Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid

Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, 1948
89 minutes

Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid is a 1948 American fantasy directed by Irving Pichel and 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. In an excerpt adopted for My Art, Simmons, as Ellie, plays the mermaid, drawing on wanton desire and impossible fantasy as they seem to apply to Ellie’s life as an artist and a woman.

Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films is an extension of the Modern’s weekly speaker series, Tuesday Evenings at the Modern. This special winter version of Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films is in conjunction with Laurie Simmons: Big Camera/Little Camera, as it traces references made in Simmons’s own feature-length film, My Art, 2016. In My Art, the film’s protagonist, Ellie, a 65-year-old artist played by Simmons, enlists those around her to play various roles in restaging excerpts from old movies, which are threaded together in Ellie’s art to address nostalgia and memory.

To create a full experience for audiences, as with the lecture series, these presentations include a brief introduction and opportunity for discussion following the films. Seating is available in the Modern’s auditorium at 6:30 pm, and the program runs from 7 pm to no later than 9 pm. With this special program, the museum’s galleries and Café Modern are open until 7 pm. Tuesday Evenings at the Modern: Films is free and open to the public. Up to two free tickets can be attained at the admission desk beginning at 5 pm the day of each screening.

Cafe Modern will be open for happy hour until 7 pm. Enjoy a beverage and The Modern Lights before the film.