Classic movie site with rare images, original ads, and behind-the-scenes photos, with informative and insightful commentary. We like to have fun with movies!
Archive and Links
grbrpix@aol.com
Search Index Here




Monday, September 16, 2013

Silly Scares From Warners' "B" Side


Invisibility Done For Laughs in The Body Disappears (1941)

Warners scored a B-comic bulls-eye with this sci-fi plus chase frolic revolved around invisibility tests gone haywire. Dotty scientist Edward Everett Horton is cause of that: this is really his and Willie Best's vehicle, and what pleasure seeing these two knockabouts in firm control of happenings. I looked for evidence of The Body Disappears achieving sleeper class, but drew blanks, and to that add a loss of $32K, despite negative costs at modest $245,000. Could it be fact of release on literal eve of Pearl Harbor? (as in 12/6/41) Variety reported at least one engagement "dented by war and Christmas." If that was the wider case, then folks missed some joy, The Body Disappears being cheerier than most WB attempts at yok-making (by grim comparison, there's Affectionately Yours of the same year). The invisibility gag always suited comedy better in any case --- James Whale's initial go at a see-through man was maybe more memorable for laffs than thrills, and certainly by 1941, the topic was ripe for ridicule. I'm sorry, though, for Shock Theatre-era youth encountering this foolery rather than straight chills sleep was bartered for. Certainly The Body Disappears sounds like serious business: I went years thinking it was frightful after The Corpse Vanishes fashion (and consider similarity to The Vanishing Body, Realart's reissue title for 1934's The Black Cat). Well, sometimes it pays to be wrong, but you'll not go that way for unexpected fun this is.

7 Comments:

Blogger Paul Castiglia said...

Thanks for pointing this one out to me, John! With help from folks like you, I'm always discovering films of which I wasn't previously aware to include in my "Scared Silly" blog-to-book project (interested readers can visit the project site at scaredsillybypaulcastiglia.blogspot.com) - with Horton and Best at it this sounds like one I need to at least mention, if not do a full-blown review. Thanks again!

1:14 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

So was Willie Best still going by "Sleep 'n' Eat" by this time? I notice his name is not on the poster or lobby card that you feature.

I doubt even "The Body Disappears" would have cheered up poor Bud Abbott at the time of this morning's header. I sure wish he could have gotten work as a character actor on television in the 1960s. I would have loved seeing him--and have yet to see his solo turn on GE Theater. Is that available anywhere? Best wishes, Mark

2:21 PM  
Blogger John McElwee said...

I think Willie Best was billed by that name in feature credits for "The Vanishing Body."

There were so many good character actors working in the 60's ... a very capable Bud was maybe like them all ... competing in a crowded marketplace.

2:27 PM  
Blogger rnigma said...

I notice that Herbert Anderson (best remembered as Henry Mitchell, father of "Dennis the Menace") is also in this.
"Dross" Lederman (along with "Breezy" Eason) directed a lot of these WB B's. I remember seeing "Spy Ship," "Busses Roar" and others on a local station that was the first 24-hour TV station in our area; they ran old WB films and cartoons late at night in the '70s and I stayed up just to see them.

9:20 PM  
Blogger reprobates said...

For Mr. Unknown who wanted to see Bud Abbott in his supporting role in THE JOKES ON ME (1961), there was a thread on this on silentcomedymafia.com awhile back, and someone posted most of Bud's scenes from the show. They can be seen here:

http://www.silentcomedymafia.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=720


RICHARD M ROBERTS

2:10 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Many thanks for the link to that thread and Bud's GE Theater performance, Mr. Roberts! That confirms my notion that audiences, including myself, really missed out seeing a lot more of Bud solo.

Your hypothesis of Bud's being camera shy In the 1960s because of his tax situation seems credible.

7:07 PM  
Blogger Linwood said...

I never understood Jane Wyman's appeal until I caught this one on TCM. She was gorgeous back in '41.

