Make a remake ? Was that someone's idea of a joke ? I've read all the many and multiple one star reviews of the 2013 film, and I do not understand how it comes out rating 7.3, when this brilliant Danny Kaye version only rates 7.1. And this Kaye film doesn't have any lousy 1 or 2 stars reviews at all ! One thing I know is that I won't be seeing the second double life of Walter Mitty, since it apparently only steals the title, and none of the original's genius. This is an exceedingly funny film, and I laugh every time I see it, and I've seen it many times. It's very slightly influenced by Hitchcock, with the dominant mothers, and the lead transported into an unimaginable situation (North by North West, except that came out 12 years later, so the influence was in reverse). The real situation matches the unreal ones, especially the ones involving the man's world: "My arm is broken, but I'm taking her through"; "Ach, Himmel, it is Valter der Mitty: I'm a lost man"; "Coreopsis has set in, but your brother will play the violin again"; "Swallow 'em up, ole Mississippi --- Fort Sumter has been fired upon; mah regiment leaves at dawn". Irreplaceable lines, etched on the memory, since 1947. Less entertaining are the hat man, and the music professor, who goes on a little too long. Not enough to dock a star, though. Boris K is OK, and Virginia Mayo is totally okayo.

Delightful fantasy - or is it? Would love to have given it more stars (for Danny Kaye's performance) but the story is too simple for a 150 mins movie. Based on a short story, not a novel.

I thought the Walter Mitty remake by Ben Stiller was rather jagged that took some while to get going. I think the Danny Kaye original suffers because Kaye's own shtick gets rather wearing, a film to display his various comedy and musical talent which he does very well including playing a British flying ace. However it felt less like an adaptation of the Walter Mitty short story.Danny Kaye's Walter Mitty is a daydreamer working for a publishing company. He is henpecked by his bossy mother and fiancée Gertrude, he is harassed by his boss at work.Then while sitting next to Rosalind Van Hoorn (Virginia Mayo) on the train he becomes a wanted man by some bad people who want a black book in his possession and an adventure to steal some hidden crown jewels.Boris Karloff plays sinister psychiatrist Dr Hollingshead who tells Walter that this is all a fantasy. This is a zany film with great production values and costumes. Mayo looks simply enchanting.

Instead of LIFE magazine and a journey dealing with life reaffirmation, the forties 'Mitty' instead has our hero as a daydreaming author of cheap pulp stories, and engaged to a vapid airhead with a snappy dog and overbearing mother. One day however, Mitty's life gets turned on its head when the mysterious blonde from his daydreams actually enters his life, protecting the secrets of an elderly collector from a villainous mastermind known as The Boot. Misunderstandings, hijinks and Mitty's bumbling-turned-heroics ensue.For all its earnesty and warmth, the '47 'Mitty' ends up feeling bloated. This is in part due to an overuse of the daydream gimmick, here all taking cues from the character's pulpy background; sailing on stormy seas, ww2 ace, Southern Gentleman Gambler and Western showdown among others. Each one is colourful, and the actors all embrace the archetypes, but after the third vignette, the daydreams loses any story function and feels more like a showcase for Danny Kaye's comedy talents, and the pacing is irreparably crippled. What should be as straightforward as a fish out of water/unlikely hero story for 'Mitty' keeps getting interrupted by these daydreams, despite the rest of the narrative having enough momentum, and it gets really grating. If you are one of those people who thought the new 'Mitty' had padding/filler, the older version will have you ripping your hair out.A shame, as we have buckets of amusing gags within and around these bits, as well as charismatic performances spearheaded by the sadly forgotten Kaye who is able to go from goof to suave smoothly, and even has decent singing chops. Heck, we even get the always magnificent Karloff as a secondary villain, a killer doctor, and he's just as much fun as you'd think he would be in this role. What's more, because of the choice of vignettes and occupation, this film also serves as a fun little spin/capsule on 40s popular culture, and even little jabs at it, especially with the character of Mitty's boss, the Publisher.In the end, the '47 'Mitty' is by no means a bad or even horribly dated film, but honestly, I have to give the point to the newer version. Yes, it may have had some sap in it, but it flowed much more tightly and smoothly as a narrative, and the daydreams served a story purpose as opposed to being a cheap gimmick like here. If you want to get into more fantastical 40s comedies, I recommend Kaye's other film, 'Wonder Man' (1945) instead.