NEVER SAY DIE

You're strangely attractive, my Henry: Devine and Sondergaard

NEVER SAY DIE (1939). Director: Elliott Nugent.

"I don't want any trouble with you -- you get back here in bed!" -- Henry to John.

Scene: the Bad Gassewasser health spa in Europe. John Kidley (Bob Hope) is worth twenty million dollars, and is being chased by "black widow" Juno Marko (Gale Sondergaard). Meantime, Mickey Hawkins (Martha Raye) is ordered by her father (Paul Harvey) to marry a man she does not love, the impoverished Prince Smirnov (Alan Mowbray), only so that he can get into the country club. John and Mickey decide to marry each other to keep out of the hands of their persistent suitors, but then Mickey's boyfriend, Henry (Andy Devine of Between Us Girls) shows up and accompanies the couple on their honeymoon, with the two men sharing a bed! An added complication is that John has mistakenly been told that he only has a short while to live, not to mention the fact that the prince wants to fight a duel with him. Never Say Die is a very funny movie with a great script and terrific performances from everyone in the cast, which includes Monty Woolley [Life Begins at Eight-Thirty] as the confused doctor; Ernest Cossart as "Jeepers," John's helpful butler; and Sig Ruman [Thank You Mr. Moto] as the hotel proprietor who is astonished by John's apparent bed-hopping.

Verdict: As usual Hope and Raye make a splendid team. ***.

MY FAVORITE BLONDE

Gale Sondergaard and Bob Hope

MY FAVORITE BLONDE (1942). Director: Sidney Lanfield.

Larry Haines (Bob Hope) has an act with a trained penguin named Percy. Larry is about to make his way out to Hollywood from New York -- Percy has gotten a movie contract, but not Larry -- when he encounters a blonde named Karen (Madeleine Carroll of The Prisoner of Zenda), who is secretly a British agent. With the unwitting aid of Larry, Karen tries to keep herself and a scorpion-shaped pin containing secret information, out of the clutches of nasty spies Madame Runick (Gale Sondergaard) and Dr. Streger (George Zucco of Fog Island). Meanwhile Larry and Karen are off on a cross-country chase, trying to get safely to Las Angeles where they can give the pin to a military contact. Along the way they get involved with an Irish picnic and some stubborn Irishmen, encounter Bing Crosby in his first cameo in a Hope film, wind up at a lecture for a baby doctor impersonated by Larry, and confront Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer at his most obnoxious. My Favorite Blonde begins rather grimly with the murder of more than one agent, but it is also consistently amusing, has some great and funny sequences, and Hope and Carroll -- who at first seem an odd team -- are both excellent and play extremely well together. Percy is adorable, but Sondergaard [The Cat Creature] and Zucco, although wonderful, don't get nearly enough to do. There are a host of fine and funny character actors in this as well. A top-notch comedy-thriller. Among the many great scenes in this picture is one in which Sondergaard, Zucco and their henchmen get in a staring contest with Hope!

Verdict: One of Hope's best and most entertaining movies with the comic in fine form. ***1/2.

STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM

Dick Powell and Mary Martin

STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM (1942). Director: George Marshall.

"I just can't make it tonight -- Veronica Lake is going to show me her other eye. " -- Bob Hope.

In this all-star Paramount wartime picture, the main plot has to do with Johnny Webster (Eddie Bracken), a sailor on leave who comes to Hollywood with his buddies. Eddie's father was once "Bronco Billy" Webster (Victor Moore of Carolina Blues), star of silent pictures, but is now reduced to being a guard at the studio gate. Ashamed of this comedown, Billy has lied to his son and told him that he is head of the studio! Eddie's girlfriend, Polly (Betty Hutton of the "craptastic" Betty Hutton Show), helps "Pop" put over the deception but needs some big help from the stars when Pop foolishly promises that his Paramount stars will put on a show for the sailor boys ... Star Spangled Rhythm has some slow stretches -- the whole second half consists almost entirely of acts, including one stop-the-movie-dead skit where four men play poker as if they were women -- but it also has its share of delights, including a hilarious bit when Polly enlists the aid of two men to help her get over the wall of the Paramount studio. Dick Powell and Mary Martin and an uncredited black group (the Mills Brothers?) do an excellent "Dreamtime" number on a train; there's a splendid and rather sexy production number called "Swing Shift" in a factory; and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson stars in another vibrant and all-Black dance number called "Sharp as a Tack." Dorothy Lamour, Veronica Lake, and Paulette Goddard spoof their images in "Sweater, Sarong, and Peekaboo Bang," and Sterling Holloway [Shake, Rattle & Rock], Walter Catlett and Arthur Treacher play the same ladies in drag. William Bendix has a funny shower scene with Bob Hope. Bracken, Hutton, and Moore are all on the money; Walter Abel scores as the real studio head, as does Anne Revere as his secretary; and Cecil B. Demille proves a perfectly adept actor playing himself. Cass Daley does her weird shtick, buck teeth and all. George Marshall keeps the pace fast and makes things visually interesting as well.

