The film that was 'too blood and thirsty' for its author
In short: When a 1947 adventure comedy was adapted from a famous short story, the author was left horrified by the result. He claimed the script was so violent and distorted that it barely resembled his work, leading to a bitter public feud over the final product's identity.
The 1947 Technicolor film 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' was loosely based on a 1939 short story by James Thurber. However, the adaptation process was fraught with creative friction. Producer Samuel Goldwyn rejected the initial script in December 1945 and forced the writers to customize the material to showcase the specific talents of star Danny Kaye. This shift was so significant that Thurber eventually dismissed the movie as 'The Public Life of Danny Kaye' rather than an adaptation of his own work.
Thurber's dissatisfaction was rooted in the film's tonal shifts. He expressed 'horror' at the script, which he felt was 'too blood and thirsty.' He specifically complained about a 'bathing girl incident' in the psychiatrist scene that he claimed would haunt him forever. Despite Goldwyn's insistence that Thurber had approved the final version, the author remained publicly critical, even as the film became a notable star vehicle for Kaye's trademark 'patter songs' and comedic personas.
The film's identity was further complicated by title changes. Goldwyn briefly tried to rename it 'I Wake Up Dreaming' based on a Gallup poll, but reverted to Thurber's title only after angry protests from fans in May 1947. Despite securing the 479th spot on the 2008 Empire magazine list of 500 greatest movies, the motion picture serves as a key illustration of how celebrity influence and studio requirements can alter a book's core.
The narrative follows Walter Mitty, a mild-mannered proofreader whose daydreams of heroism are interrupted by a real-life conspiracy involving a stolen book of Dutch national treasures. While the film leans into adventure and romance, the tension between Thurber's original vision and the 'blood and thirsty' cinematic reality highlights the often-contentious bridge between literature and Hollywood.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947 film)
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