The Body Disappears

Last updated

The Body Disappears
The Body Disappears lobby card.jpg
Lobby card
Directed by D. Ross Lederman
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Allen G. Siegler
Edited by Frederick Richards
Music by Howard Jackson
Distributed by Warner Brothers
Release date
  • December 6, 1941 (1941-12-06)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Body Disappears is a 1941 American comedy film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Jeffrey Lynn and Jane Wyman. [1]

Contents

Plot

Unconscious after his bachelor party, Peter De Haven (Jeffrey Lynn) is transported by his friends to the college dissecting room as a practical joke. Professor Shotesbury (Edward Everett Horton) mistakenly injects him with a serum that makes him invisible. While invisible, De Haven learns that his fiancee, Christine (Marguerite Chapman), is only marrying him for his money. He also falls in love with Shotesbury's daughter, Joan (Jane Wyman). Meanwhile, Shotesbury is committed to a sanitarium by his colleagues for his claims about invisible monkeys and men. De Haven and Joan, by this time also invisible, go to release Shotesbury from the mental hospital, which they achieve by making him invisible as well. All the while time is running out for De Haven to receive an antidote. In the end, all receive the antidote, and De Haven ends up with Joan. [2]

Cast

Critical reception

Writing in AllMovie, critic Hal Erickson described the film as "an agreeably daffy comedy with science-fiction undertones," having "all manner of looney complications" and "still fresh and funny after nearly six decades." [3] A review of the film in TV Guide described it as a "funny B movie" with "fine special effects [that] highlight this variation of the 'invisible man' theme," noting further that "Horton and wide-eyed Best [give] fine comic performances." [4] Critic Dennis Schwartz described the film as a "delightful screwball comedy" and "the kind of old-fashioned comedy that can cheer you up with a few laughs if you are down, or if you are in a silly mood make you feel even sillier." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Band Wagon</i> 1953 film by Vincente Minnelli

The Band Wagon is a 1953 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli, starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway show will revive his career. However, the play's director wants to make it a pretentious retelling of the Faust legend and brings in a prima ballerina who clashes with the star. Along with An American in Paris (1951) and Singin' in the Rain (1952), it is regarded as one of the finest Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals, although it was a box-office disappointment on first release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Wyman</span> American actress (1917–2007)

Jane Wyman was an American actress. She received an Academy Award (1948), four Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Hopper</span> American actor (1915–1970)

William DeWolf Hopper Jr. was an American stage, film, and television actor. The only child of actor DeWolf Hopper and actress and Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper, he appeared in more than 80 feature films in the 1930s and 1940s. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he left acting, but was persuaded by director William Wellman in the 1950s to resume his film career. He’s perhaps best known for his portrayal of private detective Paul Drake in the CBS television series Perry Mason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Lynn</span> American actor (1905/1906–1995)

Jeffrey Lynn was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time. Throughout his acting career, both on stage and in film, he was typecast as "the attractive, reliable love interest of the heroine," or "the tall, stalwart hero."

<i>Its a Great Feeling</i> 1949 film by David Butler

It's a Great Feeling is a 1949 American Technicolor musical comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan in a parody of what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood movie making. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Mel Shavelson was based upon a story by I. A. L. Diamond. The film was directed by David Butler, produced by Alex Gottlieb and distributed by Warner Bros.

<i>I Married a Woman</i> 1958 film

I Married a Woman is a 1958 American comedy film made in 1956, directed by Hal Kanter, written by Goodman Ace, and starring George Gobel, Diana Dors, and Adolphe Menjou. The picture was produced by Gobel's company, Gomalco Productions. I Married a Woman also features John Wayne in a cameo role as himself. It was filmed in RKO-Scope and black and white except for one of Wayne's two scenes, which was shot in Technicolor. The film's original title was So There You Are. The film was a box-office disappointment, which hurt the careers of Dors and Gobel.

<i>Princess ORourke</i> 1943 film by Norman Krasna

Princess O'Rourke is a 1943 American romantic comedy film directed and written by Norman Krasna, and starring Olivia de Havilland, Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn. Krasna won the 1944 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

<i>So Big</i> (1953 film) 1953 film by Robert Wise

So Big is a 1953 American Drama Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring Jane Wyman, Sterling Hayden and Nancy Olson.

<i>Incident</i> (film) 1949 film by William Beaudine

Incident is a 1948 American film noir directed by William Beaudine and featuring Warren Douglas, Jane Frazee and Robert Osterloh.

