I have always loved and admired Danny Kaye.
Although I agree his brand of zany comedy will not be everybody's cup of tea, his films (especially his early ones like this one) never fail in creasing me up.
He not only had singing and dancing ability on par with the greats, he had a distinct flair for comedy and performed it expertly not only through his lines and comic timing, but with his body and facial expressions, not to mention his rapid fire double talk and tongue twisters. A truly talented man.
Wonderman made in 1945 shows Kaye at his best in what was possibly his second or third movie appearance. In these transformation days from stage entertainer to movie star, he was able to bring his old acts from the circuits and transfer them to screen with ease, for a new and appreciative audience. Indeed one of the two characters Kaye plays in the film is a nightclub entertainer by the name of Buzzy Bellew not too far removed from the real Kaye himself.
The other character Kaye plays is Bellew's egg-head brother, straight as a die and sensible to the core, thus giving Kaye ample chance to show off both sides to his versatile talents.
When Bellew is murdered by the mob for knowing a trifle more than was good for him, he returns in ghost form to rope in his gawky identical twin brother, to take his place and bring the mobster to account.
The comedy is so funny at times that you fail to realize the real tragedy of the situation, a young man with a beautiful fiancé and successful life in front of him, has been murdered and dumped rather disrespectfully in the river in Prospect Park.
But hey....Bellew seems to be so cool and glib about the whole thing, that if he doesn't care too much about it I'm damned if I will.
Great musical numbers and (for it's day) state of the art special effects compliment the great comic turns delivered by Kaye.
Two funny lines to watch out for are:- "does the acoustic nerve run down that far?" and the powerfully sung, "Frankie SINATRA" in the final opera scene. Not funny written here but put in their correct places in the film they will have you bursting with laughter.
A simple formula, but a great movie that really works.
