The Incredible Mr. Limpet
Encyclopedia
The Incredible Mr. Limpet is a 1964 American live-action/animated film
from Warner Bros.
It is about a man named Henry Limpet who turns into a talking fish resembling a tilefish
and helps the U.S. Navy
locate and destroy Nazi submarines. Don Knotts
plays the title character. The live action was directed by Arthur Lubin
, while the animation was directed by Robert McKimson
. Music includes songs by Sammy Fain
, in collaboration with Harold Adamson
, including "I Wish I Were a Fish", "Be Careful How You Wish", and "Deep Rapture".
. Shy bookkeeper Henry Limpet loves fish with a passion. When his friend George Stickle enlists in the Navy, Limpet attempts to enlist as well, but is rejected. Feeling downcast, he wanders down to a pier near Coney Island
and accidentally falls in. Inexplicably, he finds he has turned into a fish. Since he never resurfaces, his wife, Bessie, and George assume he has drowned.
The fish Limpet, complete with his signature spectacles, discovers a new-found ability during some of his initial misadventures, a powerful underwater roar, his "thrum." He falls in love with a female fish he names Ladyfish, and makes friends with a misanthropic hermit crab
named Crusty.
Still determined to help the Navy, Limpet finds a convoy and requests to see one of his friends, George Stickle. With George's help, Limpet gets himself commissioned by the U.S. Navy, complete with advancing rank and a salary, which he sends to Bessie. He helps the Navy locate Nazi U-boat
s by signaling with his "thrum", and plays a large part in the Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic. In his final mission, he is nearly killed when the Nazis develop a "thrum" seeking torpedo, and is further handicapped by the loss of his spectacles. He manages to survive using Crusty as his "navigator", and sinks a number of U-boats by redirecting the torpedos. After the battle, he swims to Coney Island in order to say goodbye to Bessie (who has now fallen in love with George), then swims off with Ladyfish.
In the film's coda, set in the current (1964) time, George (now a high ranking naval officer) and the Admiral are presented with a report that Mr. Limpet is still alive and working with porpoises. The two men travel out to sea in order to contact Mr. Limpet, and offer him a new commission in the Navy.
* This is Larry Keating
's last film. He died before it was finished.
** This is also Charles Meredith
's last film. He died not long after it was finished.
on VHS
on December 3, 1994. It has since seen two additional VHS releases. On October 1, 2002, it was released on DVD
.
hometown at the Warner Theatre (Morgantown, West Virginia)
.
Both Don Knotts
and Elizabeth MacRae
(Limpet and Ladyfish) were employed in Andy Griffith
's Mayberry
franchises, respectively as deputy Barney Fife
and Lou-Ann Poovie, Gomer Pyle
's girlfriend in the later seasons of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
was up for the role and Knotts offered his support. Director Kevin Lima
was attached with Zach Galifianakis
in the lead role, but both soon left the project. The attached director at the moment is Richard Linklater
.
theme park.
Live-action/animated film
A live-action/animated film is a motion picture that features a combination of real actors or elements: live-action and animated elements, typically interacting.-History:...
from Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
It is about a man named Henry Limpet who turns into a talking fish resembling a tilefish
Tilefish
Tilefishes, also known as blanquillo, are mostly small perciform marine fish comprising the family Malacanthidae.They are usually found in sandy areas, especially near coral reefs....
and helps the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
locate and destroy Nazi submarines. Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
plays the title character. The live action was directed by Arthur Lubin
Arthur Lubin
Arthur Lubin was an American film director and producer who directed several Abbott & Costello films and created the TV series Mr. Ed.Arthur Lubin was born Arthur William Lubovsky in Los Angeles, California in 1898...
, while the animation was directed by Robert McKimson
Robert McKimson
Robert "Bob" Porter McKimson, Sr. was an American animator, illustrator, and director best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros., and later DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
. Music includes songs by Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, Fain left the Fain-Dunn act to devote himself to...
, in collaboration with Harold Adamson
Harold Adamson
For the Toronto Police Chief see Harold Adamson Harold Adamson was an American lyricist during the 1930s and 1940s.- Biography :...
, including "I Wish I Were a Fish", "Be Careful How You Wish", and "Deep Rapture".
Plot
The story begins September 1941 just a few months before the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. Shy bookkeeper Henry Limpet loves fish with a passion. When his friend George Stickle enlists in the Navy, Limpet attempts to enlist as well, but is rejected. Feeling downcast, he wanders down to a pier near Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
and accidentally falls in. Inexplicably, he finds he has turned into a fish. Since he never resurfaces, his wife, Bessie, and George assume he has drowned.
The fish Limpet, complete with his signature spectacles, discovers a new-found ability during some of his initial misadventures, a powerful underwater roar, his "thrum." He falls in love with a female fish he names Ladyfish, and makes friends with a misanthropic hermit crab
Hermit crab
Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. Most of the 1100 species possess an asymmetrical abdomen which is concealed in an empty gastropod shell that is carried around by the hermit crab.-Description:...
named Crusty.
