Reviews (48)

A DAWN OF A NEW DAY
Doris! The perky big band singer of whom Oscar Levant once quipped "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." I thought back to my visit to Carmel, California, a few years ago, where I dropped by the golf course to glimpse her house ...briefly visible from hole three. (Listen real carefully and you can hear her dogs barking.) I thought back to my beloved Great Dane, she with the baby blue eyes --- was named in honor of Doris, though Dory (for short) was actually named by the breeder from whom I purchased the 186-pound beauty.
And I thought back to the first (and only time) I had chatted with Doris Day. It was the January 28, 1986 --- the day the Challenger had exploded, killing her seven crew members (including Sharon Christa McAuliffe, America's first teacher in space), 73 seconds after launch.
I called Doris at her Carmel, California, home, and was in tears.
"Can you believe what happened," she asked her voice muffled and mournful. "I am so shocked. Those poor men and women. Their families ... the children ..." The tears flowed freely for several minutes. She cried. I cried. We both cried. This, I thought between tears, is going to be some challenge.
After a few minutes, she sniffled one last time. And so we began to chat about her life and loves and long career --- Doris was starting a new talk show, and Rock Hudson --- then so deadly sick with the AIDS virus --- was the first guest), her films, her music and of course, her animals. She told me how she cooked her own dog food, steaming rice and boiling chopped beef, then skimming off the fat, before blending in freshly cooked vegetables and a hint of spice. At the end of the conversation, I was salivating and ready to drop to all fours and beg for a taste.
As luck would have it, I am not the only one thinking about Doris Day these days. Paramount Home Video has just released Teacher's Pet, the 1958 comedy in which Clark Gable stars as a hard-nosed newspaperman who's smitten with journalism teacher DD. Not a great film --- gee, did Gable really so badly? --- though the title song is super, as is Mamie van Doren, as Gable's galpal who sings "The Girl Who Invented Rock and Roll." A better flick is Day's last one: With Six You Get Eggroll, also from Paramount Home Video,the 1968 blended family comedy, with Day solidly supported by Pat Carroll, as well as Alice Ghostley, George Carlin, Barbara Hershey, Jamie Farr and the once-hot rock group, The Grass Roots.
Warner Home Video has just released the box set, Doris Day Collection, a slipcased collectible featuring six new-to-DVD titles: Young Man With a Horn (1950), Lullaby of Broadway (1951), Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1962), The Glass Bottom Boat (1966) and newly restored versions of Love Me Or Leave Me (1955) and Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962)--- both of which feature new Dolby Digital soundtracks making Doris seem as fresh as, well, a new Day; along with Calamity Jane (1953) and The Pajama Game (1957), both of which have been repackaged for this collection. All the discs are packed with bonus features, including vintage shorts (including two starring Ruth Etting, whom Day portrays in Love Me or Leave Me), featurettes, cartoons and trailers.
But the best is saved for last. On June 28, MPI Media Group unveils the long-awaited The Doris Day Show: Season 1, the heart-warming comedy series that ran on CBS from 1968-1973. This was Day's TV series debut, and she proved that her big-screen likeability transferred, quite well thank you, to the small screen ... even if some of closer-ups seem a bit too gauzy for our tastes. Day played Doris Martin, a widowed mother who leaves the city to raise her two young sons on the Mill Valley, California farm of her father Buck, played by Dukes of Hazzard icon Denver Pyle. The four-disc box set includes all 28 original episodes from the show's first season, as well as never-before-seen bonus material.The bonuses offer additional insight into Day's warm, off-screen persona: there are TV promos and messages to network affiliates, as well as her two appearances as the "mystery guest" on What's My Line --- the first spot, from 1954, marked Day's TV debut, and her attempts to disguise her voice through a series of hi-pitched squeaks is a sheer delight.

One of Hollywood's all time best movies EVER!
Fun, fun, fun! A laugh a minute. Just good clean fun that will have the whole family in stitches. Some of my most favorite stars are in this movie. "The Glass Bottom Boat" and "Move Over Darling" are my two all time favorites.

An Under-rated Classic Comedy
This is perhaps Doris Day's finest comedy... yup, even funnier and more fun than "Pillow Talk". it has Doris looking her all-time most beautiful, yet performing some truly funny lines and slapstick. Rod Taylor is perfect has the handsome beau and the antics get belly laughs from me every time. The film also is marvelous for those too young to remember the early 60s in styles, and in flavor. Highly recommended!

