The Incredible Mr. Limpet
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| The Incredible Mr. Limpet | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Arthur Lubin |
| Produced by | John C. Rose |
| Written by | Theodore Pratt (novel) Joe DiMona Jameson Brewer John C. Rose |
| Starring | Don Knotts Carole Cook Jack Weston Andrew Duggan |
| Music by | Frank Perkins |
| Cinematography | Harold E. Stine |
| Editing by | Donald Tait |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | March 28, 1964 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unknown |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Incredible Mr. Limpet is a 1964 live-action/animated film from Warner Brothers about a human named Henry Limpet who turns into a talking fish and helps the U.S. Navy to defeat Nazis using his new "thrum", an intense noise that disrupts underwater instruments and weapons. Don Knotts plays the title character. The live action was directed by Arthur Lubin, while the animation was directed by Robert McKimson. Music includes songs by Sammy Fain, in collaboration with Harold Adamson, including "I Wish I Were A Fish", "Be Careful How You Wish", and "Deep Rapture".
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[edit] Plot summary
The story begins before the U.S. becomes involved in World War II, before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Shy bookkeeper Henry Limpet loves fish with a passion. Rejected by the U.S. Navy and feeling downcast, he falls off a pier into the waters near Coney Island and finds he has turned into a fish. Since he never resurfaces, his wife and friends assume he has drowned.
The animated fish Limpet, complete with his signature spectacles, discovers a new-found ability during some of his initial misadventures, his "whale-busting" thrum. During this time he falls in love with a female fish named "Ladyfish", and rejects his overbearing human wife, Bessie, in the process.
Still determined to help the Navy, Limpet finds the ship on which one of his friends, George Stickel, is stationed. Ultimately, Limpet is commissioned by the U.S. Navy, complete with advancing ranks and salary, which he has sent to Bessie, to assist in the hunt for Nazi U-boats. He plays a large part in the Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The choice of the name "Limpet" for the main character is somewhat ironic: While limpets are aquatic, in their adult form they are nearly immobile mollusks that cling to rocky shorelines. The name was probably chosen as a reference to the Limpet mine, a type of naval mine used during WWII, since Henry essentially used his "thrum" as a weapon.
[edit] Cast
- Don Knotts — Henry Limpet
- Carole Cook — Bessie Limpet
- Jack Weston — George Stickel
- Andrew Duggan — Harlock
- Larry Keating — Admiral P.P. Spewter
- Oscar Beregi Jr. — Nazi admiral
- Charles Meredith — Fleet Admiral
- Elizabeth MacRae — Ladyfish (voice)
- Paul Frees — Crusty (voice)
[edit] Remake
A computer-animated remake from Warner Brothers starring Jim Carrey was originally scheduled for 2006, but was later cancelled. It is still on the shelf.
