''The Man Who Wasn't There'' is a 1983 American 3-D

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Bruce Malmuth and starring

Steve Guttenberg Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for playing Carey Mahoney in the '' Police Academy'' films from 1984 to 1987. He also acted in '' Three Men and a Baby ...

Plot

When he accidentally takes possession of a top-secret invisibility potion while en route to his wedding, government bureaucrat Sam Cooper finds himself engulfed in a madcap free-for-all as Russians and other bad guys try to get the substance. To elude the Reds, his own State Department bosses and his livid fiancée, Cooper takes the vanishing juice himself—which only makes matters worse.

Cast

as Sam Cooper *

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...

as Boris Potemkin * Art Hindle as Ted Durand * Morgan Hart as Amanda * Lisa Langlois as Cindy Worth * William Forsythe as "Pug Face" Crusher * Bruce Malmuth as "Fireplug" Crusher *

Ron Canada Ronald Ellis Canada (born May 3, 1949) is an American actor and producer, with a specialty in portraying judges and detectives. He is best known for '' One on One'' (2001–2004), '' The Shield'' (2003–2004), and '' Lone Star'' (1996). Early ...

as Barker *

Michael Ensign Michael Ensign (born February 13, 1944Ragan, David (1992). Who's Who in Hollywood, 1900–1976 : The Largest Cast of International Film Personalities Ever Assembled'. New York : Facts on File. p. 496. .) is an American actor who mostly pla ...

as Assistant Secretary * Richard Paul as Pudgy Aide *

Miguel Ferrer Miguel José Ferrer (February 7, 1955 – January 19, 2017) was an American actor. His breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in the 1987 film ''RoboCop''. Other film roles include Harbinger in '' Hot Shots! Part Deux'' (1993), Quigley in '' Blank ...

as A Waiter *

Brinke Stevens Brinke Stevens (born Charlene Elizabeth Brinkman, September 20, 1954) is an American actress. A native of San Diego, Stevens initially pursued a career as a marine biologist prior to becoming an actress, earning an undergraduate degree in biolo ...

as Nymphette

Production

The project began when Paramount executives were inspired by the success ''

Friday the 13th Part III ''Friday the 13th Part III'' is a 1982 American slasher film directed by Steve Miner, produced by Frank Mancuso Jr., and starring Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, and Richard Brooker. It is the sequel to ''Friday the 13th Part 2'' (1981) and the th ...

'' and commissioned ''Friday'' series producer Frank Mancuso Jr. to produce another

3D film 3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema and later experienced a worldwide r ...

. Despite not even having a script or team ready for such a project, Paramount announced an untitled 3-D film for Summer of 1983 with the production thrown together very quickly. The concept was to remake something from the Paramount film library, or some widely known subject, and add in 3-D effects. Following rejected pitches that included a 3-D remake of '' Rosemary's Baby'', Mancuso ultimately decided to do a mixture of '' Foul Play'' and ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason. The original screenplay written by Ernest Lehman was intended to be the basis for ...

'' with added invisibility elements.

Critical reception

Movie historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

declared the picture a "BOMB" (his lowest possible rating) and noted that "...Better writing, directing, and acting can be found at your average nursery-school pageant."Maltin's TV, Movie, & Video Guide

Home media

A Blu-ray 3D version of the film was released by

Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art film, art ho ...

in December 2023. The 3-D restoration was completed by th
3D Film Archive

References

External links

* * 1983 films 1983 3D films 1983 comedy films American 3D films American comedy films Films about invisibility Films directed by Bruce Malmuth Films set in Washington, D.C. Films shot in Washington, D.C. Paramount Pictures films Films scored by Miles Goodman 1980s English-language films 1980s American films Films produced by Frank Mancuso Jr. English-language comedy films {{1980s-US-film-stub