Verdict: Enjoyable romp. ***.

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (1941). Director: Elliott Nugent.

Steve Bennett (Bob Hope) works for stockbroker T. T. Ralston (Edward Arnold) in Miami Beach. Ralston's niece, Gwen (Paulette Goddard), gives Steve $10,000 and asks him to invest it for her. Steve tries to double the money by accepting a crazy bet that he will do nothing but tell the truth for 24 hours, leading to hurt feelings and various misunderstandings. Nothing But the Truth is based on a play that had already been filmed in 1929, and critics in 1941 found the enterprise rather creaky but still entertaining. Hope is in top form, as is Goddard, and there is fine support from Arnold; Leif Ericson [Three Secrets] as Gwen's boyfriend; Helen Vinson [In Name Only] as a predatory actress; Glenn Anders [The Lady from Shanghai] as Steve's co-worker; and Willie Best as his valet; among others. The movie has some real laughs and is consistently cute, but after awhile there seems to be more witless running about than anything else. This premise still worked for an amusing I Love Lucy episode wherein Lucy also had to tell the truth for 24 hours to win a bet from Ricky, Fred and Ethel. The same premise was also used for Jim Carrey's Liar, Liar 56 years after the Hope version!

Verdict: Enthusiastic players put this over. **1/2.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORY

Shirley Ross and Bob Hope

THANKS FOR THE MEMORY (1938). Director: George Archainbaud.

Steve (Bob Hope) and Anne (Shirley Ross) are a married couple with a few annoying friends. Steve is working on a novel, and Anne goes back to work as a model so he can finish the book and keep house. Naturally the latter part offends his manhood, and instead of being grateful he winds up acting like a complete jerk. This is only one of several problems with this comedy, which also features Patricia Wilder as a sexy, "helpless" neighbor; Roscoe Karns as a kept man; Laura Hope Crews [Confession] as his battle ax of a wife; Charles Butterworth [The Mad Genius] and Hedda Hopper as two more friends; Eddie Anderson as the building's super; and Otto Kruger [Beauty for Sale] as a publisher and Anne's former flame. Based on a play by Hackett and Goodrich, the film is merciless towards Crews' character, when it is her gigolo husband who should be the object of contempt. This may have worked on the stage, but it's not a good fit for Hopes' brand of comedy, and while Ross is quite pretty and capable, one can't help but miss the much-more-amusing Martha Raye. Ross and Hope originally sang the Rainger and Robin tune "Thanks for the Memory" in The Big Broadcast of 1938, and they were reunited for this movie. They also sing the memorable "Two Sleepy People," co-written by Frank Loesser.

 Verdict: Very contrived, with an unsympathetic lead character -- and Hopper can make your flesh crawl. **.

GIVE ME A SAILOR

Martha Raye and Bob Hope

GIVE ME A SAILOR (1938). Director: Elliott Nugent.

"Try to look like something." -- Hope to Raye.

Letty Larkin (Martha Raye) is in love with sailor Walter Brewster (Jack Whiting) who is, unfortunately, engaged to her prettier sister, Nancy (Betty Grable). Walter's brother, Jim (Bob Hope), who is also in love with Nancy, hooks up with Letty to come up with a scheme to break up Nancy and Walter so each can have the person of their dreams. Unfortunately, fate has a way of conspiring to keep the "lovers" apart -- or does it? Give Me a Sailor has a very amusing screenplay (Anderson and Butler) and features some fine comedic performances, especially from the top-billed Hope and Raye; J. C. Nugent [Midnight Intruder] is also appealing as Mr. Larkin. The plot goes a little haywire toward the end, but it's consistently funny. Give Me a Sailor also boasts some very pleasant tunes (by Rainger and Robin), including "A Little Kiss at Twilight," well sung by Raye, and the bouncy and irresistible "What Goes On in My Heart?," a very snappy number indeed. Whiting and Grable do a very charming dance routine as well. Irving Bacon plays the druggist with his usual panache.

