Arthur Peabody (William Powell) is a man of 50 who is brought to a psychiatrist's office by his wife, Polly Peabody, because he says he was in love with a mermaid. Almost the entirety of the film is thus a flashback as Peabody tells his story.
Arthur Peabody is a Bostonian who had a bad case of the flu. Being a man of seemingly independent means, he and his wife go to a Carribean island for the winter for him to recuperate. He's feeling old because of his recent long illness, because he just turned 50, and also because his wife is carrying on a flirtation with the dashing Major Hadley (Hugh French). So when Peabody catches a mermaid while fishing, he brings her back to his rented house and decides to deposit her in the large outdoor aquarium attached to his rental unit. At first he is just feeling responsible for her, but he soon finds himself falling in love with "Lanore" (Ann Blyth) the mermaid. His wife thinks all of the strange goings-on are because Arthur is having a romance with a grabby barracuda of a divorcee, Mrs. Livingston. His wife walks out because of this, and also because Peabody keeps trying to tell her about the mermaid and she is having none of it, believing he thinks her a fool.
This story adds a layer of complexity when Mrs. Peabody's car is found abandoned the next day along the road with no trace of her to be found. When Major Hadley tells the authorities about the arguments Mr. And Mrs. Peabody have had, they begin to think that Mr. Peabody may have done away with his wife. Complications ensue.
This was a great mature role for William Powell, and it is a shame it isn't better known. Ann Blythe is very good as the mute Lenore - Peabody's name for her. She seems to understand what the humans are saying, but she cannot speak at all, allowing Arthur Peabody to project whatever desirable traits he wishes upon her without having to deal with an actual personality. Yes there is a huge age difference, but that is the point - Peabody is having a middle-aged crisis. I did not like how at the end Peabody seems to just be telling everybody what they want to hear, probably partially to not be committed and also to make peace with his wife. He says that he knows the incident was just a hallucination. Yet the gift of a very strange and ornate hairpin he gives to his wife at the end made me realize that he does understand the truth of the matter. But in the production code era, things would have to work out this way. If you want things to work out like they did in "Splash!", you'll need to wait 35 years.
I would also say that for all of the care that Universal took with underwater shots this film really cried out for a Technicolor release so as to get the full effect. If you are a William Powell fan I'd definitely recommend this one.
Arthur Peabody is a Bostonian who had a bad case of the flu. Being a man of seemingly independent means, he and his wife go to a Carribean island for the winter for him to recuperate. He's feeling old because of his recent long illness, because he just turned 50, and also because his wife is carrying on a flirtation with the dashing Major Hadley (Hugh French). So when Peabody catches a mermaid while fishing, he brings her back to his rented house and decides to deposit her in the large outdoor aquarium attached to his rental unit. At first he is just feeling responsible for her, but he soon finds himself falling in love with "Lanore" (Ann Blyth) the mermaid. His wife thinks all of the strange goings-on are because Arthur is having a romance with a grabby barracuda of a divorcee, Mrs. Livingston. His wife walks out because of this, and also because Peabody keeps trying to tell her about the mermaid and she is having none of it, believing he thinks her a fool.
This story adds a layer of complexity when Mrs. Peabody's car is found abandoned the next day along the road with no trace of her to be found. When Major Hadley tells the authorities about the arguments Mr. And Mrs. Peabody have had, they begin to think that Mr. Peabody may have done away with his wife. Complications ensue.
This was a great mature role for William Powell, and it is a shame it isn't better known. Ann Blythe is very good as the mute Lenore - Peabody's name for her. She seems to understand what the humans are saying, but she cannot speak at all, allowing Arthur Peabody to project whatever desirable traits he wishes upon her without having to deal with an actual personality. Yes there is a huge age difference, but that is the point - Peabody is having a middle-aged crisis. I did not like how at the end Peabody seems to just be telling everybody what they want to hear, probably partially to not be committed and also to make peace with his wife. He says that he knows the incident was just a hallucination. Yet the gift of a very strange and ornate hairpin he gives to his wife at the end made me realize that he does understand the truth of the matter. But in the production code era, things would have to work out this way. If you want things to work out like they did in "Splash!", you'll need to wait 35 years.
I would also say that for all of the care that Universal took with underwater shots this film really cried out for a Technicolor release so as to get the full effect. If you are a William Powell fan I'd definitely recommend this one.