Hello Down There

I loved this movie as a kid. My cousin and I were always allowed to stay up when it was on late night tv, just so that we could sing along to "Little Goldfish". I wish I could get this on video. The feel of this movie is very much like the popular 60's sitcoms - I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Gilligan's Island - a little hokey, but fun in a magical way. It has great songs, which invoke Josie and the Pussycats, and other Saturday morning "rock" cartoons popular at the time. It also has an amazingly famous cast, including Dreyfuss as a teen.

I remember seeing this movie at the Theater back in '69 '70. I'd love to see it again. I saw Richard Dreyfus on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jay played a small clip from the movie. Dreyfus seemed embarrassed and muttered something to the effect that he was trying to quash all copies of this movie. I don't think it has been released to video.

We loved this movie when we saw it at the theatre during its original release; I still have fond memories of the pet dolphins cavorting in the living room pool, and of the space-age push-button underwater conveniences (such as that neat pop-up refrigerator). I can even remember the lyrics to "Hey Little Goldfish" and "Glub, Glub"!! As kids we sang those songs for years. I can't wait to rent this one and rock out again with Dreyfuss and the gang! I hope he doesn't mind too much, 'cause I think this movie is a great sixties artifact, with a fun cast and very creative sets.

It amazes me how many future "stars" are in this movie. In this day and age it might seem rather silly but I remember the movie well. My siblings also remember it with fondness.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Hello Down There; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.50 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.50

TOTAL: 7.00 out of 10.00.

Boy, am I glad that I'm trolling through some old science fiction flicks (which IMDb has this listed as), or else this morning's breakfast wouldn't have been so entertaining. Not having heard of the movie but noting the star cast, even an early Richard Dreyfuss appearance, I made to find a copy. And I wasn't disappointed.

The story Art Arthur, John McGreevey, and Frank Telford gave me had enough content to keep me entertained for the hour-and-a-half runtime. The story is that of lowly and much-abashed architect Fred Miller. Miller has designed and built the prototype house of the future, but his boss believes it to be a complete waste of money as there are no military applications: And that's where the big bucks are. So he gives Fred an ultimatum; he and his family need to spend thirty days inside the property, and he'll keep his job, and the abode will stay. He readily agrees without consulting his kin. But it's not all plain sailing because the house is ninety feet below the sea, and his wife is aquaphobic. He later finds out his two kids aren't too happy about the arrangement either. They've just joined Harold and His Hang-Ups, a pop-rock-swing band. If they disappear for a month, Harrold'll hire two other Hang-Ups in their place. Fred opts for option B and invites the driving force of the band and The Sound, Harold and Marvin Webster, along for the dive. What could go wrong? Well, there's plenty, and you'll have to watch the movie to find out. But one of the best elements of the narrative are the characterisations and the relationships. Everyone has their own persona, which is excellent because it makes them individual. And that individuality aids magnificently in the development of an engaging story. For example, Fred's wife, Vivian, is a writer, and she is definitely the chalk to his cheese. It's a strange relationship but the writers, with help from the performers, make it work. Better yet, it feels proper, even credible. And the story is packed with similar bonds, like the big bad boss, T R Hollister, and everyone that works for him. He loves nothing better than to lord it over everyone, and if he can make them feel inferior, all the better. This boss-employee connection also makes for some humourous scenes, especially when Hollister is in the wrong, which is most of the time. And this is where most comedic elements stem from - the people, their personalities, and their relations to everyone else. I loved Myrtle Ruth, the housekeeper. She's the type who tries to stay keyed-in with the youth, so she's hip with all their sayings, slang, and sounds. She loves the music that Marvin's group plays. Yet when she's around Fred Miller, she changes to accommodate him but stays the same joyful person she is. I wish there were more Myrtles in the world today.

Director Jack Arnold must have realised how good the story and its characters were because he simply films them, and films them simply. There's nothing too daring in Arnold's cinematographic style. On the whole, he's happy to compose his shots well and then let the actors do the rest. It works superbly. This style allowed the narrative and the performers to create a heartwarming and lighthearted atmosphere, making the movie an easy and enjoyable pleasure to watch. There are only a couple of special effects - a listing underwater house and dolphins pulling a submarine. The first one comes off well enough, but the second doesn't fair too good. It's not too difficult to see that the model sub the porpoise pull is smaller than the one the cast occupies. But it gets worse because when Fred rescues them from the sea floor, he literally grabs the submarine through the front windscreen - shouldn't that be water-screen or sea-screen(?) - and yanks the empty and holey fake sub around so the dolphins can Santa's Sleigh them to safety. But that is pretty much the only fail in the film. Even the stock footage they use to show the Navy on manoeuvres is close to the film stock used in the picture and isn't too distracting, as with quite a few other films.

The movie also possesses some of the best underwater segments ever filmed, especially from the 60s. These are thanks to director Ricou Browning. He even brings to the audience a more credible and realistic shark attack. You see Frank swimming amongst the great whites, which he has to fend off using his feet and fists. Luckily, he also has help from the dolphins, who swim head-first into the sharks, nudging them out of the way and taking their attention off Frank. These underwater sequences guided this film into that unique section of my heart reserved for wonder.

The cast is excellent. No, they're perfect. The casting director made the ideal choices for this flick. Everyone makes their character their own. You don't see Tony Randall or Janet Leigh; you see Fred and Vivian Miller. The only one who does quite make this transposition is Roddy McDowell as record mogul Nate Ashbury. He comes across as Roddy McDowell having a hell of a great time. The strange thing is this is better because his on-screen attitude is as contagious as the delightful light-heartedness that permeates the film. But I doff my hat to The Duke and Dutchess and Helga. If these dolphins and seal don't win and warm your heart, you need serious time on a couch with a psychiatrist near to you.

Hello Down There is a terrific oldie to chill out to on a Sunday afternoon after stuffing yourself with the roast dinner. It's enjoyable and entertaining enough for the whole family. So I would happily suggest you search it out for a look-see. I'll keep this one on standby for those depression days - it should be enough to buoy me out of the dark funk.

Glub, Glub-Glub, Glub, Glub-Glub - Glub! Yeah, that's right; go and check out my IMDb lists - The Final Frontier and Just For Laughs, to see where I ranked Hello Down There.

Take Care & Stay Well.