A bachelor employee at the United Nations building takes care of an abandoned baby.A bachelor employee at the United Nations building takes care of an abandoned baby.A bachelor employee at the United Nations building takes care of an abandoned baby.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations total
Michèle Mercier
- Lisette
- (as Michele Mercier)
Liselotte Pulver
- Sonya
- (as Lilo Pulver)
Featured reviews
I'm a huge Bob Hope fan but this film's rather disappointing, rather dull, and not terribly funny. There are some amusing moments and recognizably-typical Hope lines but the premise is limited and proceeds slowly in spots, especially in the prolonged scene between Hope and Lilo Pulver, a Soviet sociologist featuring now-dated, propagandistic comments from both parties, and is tediously talky in nature.
Mr. Hope himself looks trim and moves and speaks appealingly but aside from some of his lines, almost anybody else could've played the role. For a Hope comedy, it's not funny enough. Perhaps if some other actor was playing the part of Lattimore, it wouldn't've seemed so obvious, as not as much would've been expected, or been as desirably-dependent on a star's well-known personality. Hope, as always, is likeable and smooth but the plot and script don't give him much to work with.
The movie, as mentioned, is dated. Almost noone watching today would recognize the silent cameo of Adlai Stevenson, a household name in his day. And, until recently, not many viewers would understand the U.S./Russia rivalry, as presented here with regard to the baby. In fact, the entire vehicle has a Cold War, pro-West propaganda feel to it--almost as if the U.N. cultural unit asked Hollywood to make such a feature, using the most patriotic American comedian then in existence, Bob Hope.
In fairness, the star was trying new things by this point in his film career. He was getting older, and couldn't remain popular with audiences in the same way as he did during the studio system's heyday. By the time of "A Global Affair", Hope was playing a more mature type of suburban, middle-class American, usually a father or a businessman, or both, rather than a knockabout, wisecracking clown-type, great as he was in those earlier roles, often with songs and musical interludes. By 1964, all this was passe', and the comedian's movie roles began reflecting the changing, mid-20th century society of the country.
In short, "Affair", though offering a potentially cute premise, doesn't really deliver much with it. The film screams for some big comedy moments, or, at least, a huge, hilarious ending but it was not to be. Although the storyline's clearly padded, more inventive, humorous situations might've saved it. Surprisingly, the movie picks up a little steam in the last quarter-hour, becoming livelier and a little funnier but, in truth, the film seems like an extended sketch from one of Bob's TV specials, where it might've come off better on a smaller, more intimate, screen.
One of the four projects in which Jack Arnold directed Bob Hope, "A Gobal Affair" has Larrimore (Hope) taking an abandoned baby home for the weekend, apparently one of his responsibilities at the UN building. Hope had just done Road to Hong Kong, the last ROAD film, in 1962. Of course, Larrimore's neighbor Mr. Snifter is suspicious, and keeps threatening to throw him out of his apartment. Viewers will recognize the neighbor ( John McGiver ) from "Breakfast at Tiffanys", and "Mame". All sorts of silly things happen to Larrimore and the baby, and they attempt to explain why they don't just turn the baby over to the police. There is a not-so-graceful edit while Larrimore is addressing the UN, and it sounds like a line was added later. Co stars Yvonne DeCarlo and Nehemia Persoff. Even appearances by Hugh Downs and Adlai Stevenson. Throw in some silly dates with women from Russia, Spain, and Japan who are out to prove a point, and you've got this movie. Starts out light, gets heavy in the middle, and must all be ironed out by the end. Where were we ...? oh that's right, it's all being done to figure out where the baby should grow up. Some quickie lines for Hope, but not his best work.
As the countries of the earth gathered at the New York World's Fair in 1964, Bob Hope and Producer Ed Small (who would produce a series of films in the 60's that became increasingly cataclysmic disasters with each subsequent release) felt this topical comedy on the United Nations and an abandoned child "adopted" by Hope would be a natural for laughs. Nope. Hope's effortless sauntering around a set in lieu of acting became standard by this time, and here his search for a mate among the international nubile hostesses at the U.N. is particularly dated and borderline offensive. As was undoubtedly said at the time- Hope sets the sites on his laugh targets low... and misses. Even a mild diversion as "Bachelor In Paradise" just three years hence would prove a high-water mark of the latter half of Hope's film career. They may have "hoped" to succeed "Globally" but stank locally.
