now a state park. There has been a roadside attraction mermaid show there since the mid-1940's; in which mermaids perform synchronized ballet moves underwater while breathing through air hoses hidden in the scenery (like the film's undersea castle). These are still being held so stop by if you are ever in the area, it is an especially fun attraction if you have seen this film.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I first saw this movie when I was sick and home from school in the early 60s. It's always stayed with me, though I haven't seen it since then. My mother must have been at work or something because she probably would have made me turn it off. There isn't anything objectionable in it. Any sexuality would have been implied the way most films did in the 1940s. I'm sure that if I watched it again, it would seem rather quaint. Kind of an interesting fantasy, though. I'm surprised that it has been remade. It could be redone pretty much like the original. It seems like it would do well at the box office if it had the treatment.

Some postmodernists have suggested this is a dramatic film. It is a satire--the sort of film where the hero cannot fail because of his/her values, ideas and ethical self-command. The central character in this well-loved feature is an man (William Powell) who has reached the age of fifty. He has a lovely wife (Irene Hervey) but he is restless; he has lost the sense of adventure in his life, and his wife is treating him as if he were "old". Then on a fishing trip, he catches a mermaid (Ann Blyth). She cannot talk, she has a tale and lives beneath the sea; but she does not think he is old, she finds him kind, fascinating and absorbing. Of course this fabulous find upsets his staid routine and disrupts all his relationships. He has to keep the lovely young mermaid a secret; He takes her home, where she takes a bubble bath. Andrea King all-but-steals the film; she is gorgeous, on the make for him, and suspicious that he is hiding something. A highlight of the film comes when she dons a bathing suit (she is a champion swimmer and gorgeous) and investigates the mermaid tale underwater, where Blyth bites her on the leg. Clinton Sundberg, one of the best line-readers on planet, plays a man who is giving up smoking with whom Powell has droll conversations. Art Smith plays the psychiatrist to whom he confesses his find; he is also older, and has had a fantasy of his own. Ever the practical sort, Powell tries to buy half a bathing suit, with hilarious results; he also eventually has to explain the goings on to his wife; this is a character-based adult script by Nunnally Johnson adapted from Guy and Constance Jones' novel "Peabody's Mermaid"; and it makes, by my lights, an unforgettable, charming and beautiful made film. Irving Pichel directed with verve and intelligence. others in the cast include Lumsden Hare, Fred Clark, James Logan, Mary Field, Beatrice Roberts, Mary Sommerville and many more in smaller roles. The film boasts fine underwater cinematography by David Horsley and Russell Mettey's usual very fine work. Original music was composed by Robert Emmet Dolan with art direction supplied by Bernard Herzbrun and Boris Leven; the difficult set decorations were supplied by talented Russell A. Gausman and Ruby R. Leavitt with costumes designed by Grace Houston. Carmen Dirigo is credited with the film's challenging hair stylings and Bud Westmore with the makeup for Lenore the mermaid and the rest of this talented and beautifully-chosen cast (a hallmark, I suggest of Nunnally Johnsons' films, since he co-produced as well as writing the script). This is not a film about someone being old; it is a wistful and intelligent look at being human, using the fantasy of a mermaid who is decidedly real as a symbol of youth itself--Mr. Peabody's youth--in which others believe or do not depending on their attitude to selfhood and individual desert. I find this film a touching and memorable screen achievement, thanks to all concerned.

Funny. Thoughtful. Great script. Incredible dialog. Wonderfully cast.You might guess that I like this film. William Powell has never been as warm and funny. Ann Blyth is every man's unattainable beauty. And Nunnally Johnson has never written a better script. This is high comedy with a heart.I cannot imagine a more perfect cast. Even the minor roles hold their own.There are many movies we see when young that don't hold up as well as we get older. This one gets even better. If you can't find a copy of it, then petition AMC or TCM to broadcast it. You won't be sorry you did.