ONE OF DORIS'S BEST FILMS
My mom was a huge Doris Day fan and when we were kids we always watched her films on TV.This was always my favorite.I remember going to Silver Springs Florida as a kid and wanting to ride in the glass bottom boats just because of this wonderful screwball comedy.Doris is Jennifer Nelson, by day a tour guide at NASA and on the weekends, swimming in a mermaid Costume below the glass bottom boat of her skipper father played by Arthur Godfrey.She's being wooed by NASA Research Scientist Bruce Templeton.But Jenniger is suspected of being a spy setting in motion events that make this a supreme, 1960's screwball comedy complete with Dom Deluise as a goofball spy, Paul Lynde as a security guard who dresses in drag (who knew!) to keep an eye on Jennifer, and George Tobias and Alice pearce as the Fenimores as they virtually repeat their performances as from the TV show "Bewitched" where they starred as the Neighbors the Kravitz's for so many years.

Also included in the cast is Walton's vet Ellen Corby and Laugh-Ins Dick Martin.This is just a pure fun, zany and simple comedy from a great Era of Americana.Day, now in her early 40's waan't quite the young sweetheart of the 1950's but her talent for comedy and her timing had really grown and she had great chemistry with Taylor.

"You wanna meet later and pick out the furniture?"
Great Doris Day/Rod Taylor slapstick laced with a little romance and some naughty humor. Everybody thinks tour guide/eternal night school student DD is a spy: Paul Lynde dresses in drag to infiltrate the ladies room, Edward Andrews and Dick Martin hope to get secrets by romancing her(they end up--innocently--in bed together). Rod Taylor is the perfect suitor for Doris: strong and grounded, you can believe it when Day looks at him with bated breath! Arthur Godfrey is wonderful as Day's skipper father, and Elisabeth Fraser is a lot of fun as his girlfriend. The DVD shorts are a must-see. Great fun! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

The hugely successful collaboration between Jerry Lewis and director Frank Tashlin (including Artists and Models and The Geisha Boy) came to an end with this knockabout hospital comedy, which contains a raft of Tashlin's patented sight gags. Jerry plays an orderly with a strange fixation on a depressed patient (Susan Oliver), but the point of the movie is watching Lewis wrestle with laundry bags or contorting with agony as he empathizes with the intestinal maladies of patients. This is one of Lewis's funniest movies for babbling, too ("Oh, friction--burning"). Meanwhile, Tashlin brings his cartoon sensibility to freestanding bits, such as the montage of wind chimes that ends with a skeleton chattering in the breeze, or the inordinately loud crunch of an apple in a hospital quiet zone. All in all, a good laugh-per-minute ratio in the slapstick realm. Plus Sammy Davis Jr. sings the title song, a weirdly Rat Packish number. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Laughter Is The Best Medicine!
Jerry Lewis is Jerome Littlefield, an orderly at a mental institution who acts crazier than the patients. Since Frank Tashlin directed this movie, Jerry is free to concentrate solely on his performance, which he does to perfection. Once again Jerry is the lovable loser, who was thrown out of medical school because he felt the symptoms of every patient he diagnosed. This movie features a lot of great sight gags. Jerry fixes a television set in a patient's room that has poor reception, also known as snow. When he takes out the front of the TV, snow comes flying out of the set and soon fills the room! A patient is in a full body cast from head to toe, looking like a plastered mummy. Jerry accidentally knocks him over, the patient goes rolling down a hill and crashes into a tree. There's pieces of broken plaster everywhere, but no body! Jerry declares, "I lost a patient!" The movie concludes with one of the craziest chase scenes in movie history, as a wheeled stretcher with an injured man on it rolls out of the back of an ambulance and continues to roll down hills, while first one, then two ambulances chase him. This movie features more LPMs (laughs per minute) than most modern comedies, and is one of Jerry's funniest films.

Calling Dr. Jerry Funnybone, stat!
This is a hilarious nuthouse romp (although) Jerry makes everywhere a nuthouse.

The common Lewis flaw of getting carried away with a pathos-driven subplot (this time Susan Oliver trying to bump herself off) bogs things down a bit, but the sight gag totals serve to mellow it out in general.

The only real mistake happens at the tail end of the flick, when a wild chase ensues, ending with Jerry's boss rolling on a stretcher down the street, along a pier and into the ocean.

But right before that happens, two ambulances collide on either side of Jerry - one with Jerry's girlfriend in it and the other... shows no driver!

In fact, right before the crash, the movie's director Frank Tashlin even goes to all the trouble of showing us in a closeup that the ambulance's cab is empty, except that someone is still somehow turning the steering wheel.

What's up with THAT?!

