Bob Hope is everyone's favorite comedienne. Or at least, he's one of mine. I can't remember the first film I saw of his. It was either Son of Paleface (1952) or My Favorite Brunette/Road to Bali (double feature dvd from Dollar Tree). Whichever film it was, I found Bob to be hilarious and now own several of his movies. His bromance with Bing Crosby is one of the greatest ever captured on film (Bing has a cameo in virtually every Hope film. If not Bob makes a crack about him). I still have lots of his movies to see, but here are my favorites:
1. The Ghost Breakers (1940) - Paulette Goddard
2. Caught in the Draft (1941) - Dorothy Lamour
3. The Princess and the Pirate (1944) - Virginia Mayo
4. My Favorite Brunette (1947) - Dorothy Lamour
5. The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) - Marilyn Maxwell
6. Son of Paleface (1952) - Jane Russell and Roy Rogers
7. Paris Holiday (1958) - Anita Ekberg
8. Alias Jesse James (1959) - Rhonda Fleming
9. Bachelor in Paradise (1961) - Lana Turner
10. The Road to... Series with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour (except Hong Kong) - ok, I'm cheating with this one but I don't remember which ones I like best)
What film was your introduction to Bob Hope? Which of his films is your favorite?
Comedy - "a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement and most often work by exaggerating characteristics for humorous effect." ~ Source
Here is my list of comedies (I'm running out of things to say as an intro):
1. A Day at the Races (1937) - Marx Brothers
2. Ma and Pa Kettle (1949) - Marjorie Main & Percy Kilbride
3. The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) - Bob Hope
4. We're No Angels (1955) - Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray
5. Some Like it Hot (1959) - Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe
6. Who Was That Lady? (1959) - Tony Curtis & Janet Leigh, Dean Martin
7. The Bellboy (1960) - Jerry Lewis
8. Pink Panther (1963) - Peter Sellers, David Niven, Capucine, Robert Wagner
That wonderful one, two, three, four-legged friend.
Trigger - the most famous and talented horse in the movies. Only, that isn't Trigger in the film Son of Paleface (1952). It's Little Trigger.
Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Little Trigger, & Roy Rogers
That's right. Apparently the original Trigger, the one who made his film debut as Maid Marion's horse in The Adventure's of Robin Hood (1938) before being adopted by Roy Rogers, had by the 1950s retired from films.
Little Trigger, a Morgan, was smaller than Trigger and a lighter honey color. He was exceptionally smart and learned cues for over 100 tricks. He was also a good dancer, as can be seen in the video at the top of the post. He was also housebroken, meaning he could accompany Roy Rogers on visits to children's hospitals.
Little Trigger's performance in Son of Paleface is amazing to watch. He does all kinds of tricks - untying knots, running up stairs, and even is able to steal a scene from Bob Hope. In the scene, Bob and Trigger are sharing a bed. Trigger keeps stealing the covers from off of Bob. Unfortunately it's not of YouTube.
Trigger turns comedian and is by all odds the handsomest as well as the funniest performer in the film.
~ Film Critic Catherine Edwards
Trigger even won the Patsy Award (an award like an Oscar from the American Humane Association) for his role.
The 1940s - when the Movies went to war. Now, not only did the movies have to entertain, they had to show support of the war and boost morale. During this time, the OWI (Office of War Information) asked all filmmakers to consider these seven questions when making a movie:
Will this picture help win the war?
What war information problem does it seek to clarify, dramatize or interpret?
If it is and "escape" picture, will it harm the war effort by creating a false picture of America, her allies, or the world we live in?
Does it merely use the war as the basis for a profitable picture, contributing nothing of real significance to the war effort and possibly lessening the effect of other pictures of more importance?
Does it contribute something new to our understanding of our world conflict and the various forces involved, or has the subject already been adequately covered?
When the picture reaches its maximum circulation on the screen, will it reflect the conditions as they are and fill a need current at that time, or will it be out-dated?
Does the picture tell the truth or will the young people of today have reason to say they were misled by propaganda?
Hollywood rose to the challenge, churning out war picture after war picture. Mrs. Miniver (1942) portrayed ultimate patriotism. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) showed the challenges of returning Veterans. John Wayne won every battle conceivable against the enemy. Many big name stars even served.
Birthday boy James Stewart retired from the army as a two star Major General.
Even Roosevelt approved of the way Hollywood was doing their part. An aide to the President, Lowell Mellett, said "Practically everything being shown on the screen from newsreel to fiction that touches on our national purpose is of the right sort" (Hollywood Goes to War, Roy Hoopes).
The 1940s is the decade with the most films on my list. This one was particularly agonizing to whittle down to a mere ten (as you can see from all of the Honorable Mentions). Also, half of them ended up being Christmas movies (both #4 & 6 are set at Christmas are have a scene at Christmas time). There's also not a lot of war films reflected here. As you an see, I usually err on the side of comedy. What can I say? I love to laugh!
1940s:
1. Meet John Doe (1941) - Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck
2. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) - Robert Montgomery & Carole Lombard
3. To Be or Not To Be (1941/42) - Jack Benny & Carole Lombard
Honorable Mentions: Rebecca (1940), Remember the Night (1940), Third Finger, Left Hand (1940), The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941), The Lady Eve (1941), Random Harvest (1942), Now, Voyager (1942), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), A Stolen Life (1946), Magic Town (1947), Life with Father (1947), Portrait of Jennie (1948), It's a Great Feeling (1949), Ma and Pa Kettle (1949).
What film from the golden age of Hollywood do you show to a person who has only seen new movies? What if they say they don't like black and white? How do you get them to see that the oldies are not only good, buy better than the films of today? It is these questions that the Try It, You'll Like It! Blogathon hosted by Sister Celluloid and Movies Silently are answering.
The film I chose is My Favorite Brunette (1947) starring Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre, and Lon Chaney Jr. Why did I choose this film? It has a little bit of something for everyone: likeable characters, an interesting plot, suspense, comedy. There's good guys and bad guys, mysterious people, creepy houses, and a range of locations from the city (San Francisco and Washington D.C.), the shore, and the country.
The film starts in jail. Ronnie Jackson (Bob Hope) has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit and is telling his story to the newspapers before he heads off to the chair. We then go back in time, to when everything began.
You see, I wanted to be a detective too. It only took brains,
courage, and a gun... and I had the gun.
Jackson is a baby photographer. Next door to his office is a private detective (brief appearance by of Alan Ladd as the detective). Sam McCloud asks Jackson to watch his office for him while he is gone. Just moments after he leaves, and while Jackson is pretending he is a detective, a beautiful woman rushes in (Lamour). She introduces herself as Carlotta Montay. She keeps shushing him and hurriedly whispers part of her story to him before hurrying out in fear. She tells him to meet her at an abandoned mansion, where she is staying (it still exists on Carmel-by-the-Sea's famous 17 Mile Drive). When Jackson arrives there he is immediately thrown into a mystery of deception and intrigue. Unsure of who is on his side and who isn't, he bumbles his way through danger, ending with his arrest for murder. Will he be cleared before the death sentence can be fulfilled? You can read the full plot synopsis here.
I found this movie at Dollar Tree many years ago (it's in the public domain) and it became an instant favorite with me and my brothers. The reason I chose this film is that is has an element of suspense that is present in most modern films. Generally, people who don't like old films say it is because they are slow and boring. My Favorite Brunette is very fast paced and really keeps you on your toes. Plus, you can never go wrong with Bob Hope's zaniness. You can watch the entire film below.
Be sure to read all of the other great posts of must-watch movies here!
