Background: Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr star in a typical Bob Hope comedy from 1952. Bob Hope had already starred in a bunch of Road To... movies with his pal Bing Crosby and it’s easy to see how this one could get lost in the shuffle. The only real difference between this movie and those classics is a noticeable lack of Bing. Bob had also starred in a couple My Favorite...movies before this, but that’s unrelated, as this is actually a remake of a movie made only a decade prior. That one starred neither Bob Hope or Hedy Lamarr, so it’s easy to see why it was remade. Speaking of the lovely Ms. Lamarr, this was one of her final big screen roles. Director Norman Z. Macleod was no stranger to comedy, working with the Marx brothers and even worked with Bob Hope on Road to Rio.
Plot: Bob Hope is Peanuts White, a no name vaudevillian whose name only gets top billing when he puts it there himself. Unfortunately for him, he bears striking resemblance to international spy Eric Augustine (Also Bob Hope). After a case of mistaken identity and Augustine getting gunned down, Peanuts is called up to the big leagues and asked to step in to act as Augustine to complete his mission, purchasing a million dollar microfilm for some unspecified reason. He’s given rigorous training on the dangerous life and lady-killing style of his doppelgänger. All the while, Bob Hope makes frequent use of that silly growling noise that made him a star.
His new mission sends Peanuts to exotic Tangier (which looks suspiciously like the San Fernando valley) where an attempt is quickly made on his life, shaking the comedian who finds it hard to keep in his spy persona. He soon meets Lily (played with no particular character by Hedy Lamarr) an old friend of Augustine who’s now working with the enemy. While in Tangier, he runs into various characters from Augustine’s past, former female companions, old enemies and the like, along with another government operative acting undercover as Augustine’s valet, Tasso.
Peanuts/Augustine finds his way to a casino where he gambles thousands of dollars and gives away thousands more. just like any international playboy spy. The comedy-thriller ramps up the thriller portion as he finds the man with the microfilm and the chase is on as the bad guys want the film too. The real Augustine, who has recently escaped his stay at the hospital, shows up in Tangier and is killed faster than any super-spy reasonably should be. The microfilm changes hands a few times before a big climax with Peanuts and the bad guys. A chase along the Pacific Coast Highw--- I mean Tangier ensues and after some wacky hijinx and an antic or two, the film finds its way to the right hands and the guy gets the gal.
Why Was It Forgotten? Well, as a comedy, it’s frankly not that good. There are a few funny scenes and Bob Hope never completely disappoints, but there’s something missing, and that’s a proper straight man. What made the Road To... movies so great was the mixture of Bob and Bing. The former would act wacky and the latter would have something to say about it. Here, Bob has to rely basically only on himself and it’s frankly just not his strong suit.
Where the comedy works great though, is when it really gets to ramp up the zaniness. When Peanuts and Tasso escape their pursuers under guise of a two man camel costume, it’s fantastic. When it’s Peanuts in his stage show just acting silly, it’s far less fantastic. I think the real reason few have watched this is that there’s really nothing in this movie that you can’t get in far better Bob Hope roles.
What Went Right? Surprisingly, it’s not bad as a spy movie. The plot moves fairly briskly in most places and when it slows down, it’s basically just so Bob Hope can show off his many talents. The aforementioned stage show is completely expendable and just gets the movie off to a slow start. Also, there’s a late interrogation, where Peanuts is given a truth serum that devolves into an extended song and dance sequence. This could be a bit of the Norman McLeod coming through, as his previous work with the Marx brothers always included those scenes with Harpo showing off that we all wanted to fast forward through when we were kids.
Verdict: Bob and Bing are better, bub
Score: 40%
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