Por Causa de uma Francesinha

Basically, this is a half-hour sitcom stretched out to feature length. The main players are fine, and are comfortable in their parts. But the gags are tired and obvious. For instance, in an overlong chase scene, Phyllis Diller (on motorcycle) not only does the old "knock the fire hydrant, causing geyser" gag, but also the "rides through a ditch as several workers jump out in panic" gag. There's satire on current movies (James Bond, girls in bubble baths) and a couple of laughs (mostly from Bob), but it's primarily a tepid French farce, with Hope trying to hide a sexy movie queen from his wife.

Fans of Bob Hope (like myself) might be willing to put up with it, but if you're new to his films, please do yourself a favor and start with the 1940s road pictures with Bing Crosby.

I just watched this film after taping it among several others from TCM's recent Bob Hope movie marathon. I saw it originally in a downtown theater here as a kid with my parents and sisters in the summer of 1966. I didn't see it again until about 20 years later, upon renting a copy of it from a local video store. My viewing of it the other night made it almost another 20 years since I'd last seen it. I'm a huge Bob Hope fan, so in my eyes he can do no wrong. Although it has its critics, one must realize the context of the times in which "Number" was made. Sex farces were all the rage in the 60's, especially smack-dab in the middle of the decade, when this film was released. Bob appeared regularly throughout each TV season on his NBC specials, and they always got huge ratings, especially his annual Christmas shows from Vietnam. The release of a new Bob Hope movie was a cause for celebration, especially in the long, hot summers of those days. Yes, "Number" essentially is an elongated TV sketch, but it presented a mildly risqué plot in which Bob had to deal with a world-famous sex kitten who suddenly disrupts his life as a married-with-2-children, middle-class realtor, who's experiencing a sales slump. He decides to use runaway movie star Didi as a promotional point for selling an undesirable lakefront cabin he can't sell. His plan backfires, though, but not before he fends off each crisis with his usual breezy one-liners and humorous repartee. Bob's character certainly appreciates Didi's seductive charms, but he's not lecherous. Although he has to control himself at times, the male viewer can really sympathize and identify with his plight. Just when we think he's going to give in and become unfaithful to his marriage vows, his comical responses pull him back from the brink, the viewers laughing at his self-imposed reprieves. I think female viewers enjoy watching these kinds of situations, too. In short, I still like the film. Bob had both discovered and made Phyllis Diller's career, frequently having her on his TV specials in those years. To today's audiences, she may be unrecognizable or of no special consequence in this movie, but to audiences of 1966, she was a household name, her pairing with Bob in "Number" being a big draw. I think the movie was meant primarily as a breezy summer sex comedy, not to be taken seriously. Many of the lines are quite funny, although a few are obvious and uninspired. Still, though, it remains amusing throughout, but it's more in the vein of Bob's TV presence--a huge star who just wanted to stay in touch with the modern film audiences of the mid-1960's, and be seen in the type of sex farce that Americans of that generation enjoyed. One must also realize that Bob had been promoting Elke Sommer on his TV specials at this time, too, so this movie had a lot of built-in publicity and interest surrounding it. True, it's a forgettable film, and hardly one of Bob's classics, but it showcases him as a modern suburban husband and father, and a very witty and likable one at that, thus keeping him in step with how most Americans viewed themselves at the time, or would like to. P.S.: One of my favorite lines in the movie comes during the car chase near the end, where Bob's escaping in a police car while being followed by about 4 other police cars. He looks in his rearview mirror and says, "I've got more fuzz on my tail than a French poodle!" Great stuff!

I write this review after having finished a private double feature of Bob Hope films. Being a big fan of Hope, I really wanted to like "Boy Did I Get A Wrong Number!" His 1960s films are generally considered by most cinephiles to be his weakest but I enjoyed "Bachelor in Paradise"(1961), "The Road to Hong Kong"(1962), "Critic's Choice"and "Call Me Bwana"(both 1963), none of which are regarded as among Hope's better works. Perhaps it's the fact that I watched it just after watching a vastly superior, funnier and well-written Bob Hope comedy called "Caught in the Draft"(1941), but I have to say this would-be attempt at bedroom farce/Hollywood celebrity spoof falls completely flat. What went wrong? Hope and his 2 main female co-stars(Elke Sommer and Phyllis Diller) have great comic ability, and George Marshall had previously directed top-notch Hope laughfests "Fancy Pants"(1950) and "Monsieur Beaucaire"(1950), but no amount of talent in the actors or director can make up for a leaden script which plays like a 98 minute extended rerun of "Three's Company." The comic timing which is so necessary for a film of this type to work is completely off. The funniest thing in the picture is Marjorie Lord's humongous hairdo and I don't think that was the intent of either her or the filmmakers. Even Hope's immediate predecessor film, the so-so "I'll Take Sweden"(1965) was more entertaining.

Hope fans should skip this one and watch a "Road" film or any of the above mentioned Hope films instead while Elke Sommer fans should watch "A Shot in the Dark"(1964) or "The Prize"(1963) in lieu of "Wrong Number!".

Bottom line: 3 of 10 with 1 point for each of the 3 leads only.

I saw this film when I was a kid and loved it. Watching it as an adult, I still got a kick out of it in a campy, shlocky way. The film is worth seeing as a time travel back to the WORST examples of 60's design, clothing, and decor. The garish colors and styles just have to be seen to be believed. Poor Marjorie Lord is outfitted with a towering red wig any ambitious drag queen would kill for. Bob Hope just looks too old at this stage of his career to play a suburban husband and father, despite all the expected one liners. Phyllis Diller, playing Phyllis Diller before all the glam plastic surgery, is a hoot, with bird's nest hairdo and crazy outfits. The problem is, both Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller act like they are in two separate movies, just knocking out one liners and double entendres that must have been boffo in 1966. The plot is convoluted, kind of a riff on a French bedroom farce. Elke Sommer plays a European actress who tries to escape her Hollywood life. The problem is, it is hard to tell exactly what part of Europe she is supposed to be from; sometimes, she sounds like an Ooh-Lah-Lah French maid, other times, she talks like the Fourth Gabor Sister. The chase scene at the end is a hoot, with a stunt person not even slightly resembling Phyllis Diller, riding a motorcycle and squirting mustard in people's faces (don't ask), while the loud Phyllis Diller witch's cackle laughter is dubbed into the scene. The movie is fun, in kinda a train wreck way.Just don't expect Citizen Kane.

I saw this film twice: once when I was a pre-teen in the 60s and then about 40 years later. The first time I saw it, I thought it was one of the funniest movies I had ever seen. The second time I saw it, I wondered what I saw in it the first time. Since it was the same movie, I guess it had to be me, but what a difference 40 years makes. This movie seems to have been made as a vehicle for Bob Hope's and Phyllis Diller's comic skills. However, what seemed knee-slapping funny back then, seems dull and trite now, especially Hope's one-liners. Most of the movie revolves around Hope's character keeping his association with Didi secret. It was funny then but a little overbearing now. His "murder confession" seems just silly now. I gave the movie a 6 rating because the chase scene with Phyllis Diller still ranks high as a hilarious chase scene, just as funny now as when the film was new.