The Great Mr. Nobody

'The Great Mr. Nobody' is a very complex (yet absorbing) movie, related to the pulse of the times in 1941, with the USA about intervening in the war of Europe.

As so, it presents the -almost counterculture- sufferings of 'Dreamy', the very humble and failing clerk of the advertisement department in 'The Daily Express' newspaper, in a big town with a port.

Dreamy has for family: a loyal girlfriend (one of his coworkers), a mad-for-sailing old friend living with him, and a little pal with some physical disability (who sells papers on the street).

Dreamy of course cares for all of them, while being such a 'sentimental fool' to jump into action, to likewise intervene into any conflictive scene, he chances upon on the street.

Between the lines, 'The Great Mr. Nobody' stirs all kinds of social and political feelings, until rounding up as another historical geniality from Hollywood.

Although not really a comedy, it is certainly watchable on a rainy day. It has a cast that is excellent, you can see two faces of stars you know from TV, Alan Hale (Sr. who looks exactly like his son who was on Gilligan's Island) and Eddie Albert who was on Green Acres (and his son has done a number of things). Plot is thin and so idealistic it could never be made today. I mean Dickie Moore (now married to Jane Powell) plays a a paper boy called "Limpy". Oh, and Alan Hale is actually called Skipper! Really it's a walking trivia contest answer. Too frustrating to be fully satisfying, pathos rampant really. John Litel supports well and Joan Leslie is pretty in her usual vacant way.

The only word I can think of for this movie is "meaningless." Think of a Preston Sturgess yarn without Sturgess' wit or imagination. As a low-level classified ad salesman, Eddie Albert dreams of sailing the high seas in search of adventure with his friend or landlord or relative (not quite sure what he is,) the Skipper played by Alan Hale. He's in love with Joan Leslie as Mary, a wide-eyed, too-good-to-be-true coworker but she'll have to wait til he gets the travel bug out of his system. Meanwhile, Mary is ticked off that his brilliant promotional ideas to perk up the paper's circulation are being swiped by his alcoholic boss. Oh, there's also Dickie Moore as a crippled newsboy whose role would have been a lot livelier if he shouted "Shazam." Eddie Albert and Joan Leslie get extra points for playing this humorless claptrap as if they were actually enjoying it.

Hapless New York newspaper ad salesman Eddie Albert (as Robert "Dreamy" Smith) is finally going to fulfill his dream. He plans to quit work, buy a sailboat and head out for adventure at sea. After a mishap disposing of his automobile, Mr. Albert must cancel the trip. Pretty co-worker Joan Leslie (as Mary Clover) is happy, but jealous roommate Alan Hale (as "Skipper" Martin) thinks Albert should stop dating Ms. Leslie and save money for his share of their boat. Albert gets into more money problems when he decides to help partially crippled paperboy Dickie Moore (as "Limpy" Barnes)...

Hoping for a bonus at work, Albert comes up with ideas to boost the circulation of his newspaper, but sneaky John Litel (as John Wade) takes all the credit. Albert gets in more trouble for helping future "Bowery Boy" William "Billy" Benedict (as Jigs) get a job. As if that wasn't enough, handsome William Lundigan (as Richard Amesworth) moves in on Leslie...

"The Great Mr. Nobody" is quite pleasant, with future "Green Acres" star Albert shining in a whimsical role. It's interesting to hear Mr. Hale being called "Skipper" throughout as he resembles son Alan Hale Jr., familiar as the Skipper on "Gilligan's Island" in the 1960s. However, this Hale acts differently (more like a stocky Robert Young). Hale Jr. patterned his skipper after Oliver Hardy. Also interesting is how much you Moore's crippled newsboy resembles "Captain Marvel Jr." from the best selling comic book introduced shortly after this film. The ending is weak, but certainly fit the times.

****** The Great Mr. Nobody (2/15/41) Benjamin Stoloff ~ Eddie Albert, Alan Hale, Joan Leslie, Dickie Moore