The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (1947)

A mild mannered and henpecked proof reader (Danny Kaye) for a pulp magazine spends much of his time daydreaming. In his daydreams, he's a daring WWII pilot, a Mississippi gambler, a sea captain, a cowboy, even a designer of ladies hats. But soon when he encounters a pretty blonde (Virginia Mayo), he finds himself on a real life dangerous adventure. Loosely based on the James Thurber short story, this is one of Danny Kaye's best movies and was quite popular in its day. It may not do Thurber's story justice (Thurber disliked the film) but as a comedy, it's quite fun. Kaye gets to do two of his specialty patter songs (written by his wife, Sylvia Fine) but it's not a musical. Kaye's antics may not be for everybody but I find him one of the screen's great clowns. Curiously, the emphasis seems to be on the "real life" story than on his daydreams which get short shrift. Directed by Norman Z. McLeod. With Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter, Ann Rutherford, Florence Bates and Konstantin Shayne.