The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

James Thurber wasn't too happy with the Sam Goldwyn film adaptation of his 1939 short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but the Technicolor musical comedy proved to be a cash cow at the box office. Danny Kaye stars as Walter, a milquetoast proofreader for a magazine publishing firm. Walter is ...more

American humorist James Thurber penned whimsical, telling fables about ordinary life in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. His most famous story was The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, about a mousy man, suffering under emotional persecution from his wife, who has elaborate heroic dreams. The character of Walter Mitty made such an impact on popular culture that the name came to stand for a daydreamer. Although Thurber didn't much care for this 1947 feature based on the story (the film added an ...more