Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid

Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid is a 1948 American fantasy film directed by Irving Pichel starring William Powell and Ann Blyth in the title roles. Irene Hervey plays Mr. Peabody's wife. The film was based on the 1945 novel Peabody's Mermaid by Guy and Constance Jones. Sequences were shot at the Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida.

Plot
The film stars William Powell as Arthur Peabody, who is undergoing a midlife crisis as he approaches his 50th birthday. Much of the story is shown in flashback as Peabody tells his skeptical doctor the source of his malaise.

Peabody goes on vacation with his wife Polly (Irene Hervey) to a Caribbean resort. While there, he hears singing coming from a distant key (small island) and takes his boat to do a little fishing. To his surprise, he reels in Lenore, a beautiful mermaid played by Ann Blyth.

Although mute, Lenore is mischievous and childlike and more than a little bit alluring – so much so that before long Peabody has taught her to kiss. He hides Lenore by letting her soak in a suds-filled bathtub and then in the resort’s fish pond. But confusion ensues as his wife thinks he has a big fish in their bathtub and later suspects him of infidelity with Cathy Livingston (Andrea King), a vacationing singer.

Things get even more complicated when, after Polly returns home without Peabody, police suspect him of murder. But by the film's conclusion, Peabody and his wife are happily back at home in Boston with only Lenore’s comb left to prove the reality of his adventure.

Cast

 * William Powell as Mr. Arthur Peabody
 * Ann Blyth as Mermaid
 * Irene Hervey as Mrs. Polly Peabody
 * Andrea King as Cathy Livingston
 * Clinton Sundberg as Mike Fitzgerald
 * Art Smith as Dr. Harvey
 * Hugh French as Major Hadley
 * Lumsden Hare as Col. Mandrake
 * Fred Clark as Basil (as Fred Clark)
 * James Logan as Lieutenant
 * Mary Field as Wee Shop Clerk
 * Beatrice Roberts as Mother
 * Cynthia Corley as Nurse
 * Tom Stevenson as Charlie - Waiter
 * Mary Somerville as Lady Trebshaw
 * Dick Ryan Waiter (as Richard Ryan)
 * Robert Hyatt as Little Boy (as Bobby Hyatt)
 * Ivan Browning as Sidney (as Ivan H. Browning)

Home release
The film was initially released by on DVD by ATI Corp, and was re-released by Olive Films (under license from Paramount Home Media Distribution) on DVD and Blu-ray on July 8, 2014.

Reception
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
 * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated
 * 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10:
 * Nominated Fantasy Film

Trivia
There is a famous photograph of a smiling Ann Blyth as the mermaid being held in the arms of Glenn Strange as the Frankenstein Monster, although unfortunately this is only a backstage publicity photo.

In Action Comics #130 (March 1949), Superman becomes infatuated with a real-life mermaid called Ann Blyth. The producers of the film turned to DC Comics to aid in promotion.