Warning: review contains SPOILERS.
Fresh off their success with "The Road to Morocco", Bob Hope, his frequent leading lady Dorothy Lamour and expert comedy director David Butler teamed up for this (then)topical laughfest about a bumbling news correspondent who uncovers an Axis spy ring on the eve of the U.S.'s entry into WWII. In an adventure that takes him to Moscow, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Niagara Falls, Hope runs across international cutthroats, femme fatales, undercover agents, blond burlesque queens, Axis saboteurs, a crazy Civil War vet, and (sort of-spoiler here) an unforgettable fellow airplane passenger. All of the riotous mayhem culminates in a hilarious conclusion in Washington beauty salon where Hope outwits the villains in a way that has to been seen to be believed.
When it comes to comedy, nothing beats Bob Hope in his prime(1940s) and the one-liners provided for him here are classics. The often underrated Miss Lamour shines as a Lois Lane-type reporter. She and Hope have fabulous chemistry together and their comic timing as a team is impeccable. Directing great Otto Preminger("Exodus", "Laura") is perfect as the villainous Nazi spymaster while the lovely Lenore Aubert{"Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein") makes an alluring femme fatale. Harry Kurnitz script is stronger-than-average for a Hope vehicle while David Butler again proves he was one of Hollywood classic era's most capable and underrated directors. Wisely, they allow the villains to play it straight to give this mostly light film a serious(but not too much so) undertone which makes it seem edgier and thus more effective as a comedy thriller.
Bottom line: One of Hope's best that deserves to be rated higher in Hope's 1940s film canon. *** 1/2 out of ****.
Makes a good double feature with either "Caught in the Draft"(1941) another Hope/Lamour/Butler collaboration or "My Favorite Blonde"(1942), another Hope comedy/WWII spy-thriller classic.
Fresh off their success with "The Road to Morocco", Bob Hope, his frequent leading lady Dorothy Lamour and expert comedy director David Butler teamed up for this (then)topical laughfest about a bumbling news correspondent who uncovers an Axis spy ring on the eve of the U.S.'s entry into WWII. In an adventure that takes him to Moscow, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Niagara Falls, Hope runs across international cutthroats, femme fatales, undercover agents, blond burlesque queens, Axis saboteurs, a crazy Civil War vet, and (sort of-spoiler here) an unforgettable fellow airplane passenger. All of the riotous mayhem culminates in a hilarious conclusion in Washington beauty salon where Hope outwits the villains in a way that has to been seen to be believed.
When it comes to comedy, nothing beats Bob Hope in his prime(1940s) and the one-liners provided for him here are classics. The often underrated Miss Lamour shines as a Lois Lane-type reporter. She and Hope have fabulous chemistry together and their comic timing as a team is impeccable. Directing great Otto Preminger("Exodus", "Laura") is perfect as the villainous Nazi spymaster while the lovely Lenore Aubert{"Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein") makes an alluring femme fatale. Harry Kurnitz script is stronger-than-average for a Hope vehicle while David Butler again proves he was one of Hollywood classic era's most capable and underrated directors. Wisely, they allow the villains to play it straight to give this mostly light film a serious(but not too much so) undertone which makes it seem edgier and thus more effective as a comedy thriller.
Bottom line: One of Hope's best that deserves to be rated higher in Hope's 1940s film canon. *** 1/2 out of ****.
Makes a good double feature with either "Caught in the Draft"(1941) another Hope/Lamour/Butler collaboration or "My Favorite Blonde"(1942), another Hope comedy/WWII spy-thriller classic.