The Princess and the Pirate (1944)

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

Sy Bartlett (story)
Allen Boretz (adaptation)

Release Date:

20 August 1945 (Sweden)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Princess Margaret is travelling incognito to elope with her true love instead of marrying the man her father has betrothed her to...

Plot Keywords:

Boat | Chase | Assumed Identity | Arranged Marriage | Actor

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Bob Hope	...	Sylvester the Great
Virginia Mayo	...	Princess Margaret
Walter Brennan	...	Featherhead
Walter Slezak	...	La Roche
Victor McLaglen	...	Captain Barrett ak The Hook
Marc Lawrence	...	Pedro
Hugo Haas	...	Cafe owner
Maude Eburne	...	Landlady
Adia Kuznetzoff	...	Don José Ramon Sebastian Rurales
Brandon Hurst	...	Mr. Pelly
Tom Kennedy	...	Alonzo
Stanley Andrews	...	Captain of 'The Mary Ann'
Robert Warwick	...	The King

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (alternate rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

Samuel Goldwyn paid Paramount $133,500 to borrow Bob Hope for twelve weeks. During that time, Hope made this film and They Got Me Covered (1943).

Goofs:

Continuity: When The Hook's ship is attacking The Mary Ann, it is flying the Skull & Crossbones. Soon after that it is seen being raised.

Quotes:

Princess Margaret: I hear there are pirates in these waters.
Sylvester: Yeah? Well, let them stay in the water, they're dangerous on ships!

Soundtrack:

Kiss Me in the Moonlight

Hope at his zaniest in featherweight swashbuckling comedy...

This one is so much better than Hope's later romp in the swashbuckling genre called CASANOVA'S BIG NIGHT.

VIRGINIA MAYO displays comic flair as Princess Margaret, the lovely Technicolor photography doing her full justice as the costumed princess running away from the villains with the cowardly Sylvester the Great (BOB HOPE) at her side. Hope is at his comic best, delivering every line with the sort of casual flair for comedy that served him so well during his early years at Paramount.

But having the most fun are VICTOR McLAGLEN as the hook-bearing pirate with a devilish gleam in his eye; WALTER BRENNAN as the maniacal, half-witted pirate called Featherbrain who relishes every scene and gives one of his best supporting role performances; and WALTER SLEZAK as the wicked man who wants the treasure map and Mayo for his own.

Not to be outclassed by these comic performances, we also have HUGO HAAS as the cabaret owner who shares some priceless one-liners with Hope who auditions for a job in his cabaret. The drinking scene is one of the highlights of the film.

Directed at a frantic pace by David Butler, this is one of Hope's most enjoyable romps and it's all dressed up in fancy Technicolor and lavish sets and costumes.

Not to be missed, if you're a Hope fan.