Where There's Life

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.

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.

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.

Bob Hope is always a wonderful comedian, but he has to work with a few handicaps here. First, there's a predictable and mundane script with a plot more fit for the Three Stooges than Hope. Second, the production values look awfully cheap. This looks more like Republic Pictures than Paramount. Third, co-star Signe Hasso is listless and grim, and has no chemistry with Hope at all. She is also saddled with a ridiculous and silly hairstyle. The only memorable delight in the film is William Bendix as a N.Y.City cop. His delivery of his signature line, "What a revolting development this is," is the funniest laugh in the movie. At 75 minutes, the film zips by and is pleasant enough, but not nearly as much fun as "Monsieur Beaucaire," "Paleface" or any of the Road pictures.

Bob Hope hadn't quite attained top stardom outside the "Road" movies when this B-grade comedy was made, and while he's make occasional worse films later, this mediocrity is very much a routine studio product of its time. He's an NYC radio personality who is suddenly in demand by friends and foes of a fictional nation whose king is dying from an assassination attempt--and Bob is supposedly the unknowing heir to the throne, having been the product of a secret affair with an American long ago. It sounds like fun to put the comic in some Ruritania's political intrigue, but after its prologue, the movie never leaves Manhattan, where our cowardly hero is chased around by various undercover government agents (including Signe Hasso as a supposed general, in a weak stab at "Ninotchka"-type dynamics) and his own would-be assassins. All this keeps him away from planned nuptials with his fiancee and her cop brother (William Bendix), whose subplot is more amusing than the main narrative. But nothing here is very inspired. Hope talks a lot of fast patter as usual, but it's not GOOD patter, and the situations aren't clever or novel enough to make them funnier. It's not a bad movie, just a thoroughly forgettable that doesn't do anyone involved any particular favors.