The Wild Man of Borneo (film)

The Wild Man of Borneo
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert B. Sinclair
Screenplay by	Waldo Salt John McClain
Based on	The Wild Man of Borneo (1927 play) by Marc Connelly Herman J. Mankiewicz
Produced by	Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring	Frank Morgan Mary Howard Billie Burke
Cinematography	Oliver T. Marsh
Edited by	Frank Sullivan
Music by	David Snell
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release date	January 24, 1941 (1941-01-24)
Running time	79 minutes [1]
Country	United States
Language	English

The Wild Man of Borneo is a 1941 American period comedy film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and written by Waldo Salt and John McClain, based on the 1927 Broadway play by Marc Connelly and Herman J. Mankiewicz. The film stars Frank Morgan and features Mary Howard, Billie Burke, Donald Meek, Marjorie Main, Connie Gilchrist, Bonita Granville and Dan Dailey. ^[2] The film was released on January 24, 1941 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ^{[3] [4]}

Cast

Promotional photo of Marjorie Main, 1941

• Frank Morgan as J. Daniel "Dan" Thompson
• Mary Howard as Mary Thompson
• Billie Burke as Bernice Marshall
• Donald Meek as Professor Charles W. Birdo
• Marjorie Main as Irma
• Connie Gilchrist as Mrs. Evelyn Diamond
• Bonita Granville as Francine "Frankie" Diamond
• Dan Dailey as Ed LeMotte
• Andrew Tombes as "Doc" Dunbar
• Walter Catlett as "Doc" Skelby
• Joseph J. Greene as Mr. Robert Emmett Ferderber
• Phil Silvers as Murdock
• Matt McHugh as Buggy driver
• James Flavin as Policeman

Reception

Writing for Turner Classic Movies, Glenn Erickson observed: “The colorful cast includes a gallery of distinctive personalities: Donald Meek, Marjorie Main, Bonita Granville and Phil Silvers. Did producer Joseph Mankiewicz intend this odd comedy as an 'origin story' for the motion picture business?” ^[5]

Production

Principal photography took place from early October to mid-November 1940, with retakes starting on January 2, 1941, photographed by Robert Planck, since Oliver T. Marsh, the film's cinematographer, was shooting another film. ^[1]

MGM employed Ruby Ray, a bird call imitator, to instruct Donald Meek on how to purse his lips so as to appear to be imitating birds. She also did the actual whistling heard in the film. ^[6]

References

1. The Wild Man of Borneo at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
2. Fetrow p.577
3. "The Wild Man of Borneo (1941) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
4. "The Wild Man Of Borneo". TV Guide. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
5. "The Wild Man of Borneo". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
6. "Ruby Ray" AFI Catalog

Bibliography

• Fetrow, Alan G. Feature Films, 1940-1949: a United States Filmography. McFarland, 1994.

External links

• The Wild Man of Borneo at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• The Wild Man of Borneo at IMDb
• The Wild Man of Borneo at the TCM Movie Database