3:45 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

grbrpix@aol.com
  • December 2005
  • January 2006
  • February 2006
  • March 2006
  • April 2006
  • May 2006
  • June 2006
  • July 2006
  • August 2006
  • September 2006
  • October 2006
  • November 2006
  • December 2006
  • January 2007
  • February 2007
  • March 2007
  • April 2007
  • May 2007
  • June 2007
  • July 2007
  • August 2007
  • September 2007
  • October 2007
  • November 2007
  • December 2007
  • January 2008
  • February 2008
  • March 2008
  • April 2008
  • May 2008
  • June 2008
  • July 2008
  • August 2008
  • September 2008
  • October 2008
  • November 2008
  • December 2008
  • January 2009
  • February 2009
  • March 2009
  • April 2009
  • May 2009
  • June 2009
  • July 2009
  • August 2009
  • September 2009
  • October 2009
  • November 2009
  • December 2009
  • January 2010
  • February 2010
  • March 2010
  • April 2010
  • May 2010
  • June 2010
  • July 2010
  • August 2010
  • September 2010
  • October 2010
  • November 2010
  • December 2010
  • January 2011
  • February 2011
  • March 2011
  • April 2011
  • May 2011
  • June 2011
  • July 2011
  • August 2011
  • September 2011
  • October 2011
  • November 2011
  • December 2011
  • January 2012
  • February 2012
  • March 2012
  • April 2012
  • May 2012
  • June 2012
  • July 2012
  • August 2012
  • September 2012
  • October 2012
  • November 2012
  • December 2012
  • January 2013
  • February 2013
  • March 2013
  • April 2013
  • May 2013
  • June 2013
  • July 2013
  • August 2013
  • September 2013
  • October 2013
  • November 2013
  • December 2013
  • January 2014
  • February 2014
  • March 2014
  • April 2014
  • May 2014
  • June 2014
  • July 2014
  • August 2014
  • September 2014
  • October 2014
  • November 2014
  • December 2014
  • January 2015
  • February 2015
  • March 2015
  • April 2015
  • May 2015
  • June 2015
  • July 2015
  • August 2015
  • September 2015
  • October 2015
  • November 2015
  • December 2015
  • January 2016
  • February 2016
  • March 2016
  • April 2016
  • May 2016
  • June 2016
  • July 2016
  • August 2016
  • September 2016
  • October 2016
  • November 2016
  • December 2016
  • January 2017
  • February 2017
  • March 2017
  • April 2017
  • May 2017
  • June 2017
  • July 2017
  • August 2017
  • September 2017
  • October 2017
  • November 2017
  • December 2017
  • January 2018
  • February 2018
  • March 2018
  • April 2018
  • May 2018
  • June 2018
  • July 2018
  • August 2018
  • September 2018
  • October 2018
  • November 2018
  • December 2018
  • January 2019
  • February 2019
  • March 2019
  • April 2019
  • May 2019
  • June 2019
  • July 2019
  • August 2019
  • September 2019
  • October 2019
  • November 2019
  • December 2019
  • January 2020
  • February 2020
  • March 2020
  • April 2020
  • May 2020
  • June 2020
  • July 2020
  • August 2020
  • September 2020
  • October 2020
  • November 2020
  • December 2020
  • January 2021
  • February 2021
  • March 2021
  • April 2021
  • May 2021
  • June 2021
  • July 2021
  • August 2021
  • September 2021
  • October 2021
  • November 2021
  • December 2021
  • January 2022
  • February 2022
  • March 2022
  • April 2022
  • May 2022
  • June 2022
  • July 2022
  • August 2022
  • September 2022
  • October 2022
  • November 2022
  • December 2022
  • January 2023
  • February 2023
  • March 2023
  • April 2023
  • May 2023
  • June 2023
  • July 2023
  • August 2023
  • September 2023
  • October 2023
  • November 2023
  • December 2023
  • January 2024
  • February 2024
  • March 2024
  • April 2024
  • May 2024
  • June 2024
  • July 2024
  • August 2024
  • September 2024
  • October 2024