A One Laugh Comedy!
I remember watching Jerry Lewis in a movie when I was a kid and liking it, I think it was called Cinderfella but I watched The Disorderly Orderly recently and since I love slapstick humor I thought I would love this movie but really it wasn't all that funny and when Jerry Lewis would use that loud voice for his character that gave the head nurse headaches it just kind of got on my nerves too.

I laughed once during this movie and that was when he was outside and the psychiatric patient tied him up in the straight jacket and he very slowly was trying to make his way back to the inside of the hospital and a snail passed him moving faster then he was.

superb
I loved this when I was a kid and I'm glad to say I still do now at 42! This is one of Jerry Lewis's finest with some really clever visual gags and an inspired use of sound(look out for the apple scene.)Kathleen Freeman is also great as the long suffering head nurse.The whole cast is excellent really and Everett Sloane is on fine form as the very un-pc director of the hospital.
A great film and very nearly up there with Lewis's(not Eddie Murphy's!) The Nutty Professor.

Great Comedy
This movie starts out kind of stupid, but about fifteen minutes into it you will be laughing on the floor. It as a great movie that the whole family can enjoy and will have you wanting to see other JL movies too! ... Read more

Description

In CINDERFELLA, Lewis plays Fella, a good natured klutz left to take care of his stepmother and her two spoiled sons in a fabulous mansion.Fantasy provides Fella with a way of coping with his life until the day his fairy godmother appears and helps him win the heart of a beautiful princess. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Fella Fabulous!
I recall watching some Jerry Lewis movies when I was a child while visiting my Aunts house. I was entertained. As I grew older I found that Jerry Lewis became lost in childhood memories. However, one late night I was watching television and this movie was on. I had missed the beginning, and had to go to bed before the end, if I hadn't I would have been up to 5:30. I thought this movie was sooo cute, that I just had to order it. And it was worth it. I love the Cinderella gone upside down plot of this movie, and Jerry is an adorable jem. Perhaps I was a fan all along, but this movie had to remind me of it. This movie inspires me to see more of what Jerry has to offer and perhaps view some more of his movies as a grown up! A child grownup that is, who always roots for the underdog!

Modern Day Cinderella Story -- Jerry Lewis Style!
One of Lewis's early non-Martin films. Superior production values and charm throughout, this is a true Sunday afternoon family affair.

Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Cinderella", orphaned Lewis is trapped in the situation of being royally taken advantage of by a selfish, scheming step-mother and her two full-grown layabout, playboy-wanna-be sons. The estate and a sizable fortune that went with it was to go to Lewis, but his "family" cleverly swindeld him, making Lewis feel grateful to be "allowed to stay". Used and abused as house-boy, Lewis attracts the attention of a love-interest, much to the chagrin of the two rejected step-brothers. The rest is predictable.

Not a huge box-office success, this piece of light Hollywood candy nonetheless has found steady fans in the wonderful world of TV re-runs. Like Annette & Frankie and their beach outings, a steady supply of 1960s Jerry Lewis films have been shown and shown again on small screens all over the world. To own this gem on VHS is a sound investment in the comedy entertainment of any household. A big winner in my book!*****

Heaps of fun and laugh's
Jerry Lewis is sooooooo good in this movie. It's better than Cinderella and make's me laught every time I watch it (which has been many.)I will never get sick of it. There are lot's of very funny lines. If your a Jerry Lewis fan it won't fail to please.

Lewis at his best
Cinderfella is a wonderful spin on the classic tale of the poor step-child and wicked step-family. The story is witty and Jerry Lewis is absolutely hilarious. The presence of the Count Basie Orchestra is icing on the cake!!

