Themes: Trading Bodies, Fantasy Life, Military Life
Main Cast: Don Knotts, Carole Cook, Jack Weston, Andrew Duggan, Larry Keating
Release Year: 1964
Country: US
Run Time: 99 minutes
Plot
In this amusing fantasy, a combination of live-action and animated effects, Don Knotts plays scrawny bookkeeper Henry Limpet, who longs to help the U.S. after the outbreak of World War II. He becomes depressed after being turned down by the Navy, particularly after his pal George (Jack Weston) is accepted. When Henry takes a walk on the Coney Island pier with his wife Bessie (Carole Cook), he falls into the water and is transformed into a fish, complete with his reading spectacles. Henry finally gets to help the war effort by helping to track down Nazi U boats for the Navy. Andrew Duggan and Larry Keating play the admirals who spearhead the secret mission involving the transformed Henry. Longtime Disney production associate John Rose was the producer of this film, and the influence of the animation is evident. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
Generally dismissed upon its initial release, The Incredible Mr. Limpet has grown in stature over the years, in large part due to the fondness its original target audience felt for it as they grew older. It's no classic -- not even of the "cult" variety, for its childlike qualities work against it -- but it's immensely enjoyable, especially for those who are willing to accept many of its technical limitations as par for the course in 1964. Chief among those limitations is a mixture of live action and animation that is often far from seamless. On its own terms, the animation is not top drawer, but it's more than adequate, and the vivid palette employed is striking. (That same palette also invades the live action segments, making the transition to animation somewhat less jarring.) The script has an interesting plot, even if it tries to cover a bit too much ground, and the character of George is actually pretty complex for this kind of venture. While some may feel cheated that there is no explanation for Limpet's transformation, and others may feel disturbed by the fact that he never changes back into a human, both of these elements contribute to the film's uniqueness. Don Knotts turns in one of his best film performances, although his jittery mannerisms are an acquired taste. Jack Weston makes George both appealing and a bit offputting, and Carole Cook has some touching moments when she learns of her husband's predicament. Limpet drags a little in a few places, but overall it's sweet, amusing and pleasantly odd. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
LeRoy G. Deane - Art Director, Robert Richards - Costume Designer, Rose Brawd - Costume Designer, Arthur Lubin - Director, Donald Tait - Editor, Frank Perkins - Composer (Music Score), Harold Adamson - Songwriter, Sammy Fain - Songwriter, Harold E. Stine - Cinematographer, Jack Rose - Producer, John C. Rose - Producer, William L. Kuehl - Set Designer, Maurice Noble - Special Effects, Robert McKimson - Special Effects, Donald A. Peters - Special Effects, Hawley Pratt - Special Effects, Vladimir Tytla - Special Effects, Gerry Chiniquy - Special Effects, Stan Jones - Sound/Sound Designer, Jameson Brewer - Screenwriter, Jack Rose - Screenwriter, Joe di Mona - Screenwriter, John C. Rose - Screenwriter, Theodore Pratt - Book Author
The Incredible Mr. Limpet is a 1964live-action/animated film from Warner Brothers about a human named Limpet who turns into a talking fish resembling a tilefish 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".
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. 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. With George's help, Limpet gets himself commissioned by the U.S. Navy, complete with advancing rank and a salary, which he sends to Bessie. He finds Nazi U-boats and 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.
"Limpet" is also the name of a type of undersea Mine used by the military.
The Incredible Mr. Limpet was released by Warner Home Video on VHS on December 3, 1994. It has since seen two additional VHS releases. On October 1, 2002, it was released on DVD.
Remake
A computer-animated remake from Warner Brothers starring Jim Carrey was originally scheduled for 2006, but never produced. On June 12, 2009 an announcement was made that Kevin Lima (Enchanted, Tarzan, A Goofy Movie) will be the director of a remake of The Incredible Mr. Limpet.[1]