Verdict: Raye and Hope play extremely well together and the picture is a pip.***.

LET'S FACE IT

Zasu Pitts, Eve Arden, and Phyllis Povah

LET'S FACE IT (1943). Director: Sidney Lanfield.

"When we were first married he could lull me to sleep with his tuba." -- Zasu Pitts

"Now he can't even lift it." -- Eve Arden

Private Jerry Walker (Bob Hope) secretly sells food to some of the larger, starving ladies at the fat farm run by his fiancee, Winnie (Betty Hutton). Along come three middle-aged ladies -- played by Eve Arden [Three Husbands], Zasu Pitts and Phyllis Povah -- whose husbands have bundled them off to the fat farm while they go fishing. These women are convinced their husbands are secretly meeting honeys at a summer lodge, so they inveigle three soldiers into coming to the lodge to make their men jealous. Jerry desperately needs money so he agrees to go but he drags along two buddies -- neither actor makes much of an impression -- because he insists that the ladies "look like Veronica Lake, with two eyes!" Let's Face It has some cute moments, good lines and performances, but it runs out of plot around halfway through. The songs are forgettable, even if they are by Cole Porter, though there are two excellent dance numbers: Bob and his pals do a very cute shuffle; and a bizarre, violent dance act in which the couple seem to be illustrating the battle of the sexes. The script is kind of rough on women who have the misfortune not to be young and beautiful, and it's full of what you might call "fat abuse." What's ironic is that Hope and his buddies act as if the three ladies are so hideous, even Arden, when they are not exactly prizes themselves. Hutton gets one especially horrible song number and sings it horribly. Joe Sawyer [Roses are Red] is swell as Jerry's gruff sergeant and Hope's gal pal Dona Drake [Valentino] has a small role.

Verdicts: Some funny moments to be sure but not the hilarity you're hoping for. **.

HOPE

HOPE Richard Zoglin. Simon and Schuster; 2014.

Although Simon and Schuster is promoting this book as "the untold story of Bob Hope," that is hardly the case. Hope's career achievements, USO tours, Viet Nam controversy, and voracious lust for ladies other than his wife has been well-documented elsewhere. Zoglin's book has nothing new to say, although in general Zoglin says what he has to say well, a more-than-credible job of rehashing old stories. Zoglin makes the case that Hope was, as the publisher puts it, "the most important entertainer of the 20th century," pointing out that Hope virtually invented stand-up comedy and was a show business forerunner in other ways as well. Zoglin often disagrees with previous biographers' assessments of Hope's movies -- a stab at writing something new, perhaps -- but he doesn't argue that the comic's latter-day film projects were simply abysmal. Although Zoglin is supposedly putting forth a more positive spin on Hope's life and career, he doesn't shy away from the negative aspects of Hope's personality. All in all, this is by no means a bad book, but if you've read previous bios you'll just find it over-familiar.

Verdict: Not hopeless, but it's been done before. **1/2.

OFF-LIMITS

Maxwell, Hope and Rooney

OFF-LIMITS (aka Military Police/1953). Director: George Marshall.

Wally Hogan (Bob Hope) is a fight manager who loses his only client, the champ, when his associates trick him into joining the Army. Hogan meets a fellow named Herbert Tuttle (Mickey Rooney), who hopes to become a boxer and gets Hogan to take him on. This puts a crimp in Hogan's romance with club owner and singer Connie (Marilyn Maxwell of The Show-Off), who is Herbert's aunt and doesn't want him to fight. It all leads to mostly forgettable complications. The picture was originally titled Military Police because the boys become MP's. As was the case with most of his movies, especially the later ones like this, Hope doesn't so much act as saunter jovially through the movie. Rooney, who actually does give a performance, is more subdued than usual. Hope's character has a bevy of marriage-minded women -- all of them hot babes, natch, who would normally be out of his league -- chasing after him while Rooney isn't even given a girlfriend. This is Hope's picture, and one suspects Rooney was never allowed to forget it, even though he's more appealing than ol' ski-nose. Maxwell is Maxwell. Eddie Mayehoff is the uptight but likable commanding officer. The best scene is a riotous and very well-choreographed free-for-all in Connie's club with virtually everyone swinging at somebody else. There's also a cat-fight between Carolyn Jones and another one of the ladies positively panting for Hope.

