After shooting a number of shorts in the late 30s Danny Kaye made his feature film debut for Sam Goldwyn in 1944s Up In Arms and followed up with a dual role as identical twins the next year. For reasons that needn't detain us here I missed both Wonder Man and his subsequent entry The Kid From Brooklyn (which I have still not seen to this day) and I have now caught up with Wonder Man via the BBC. On the whole I found it enjoyable in 2015 but it's quite possible I would have found it hysterical had I seen it in 1945. What I did find fascinating was the soundtrack; three years after this film was released the two biggest musicals on Broadway were Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate and Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. Kate featured a standout ballad in So In Love and SP featured a fine semi-ballad in Bali Hai. Wonder Man also features a ho hum ballad called So In Love in which June Hutton dubs Vera Ellen and a zany duet called Bali Boogie. Neither have much to do with the plot and both disappeared quietly whilst the Porter and R&H material became major pages in the Great American Songbook. Kaye is surrounded by fine support in the shape of Virginia Mayo, Otto Kruger, S.Z. Zackall, Allen Jenkins, Edward Brophy and, making his debut, Steve Cochran. Well worth a look.
Review of Wonder Man
