Where There's Life

I guess in order to fully appreciate the likes of Bob Hope as a comedian (and admit that he's a funny guy), it all comes down to something of an acquired taste. But, with that said, even after seeing him in a number of films, I still haven't come anywhere near to acquiring that taste of total appreciation for this dude.

To me, Bob Hope, far too often, comes across as being one of the driest, most bland, and most unfunny comics of his era. In fact, there are moments when Hope's screen-persona gives me the creeps, big-time, especially when his character is required (amongst other things) to be a hot-blooded lover-boy type to some semi-smouldering babe.

From my point of view, Hope's apparent male-magnetism and believability as a virile specimen of raw manhood registers (on a scale of 1-10) at about 2. And 2 is also about the very same position where Hope's appeal as an all-round comic seems to sit, as well.

In "Where There's Life", Hope is radio personality, Michael Valentine, on WKDC in New York.

Valentine soon finds out (in a roundabout way) that he is the long-lost heir to the throne of the mythical kingdom of Borovia. This, in turn, makes him a target of spies, kidnapping, and death plots, as well as the desire of not one, but two, very determined women. (You go figure)

Fast-paced, entertaining and fairly consistently funny: Hope's absurdist puns have a higher-than-usual hit-to-miss ratio, and Signe Hasso is the perfect straight woman. Good supporting cast as well, including George Zucco as - you guessed it - a baddie. *** out of 4.

Here we find Bob Hope in a quite unusual role, as royalty! (He's been everything else, right?) A glamorous General Grimovich tries to convince Michael Valentine that he is the prince of Barovia and must ascend the throne temporarily until they hold their first democratic election. If he doesn't, an evil organization called the "Mordia" will take over the country. A rather involved plot for a Hope movie, but he still shines bright! Great performance by William Bendix in this one as well.

Only two hundred votes for this so far... Turner Classics must not show this one very often. Bob Hope is "Michael Valentine", who happens to be the sole heir to the throne of Barovia. When the king is knocked off, the country officials kidnap Valentine to bring him back to Barovia. Of course, this will interfere with his wedding plans. It's the usual combination of Hope's ongong one-liners and physical gags, as he tries to escape so he can get married. William Bendix is the other big name here... he is the girlfriend's big brother, who has hated Valentine all along. The usual mix-ups, mis-understandings, and running around the mulberry bush. Dead bodies that appear and disappear. Bob Hope made this one right in the middle of all the "Road to " films. Of course there's a dig at Bing Crosby as they run past a poster of Crosby. Also the ending felt a little confusing and tacked on; they could have ended the film about 5 minutes earlier and it would have made more sense. Signe Hasso co-stars as the blonde general from Barovia. It's a fine performance by everyone. The writing isn't as clever as some of the other Hope films, but it's acceptable entertainment. Directed by Sidney Lanfield, who had directed SIX films with Hope. Writer Shavelson had been nominated for two Oscars. This is part of a double DVD with Monsieur Beaucaire from Universal.

This film is included on a DVD along with another one of Bob Hope's films, "Monsieur Beaucaire". Both are rather pleasant diversions, though neither are near Hope's best.

The film begins in the fictional country of Barovia. The King is making a speech when he is unexpectedly shot. As he appears on the verge of death, the General (Signe Hasso) goes on a mission to America to find the King's son--a child conceived during a brief and ill-conceived marriage to a commoner. It turns out that Hasso is looking for Bob Hope and he has no idea that he's next in line for the throne. Unfortunately, an underground organization of evil, the Mordia, are also looking for Hope, as they are the ones who shot the King and they want to rule Barovia. Much of the film consists of Hope and Hasso running from these killers and it's all cute fun. When they fall in love, it's not especially hard to predict, though it did seem to come rather out of the blue. In other words, there wasn't much of a build up to this. Despite this, the plot still worked up until the very end. Sadly, however, the ending is a total let-down in every way. It's a shame, really, as up until then I liked the film a lot and thought it among Hope's better films. But, the dumb ending undid a lot of my good will and as a result it's just a time-passer...a time-passer that could have been better.