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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Play trailer Poster for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Released Sep 1, 1947 1h 48m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A mild-mannered pushover, Walter Mitty (Danny Kaye) longs to be free of his mundane existence, where has to contend with his pushy mother (Fay Bainter) and flighty fiancée (Ann Rutherford), among others. Indulging in elaborate daydreams, Walter finds himself on a real adventure when the lovely and enigmatic Rosalind van Hoorn (Virginia Mayo) ropes him into a situation involving valuable jewels, a little black book, and a sinister criminal named Dr. Hugo Hollingshead (Boris Karloff).
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Critics Reviews

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Noel Murray The Dissolve The best parts of the movie Mitty are the ones that hew closer to Thurber, because they put the cartoonish Kaye in a world every bit as nutty. Rated: 3/5 Dec 16, 2013 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Danny Kaye reveals a greater smoothness and polish thespically and a perfection of timing in his slapstick than has ever been evident in the past. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Thomas M. Pryor New York Times "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a big, colorful show and a good one. Aug 8, 2006 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews As for Danny Kaye, he's an acquired taste I never acquired. Rated: C+ Jan 21, 2025 Full Review Moira Walsh America Magazine The blend of fantasy, slapstick, Technicolor spectacle and wild melodrama which results is disjointed and rather monotonous but serves adequately as a showcase for the zany comic antics of star Danny Kaye. Jul 15, 2021 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Based on the story by James Thurber, adapters Ken Englund and Everett Freeman attempt to include too much, throwing off the pacing. Rated: 5/10 Aug 14, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (184) audience reviews
Kevin P Cute and relatable with Walter Mitty's ADHD inspired daydreaming and forgetfulness. The Musical numbers are forgettable and kind of awkward. But the rest of the daydreams are pretty entertaining and the real-time adventure that Walter Mitty is roped into is amusing. Nice resolution where Walter Mitty uses his detective story tactics to stop the villains and save the day. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/25 Full Review Russ G Beautifully photographed in Technicolor and it probably packed 'em in the threaters in post-war America before the television age, but definitely dated. If you don't like Kaye's brand of humor or song-and-dance it's not for you. I give it two stars for effort. I recall seeing the Ben Stiller remake when it came out and didn't think much of that one, either. For some reason this was shown at a junior high assembly screening when it was probably "only" 17 or 18 years old; I have no idea why the staff would thought 8th graders in 1965 would enjoy this. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/18/25 Full Review Tim M Worthy of our most fanciful daydreams, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty gets plenty of pep in its step thanks to a reliably physical comedic performance from Danny Kaye. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/09/24 Full Review Jarrod R A laugh riot! Thrills and chills! 
Twists and turns on every page! 
Such is life for Walter Mitty, a man working for a pulp fiction magazine and moving through life hopping from daydream to daydream. It's so severe that he actually is served up milk toast to attempt to keep him calm. 
Danny Kaye is perfect for this role and he's able to showcase his multiple characters as well as his musical numbers and physical comedy. Speaking of, his timing is impeccable and puts him in the upper echelons of comedy stars. 
I was also impressed by Virginia Mayo, who plays Rosalind van Hoorn, who follows Walter Mitty around through the daydreams without missing a beat. 
All in all, this one holds up nicely, and would be a nice addition to anyone's wish list. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/09/24 Full Review joel h If you're already a fan of Danny Kaye, you'll enjoy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This movie is basically a playground for the actor, allowing him to showcase all sorts of characters and talents during the various fantasy sequences. If you're not a fan of Danny Kaye, you might find the goofier parts a little off-putting, as comedy has changed a bit since the 1940s. Nevertheless, this is a light-hearted, likable movie, though it does deal with some darker plotlines, which I didn't expect. Still, I found myself smiling as I watched it, and it was amusing to see Boris Karloff in a comedic film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review robert p It's a good movie but a little rediculous that Danny Kaye is such a good dancer and singer but he carries a bit to long in this movie which is why I give this film a *3 & 1/2* star review! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

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Movie Info

Synopsis A mild-mannered pushover, Walter Mitty (Danny Kaye) longs to be free of his mundane existence, where has to contend with his pushy mother (Fay Bainter) and flighty fiancée (Ann Rutherford), among others. Indulging in elaborate daydreams, Walter finds himself on a real adventure when the lovely and enigmatic Rosalind van Hoorn (Virginia Mayo) ropes him into a situation involving valuable jewels, a little black book, and a sinister criminal named Dr. Hugo Hollingshead (Boris Karloff).
Director
Norman Z. McLeod
Producer
Samuel Goldwyn
Screenwriter
Ken Englund, Everett Freeman, Philip Rapp, James Thurber
Distributor
Embassy Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures, Home Box Office Home Video
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., Samuel Goldwyn Films
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 1, 1947, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Runtime
1h 48m
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