Still determined to help the Navy, Limpet finds a convoy and requests to see one of his friends, George Stickle. With George's help, Limpet gets himself commissioned by the U.S. Navy, complete with advancing rank and a salary, which he sends to Bessie. He helps the Navy locate Nazi U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s by signaling with his "thrum", and plays a large part in the Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic. In his final mission, he is nearly killed when the Nazis develop a "thrum" seeking torpedo, and is further handicapped by the loss of his spectacles. He manages to survive using Crusty as his "navigator", and sinks a number of U-boats by redirecting the torpedos. After the battle, he swims to Coney Island in order to say goodbye to Bessie (who has now fallen in love with George), then swims off with Ladyfish.
In the film's coda, set in the current (1964) time, George (now a high ranking naval officer) and the Admiral are presented with a report that Mr. Limpet is still alive and working with porpoises. The two men travel out to sea in order to contact Mr. Limpet, and offer him a new commission in the Navy.
Cast
- Don KnottsDon KnottsJesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
as Henry Limpet - Carole CookCarole CookCarole Cook is an American actress. She has appeared in many theatrical productions, in films and on television.Born as Mildred Frances Cook, she was a protege of Lucille Ball. Ball gave her the stage name of "Carole", after her friend Carole Lombard because, Ball reportedly told Cook, "you have...
as Bessie Limpet - Jack Weston as Machinist's Mate 2nd Class (PO2) George Stickle
- Andrew DugganAndrew Duggan-Career:During World War II, Duggan was in the 40th Special Services Company, led by actor Melvyn Douglas in the China Burma India Theater of World War II. His contact with Douglas later led to his performing with Lucille Ball in the play Dreamgirl. He developed a friendship with Broadway...
as Harlock - Larry KeatingLarry KeatingLarry Keating was an American actor born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is known for his role of next-door neighbor Roger Addison on the television series Mister Ed, which he played from 1961 until his death in 1963...
as Admiral P.P. Spewter* - Oscar Beregi, Jr.Oscar Beregi, Jr.Oscar Beregi, Jr. was a Hungarian-born film and television actor. He was the son of actor Oscar Beregi, Sr...
as Nazi admiral - Charles MeredithCharles Meredith (actor)Charles Meredith was an American film and television actor. When Meredith died, The Incredible Mr. Limpet was said to be his last film.-Selected filmography:...
as Fleet Admiral** - Elizabeth MacRaeElizabeth MacRaeElizabeth MacRae is an actress who guest starred on various television shows from the 1960s to the 1980s...
as Ladyfish (voice) - Paul FreesPaul FreesPaul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
as Crusty (voice)
Larry Keating
Larry Keating was an American actor born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is known for his role of next-door neighbor Roger Addison on the television series Mister Ed, which he played from 1961 until his death in 1963...
's last film. He died before it was finished.
Charles Meredith (actor)
Charles Meredith was an American film and television actor. When Meredith died, The Incredible Mr. Limpet was said to be his last film.-Selected filmography:...
's last film. He died not long after it was finished.
Home video release
The Incredible Mr. Limpet was released by Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
on December 3, 1994. It has since seen two additional VHS releases. On October 1, 2002, it was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Film Notes
The Incredible Mr. Limpet first premiered on March 20, 1964 in Don KnottsDon Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
hometown at the Warner Theatre (Morgantown, West Virginia)
Warner Theatre (Morgantown, West Virginia)
The Warner Theater is a historic Art Deco movie theater at 147 High Street in downtown Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Opened June 12, 1931, it was designed by architect John Eberson, whose theaters included the since-demolished Colonial and Astor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the...
.
Both Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
and Elizabeth MacRae
Elizabeth MacRae
Elizabeth MacRae is an actress who guest starred on various television shows from the 1960s to the 1980s...
(Limpet and Ladyfish) were employed in Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
's Mayberry
Mayberry
Mayberry is a fictional community in North Carolina that was the setting for two American television sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reunion television movie titled Return to Mayberry...
franchises, respectively as deputy Barney Fife
Barney Fife
Bernard "Barney" Fife is a fictional character in the American television program The Andy Griffith Show, portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts. Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow paced, sleepy southern community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
and Lou-Ann Poovie, Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle is a bubbly, gentle, rural auto mechanic character played by American singer/ television actor Jim Nabors. Gomer Pyle became a character on the TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, when actor Howard McNear, who played Floyd the barber, suffered a stroke and took a respite from acting. Jim...
's girlfriend in the later seasons of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.The show renders the title as Gomer Pyle - USMC. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot was aired as the finale of the fourth season of The Andy...
Remake
A remake of the film is in development. Knotts was aware of plans for the remake, which he wrote about in his autobiography. At the time, Jim CarreyJim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
was up for the role and Knotts offered his support. Director Kevin Lima
Kevin Lima
Kevin Lima is an American film director who has directed a number of Disney films including his debut film A Goofy Movie in 1995, Tarzan, 102 Dalmatians, and Enchanted. He is married to Brenda Chapman, an animation Director at Pixar.-Life and career:Lima studied film and animation at the...
was attached with Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
in the lead role, but both soon left the project. The attached director at the moment is Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater
-Early life:Linklater was born in Houston, Texas. He studied at Sam Houston State University and left midway through his stint in college to work on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the rig he read a lot of literature, but on land he developed a love of film through...
.
Popular Culture
Mr. Limpet appears in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure attraction at Disney's California AdventureDisney's California Adventure
Disney California Adventure, or simply California Adventure, is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. It opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney's California Adventure Park. The park is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and...
theme park.