The Body Disappears
| The Body Disappears | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | D. Ross Lederman |
| Written by | |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Allen G. Siegler |
| Edited by | Frederick Richards |
| Music by | Howard Jackson |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 72 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Body Disappears is a 1941 American comedy film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Jeffrey Lynn, Jane Wyman and Edward Everett Horton.[1] It was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers as a second feature.[2]
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 sanatorium 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.[3]
Cast
- Jeffrey Lynn as Peter De Haven III
- Jane Wyman as Joan Shotesbury
- Edward Everett Horton as Professor Shotesbury
- Herbert Anderson as George "Doc" Appleby
- Marguerite Chapman as Christine Lunceford
- Craig Stevens as Robert Struck
- David Bruce as Jimmie Barbour
- Willie Best as Willie
- Ivan F. Simpson as Dean Claxton (as Ivan Simpson)
- Tod Andrews as Bill (as Michael Ames)
- William Hopper as Terrence Abbott (as DeWolf Hopper)
- Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Lunceford
- Charles Halton as Prof. Moggs
- Sidney Bracey as Barrett (as Sidney Bracy)
- Wade Boteler as Inspector Deming
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."[4] 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."[5] 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."[6]
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ Dick p.40
- ^ "The Body Disappears (1941) – Full Synopsis". Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ Erickson, Hal. "The Body Disappears (1941)". AllMovie. Netaktion LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ "The Body Disappears Reviews". TV Guide. TV Guide. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ Schwartz, Dennis. "Body Disappears, The". Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
Bibliography
- Dick, Bernard F. The President’s Ladies: Jane Wyman and Nancy Davis. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2014.
External links
- The Body Disappears at IMDb
- The Body Disappears at AllMovie
- The Body Disappears at the TCM Movie Database
- The Body Disappears at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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