Verdict: Neither Hope nor Rooney's best but it has its moments, however few. **.

THE FACTS OF LIFE

THE FACTS OF LIFE (1960). Director: Melvin Frank.

Pasadena housewife Kitty Weaver (Lucille Ball) and neighbor Larry Gilbert (Bob Hope) drift into a (unconsummated) affair while vacationing in Acapulco, and are comically stymied in their attempts to finally be intimate. While there's some attempt to look at middle-class malaise and suburban boredom, this is basically a lighter and more superficial examination of adultery. Recognizing the light approach -- and that her co-star was Bob Hope -- Lucy plays it all in just the right note, and she even manages to create a character who isn't just Lucy Ricardo. On the other hand, Hope gives an over (or under) rehearsed, stilted performance that he practically just phones in for much of the film's running time; Fred MacMurray would probably have been much better in the part. But despite these quibbles, the movie eventually becomes absorbing, thanks to Lucy and the audience's wondering if these two will ever get together in the sack. There are plenty of amusing moments, and even if Hope's performance is less than stellar, he and Lucy still make an interesting team. A very pleasant and entertaining movie despite its obvious flaws. Hope's wife is the attractive Ruth Hussey; Lucy's hubby is the dull Don DeFore.

Verdict: You can hardly go wrong with Lucy. ***.

SON OF PALEFACE

SON OF PALEFACE (1952). Director: Frank Tashlin.

One of Bob Hope's best comedy vehicles, the sequel to his equally successful The Paleface, has “Paleface” Potter traveling from Harvard (where he took fourteen years to graduate) to the Wild West in his horseless carriage to claim his late father's fortune. Lying in wait for him are all of his father's creditors, angry Indians, and Jane Russell, a saloon owner who doubles as a highway robber known as “The Torch.” Roy Rogers amiably plays a Federal agent who just happens to act and sing like Roy Rogers. His horse Trigger, truly “the smartest horse in the West,” turns in one of the best performances as a wonder horse who can open doors, climb stairs, outfox Hope, and even steal the covers from him in a classic scene when the two wind up sharing a bed! Busty Russell is as hard and “butch” as ever in her own bizarrely feminine way and Hope is in top form throughout (he seems to go in and out of character at times but in a farce like this it hardly matters). Clever, inventive, and funny, Son of Paleface is full of director Tashlin's trademark cartoon-like humor. At the time of the film's release there were protests from Native Americans at the scenes of the rampaging Indians being shot down like tenpins even though the whole tone throughout is outlandish and not to be taken seriously. Still, you can see how it would bother them that the Indians are barely depicted as being human. NOTE: For a lengthy analysis of this film and of the career and life of Bob Hope, check out Lawrence Quirk's biography Bob Hope: The Road Well Traveled.

Verdict: Funny stuff. ***.

HERE COME THE GIRLS

HERE COME THE GIRLS (1953). Director: Claude Binyon.

Bob Hope plays a talentless, irritating, egotistical chorus boy who suddenly finds himself the lead of a Broadway show instead of the handsome star (Tony Martin). It seems that leading lady Arlene Dahl's ex-lover (Robert Strauss) has become a crazed killer who wants to murder anyone Dahl loves, hence she feigns affection for the hapless Hope and pretends to blow off Martin. Rosemary Clooney is the "nice" girl who loves Hope but finds him too easily drawn into Dahl's sinister web as well as a world of money and stardom. While there are only sporadic laugh-out-loud moments, Here Come the Girls has a highly workable storyline and is often quite amusing, with Hope in good form. The suspense is in wondering how the hell it will all work out for Hope. Great ending!

Verdict: Cute picture with a kind of dark premise. **1/2.