<i>The King and the Chorus Girl</i> 1937 film by Mervyn LeRoy

The King and the Chorus Girl is a 1937 American romantic comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Fernand Gravey, Joan Blondell and Edward Everett Horton.

<i>My Love Came Back</i> 1940 American film

My Love Came Back is a 1940 American comedy-drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Olivia de Havilland, Jeffrey Lynn, Eddie Albert, and Jane Wyman. Based on the 1935 Austrian film Episode written and directed by Walter Reisch, the film is about a gifted young violinist who considers leaving a prestigious music academy to play in a jazz band to earn money. The academy's new president—a distinguished wealthy patron of the arts—convinces her to stay after secretly arranging a scholarship for her out of his own pocket, and the two begin attending concerts together. Complications arise when he asks his young business manager to take his place at one of the concerts. The film is notable for Heinz Eric Roemheld's musical direction and Ray Heindorf's unique swing orchestral arrangements of classical pieces. My Love Came Back was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on July 13, 1940.

<i>One Woman to Another</i> 1927 film

One Woman to Another is a lost 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and written by J.L. Campbell and George Marion Jr. based upon a play by Frances Nordstrom. The film stars Florence Vidor, Theodore von Eltz, Marie Shotwell, Hedda Hopper, Roy Stewart and Joyce Coad. The film was released on September 17, 1927, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Gambling on the High Seas</i> 1940 American film

Gambling on the High Seas is a 1940 American drama film remake of Special Agent (1935), directed by George Amy and written by Robert E. Kent. The film stars Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman, Gilbert Roland, John Litel, Roger Pryor and Frank Wilcox. The film was released by Warner Bros. on June 22, 1940, as a second feature.

<i>One More Tomorrow</i> (film) 1946 film by Peter Godfrey

One More Tomorrow is a 1946 American drama film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Charles Hoffman and Catherine Turney from the play The Animal Kingdom by Philip Barry. The film, starring Ann Sheridan, Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Alexis Smith, Jane Wyman and Reginald Gardiner. It was released by Warner Bros. on June 1, 1946. A pre-code 1932 film, The Animal Kingdom, is also based on the play.

<i>Public Wedding</i> 1937 film by Nick Grinde

Public Wedding is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Nick Grinde and written by Roy Chanslor and Houston Branch. The film stars Jane Wyman, William Hopper, Dick Purcell, Marie Wilson, Berton Churchill and Archie Robbins. The film was released by Warner Bros. on July 10, 1937.

<i>Doughnuts and Society</i> 1936 film by Lewis D. Collins

Doughnuts and Society is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Lewis D. Collins and written by Karen DeWolf, Robert St. Claire, Wallace MacDonald, Matt Brooks and Gertrude Orr. The film stars Louise Fazenda, Maude Eburne, Ann Rutherford, Edward Nugent, Hedda Hopper and Franklin Pangborn. The film was released on March 27, 1936, by Republic Pictures.

<i>Silent Partner</i> (1944 film) 1944 film by George Blair

Silent Partner is a 1944 American thriller film directed by George Blair and written by Dane Lussier and Gertrude Walker. Starring William "Bill" Henry, Beverly Lloyd, Grant Withers, Ray Walker, Joan Blair and Roland Drew, the film was released on June 9, 1944, by Republic Pictures.

<i>Silver Spurs</i> (1936 film) 1936 film by Ray Taylor

Silver Spurs is a 1936 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and written by Joseph F. Poland. Starring Buck Jones, Muriel Evans, George "Gabby" Hayes, J. P. McGowan, Robert Frazer and W. E. Lawrence, it was released on January 29, 1936, by Universal Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marguerite Chapman filmography</span>

This is the complete filmography of actress Marguerite Chapman.

The Spirit of Stanford is a 1942 American drama film directed by Charles Barton and written by Howard J. Green, William Brent and Nick Lukats. The film stars Frankie Albert, Marguerite Chapman, Matt Willis, Shirley Patterson, Kay Harris and Robert Kellard. The film was released on October 8, 1942, by Columbia Pictures.

References

  1. Erickson, Hal (2014). "The Body Disappears". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Baseline & All Movie Guide. Movies. Archived from the original on December 8, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  2. "The Body Disappears (1941) – Full Synopsis" . Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  3. Erickson, Hal. "The Body Disappears (1941)". AllMovie. Netaktion LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  4. "The Body Disappears Reviews". TV Guide. TV Guide. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  5. Schwartz, Dennis. "Body Disappears, The". Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews. Retrieved September 6, 2023.