Vastly underrated comedy delivered by Bob Hope and friends. The movie is a snapshot of N.Y.C., circa 1964, that puts on display a lifestyle--unlimited cocktails, swingin' chicks and cool, smoky music--which no longer breathes. This film has more smoking, drinking, and carefree carousing ever photographed on celluloid for a family film. The ridiculous plot concerns a child abandoned at the U.N., who somehow becomes the international focal point for peace. Hope is given custody of the silent tyke by default(Why no one calls the authorities is anyone's guess?) At the time, Bob Hope was sixty years old! My girl friend was surprised he was THAT old--she thought he looked around forty. There is an interesting battle between humans and pets in this movie. Hope's landlord hates children but loves animals. There is an extended scene at a snooty dog show where Hope looses the kid and gets dragged by a huge pooch. However, the strangest moment has to be when Hope needs to smuggle the "world's baby" into his bachelor pad and past his troublesome landlord. His solution: put him in a dog-carrier and pass him off as man's best friend. Now, where was Child Welfare? There is some nice on location photography and one far-out cameo by Adlai Stevenson, a year before he died. Also, Billy Halop appears briefly as yet another cab driver{see "Mister Buddwing"}; he was a fixture at the time always playing working class types. View this film at a tiki bar with a drink and Dean Martin on the juke box. If that is at all possible.
It's unfortunate that a most intriguing idea about who does an abandoned infant left at the United Nations belong to was turned into a subpar Bob Hope comedy. Very few of Hope's films in the 60s compare with what he was doing for Paramount in the 40s and 50s.
In A Global Affair Bob plays a UN employee and is given charge of the infant and to make a decision which country gets the child. Hope's about the last person to be given this assignment as he's a confirmed bachelor with a reputation as a wolf. So a lot of countries hoping to score a propaganda coup send some of their best diplomats to make a pitch for their nation. And it just so happens that all of them are beautiful women appealing to Bob's baser instincts.
It all gets rather silly after a while. Even the baby starts to look bored with it all.
There was a good message there delivered by Hope in the end about nationalism being something that is acquired. Perhaps had a more serious approach been taken with the film it might have resonated. But you want serious in a Bob Hope comedy?
In A Global Affair Bob plays a UN employee and is given charge of the infant and to make a decision which country gets the child. Hope's about the last person to be given this assignment as he's a confirmed bachelor with a reputation as a wolf. So a lot of countries hoping to score a propaganda coup send some of their best diplomats to make a pitch for their nation. And it just so happens that all of them are beautiful women appealing to Bob's baser instincts.
It all gets rather silly after a while. Even the baby starts to look bored with it all.
There was a good message there delivered by Hope in the end about nationalism being something that is acquired. Perhaps had a more serious approach been taken with the film it might have resonated. But you want serious in a Bob Hope comedy?
Did you know
- TriviaCo-stars Yvonne De Carlo and Miiko Taka do not make their initial appearances until the final twenty minutes of the film, and both scenes amount to little more than cameos.
- GoofsTwo of the character roles listed in the closing credits do not match their roles played in the film. Elga Andersen 'of Germany' plays the role of a representative from France, and Lilo Pulver 'of Switzerland' plays the Russian representative (appearing at about 45 mins) who collects data for an examination of the baby's national origin. Andersen's accent is closer to German than French, while Pulver's Russian accent is minimally passable.
- Quotes
Frank Larrimore: I once had a tough sergeant like you - he was shot from behind on the first day of combat!
- Crazy creditsDuring closing credits, they display the country of birth for the various actresses - for example : Michèle Mercier of France, Elga Andersen of Germany.
- ConnectionsFeatured in MGM Is on the Move! (1964)
- How long is A Global Affair?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- A Global Affair
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,600,000 (estimated)
- Runtime
- 1h 24m(84 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.00 : 1
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