Cinderfella
Cinderfella is a great movie classic. It is full of fun, very classy and has a great storyline. Jerry Lewis brings to life one of the world's most beloved fairytales(Cinderella) in his own unique style. I recommend this wonderful movie classic to anyone who appreciates great, classy comedy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bob Hope returned to the wild West in Son of Paleface, mining therootin' shootin' genre for gag after gag. Hope plays JuniorPotter--another variation on his lascivious, cowardly, yet somehowendearing persona--a college boy who's come to California seeking hisfather's hidden gold. What he finds is an empty treasure chest, a pile ofunpaid bills, vengeful Indians, buxom Jane Russell (as a saloon girl byday, wily bandit by night), and singing cowboy Roy Rogers. It's primesilliness, an ancestor to movies like Airplane! that never let amoment go by without an absurd joke. Russell sashays about in spectacularform-fitting outfits, Rogers yodels a few tunes, and Hope snivels andwheedles his way out of endless scrapes. Good-natured slapstick (thoughits depiction of Native Americans will raise the hackles on politicallycorrect viewers). --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Son of Paleface
SON OF PALEFACE is a sequel, of sorts, to Bob Hope's 1948 hit PALEFACE. It reunites Hope with Jane Russell (Calamity Jane in the previous movie, Mike 'The Torch' Delroy in this one.) Singing cowboy Roy Rogers rounds out the lead roster as Federal Agent Roy Barton.
Hope plays Peter 'Junior' Potter Jr., a recent Harvard grad who travels west to claim his inheritance. Russell plays a masked bandit and Rogers the Fed investigating a series of stagecoach holdups. There's a search for a cache of gold hidden by Junior's father but beyond that the plot doesn't get in the way much at all. If it did, you'd wonder how the masked Torch is able to keep her identity a secret. Yeah, she's wearing a mask, but the hip-hugging jeans and tight blouse she wears when a-robbing make it kind of obvious who it is under the mask.
Not that it matters much. The plot is just thick enough, thank you. Russell and Rogers play it straight and provide Hope with strong foils to play against. By 1952, when SON OF PALEFACE was made, Bob Hope had the blustering coward schtick down cold. Teamed here was director and former Warner Brothers animator Frank Tashlin things get a little wacky. Non sequiturs, snappy one-liners and mugging close-ups are the rule here. Tashlin throws in some very cartoon-y gags, as well. Hope drinks an impossibly tall drink in a bar. After a moment the pipe he's smoking straightens out and spits fire. The H on his Harvard shirt curls. The pipe curls and his nose is caught in the bowl. Smoke hisses out of Hope's ears. His head spins rapidly, then his body. His head sinks into his coat and his hat covers the neck hole. Russell lifts the hat and peeks in....
You get the idea. It's all good family fun with just a scene or two that might zoom past the uninitiated. For instance, when Hope drives his roadster across the desert two vultures perch on the rumble seat. At one point Hope turns on them and says "Hey! Martin and Lewis! Beat it!" Fortunately, the visual and verbal gags come at such a rapid-fire rate we aren't forced to mull over such mysterious references. Before we're given a chance to think about it Hope has driven through an ice-rink desert mirage and the vultures have changed into penguins.
SON OF PALEFACE is one of those rare movies that will appeal to almost everybody and offend almost nobody.

Golden age western is a winner
Delightful western spoof is one of Bob Hope's best films, and he has plenty of solid support from the busty Jane Russell and the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers and his golden palomino, Trigger, "the smartest horse in the movies". Junior Potter [Hope] comes west to inherit his dad's wealth and instead finds himself saddled with his numerous debts and an irate townsfolk is ready to take out their frustrations on Harvard man Potter. Rogers is in town to investigate a series of bank robberies led by "The Torch" and the trail leads to lovely Mike [Russell], a dance-hall singer by day and a black-clad raider by night. Hope fires off snappy one-liners throughout the film's 95 minutes and he has a humorous sequence with Trigger in a hotel room while trying to escape from agent Rogers. Several songs are presented in the movie, among them the popular tune, "Buttons and Bows".

Hope at his Best!
Quite seriously (in a manner of speaking!) this is the best of all of Bob Hope's movies. Although the Road To.. films are classics and will forever feature in the Comedy Hall of Fame, this little-known gem is a real riot! This probably comes closest to Road to Utopia in terms of zaniness.
A sequel-of-sorts to the hugely inferior The Paleface, this movie lays it's cards on the table from the very beginning as we are introduced to the titular 'hero' through a very witty narration ("This girl has just the kind of lips I like to kiss - one on top and one on the bottom") that includes the almost obligatory Bing Crosby cameo. Following this is a few minutes of plot development (and, strangely, this film has more plot than most straight westerns) before Junior Potter (Hope) bursts into town. Great one-liners abound ("I'm an innocent man and if you have any justice in you, you'll accept my bribe") but the real beauty of the film is the surreal, almost cartoon-like direction. Of course the direction has every right to be cartoon-like - it's directed by Frank Tashlin who started in Hollywood directing Porky Pig! Wild action includes Hope's reaction to a Micky Finn, Hope's attempts to blend in with his cowboy costume, Hope and Trigger sharing a bed and talk (tastefully done!) and a crazy chase finale involving banana skins!
Supporting players Jane Russell, Roy Rogers and, of course, Trigger do extremely well in the shadow of Hope who pulls out all of the stops for a career-best performance. The songs, including Buttons and Bows with a twist, are great and the script, apart from the few straight seems which are kept to a minimum, compares well with the Marx Brothers at their best.
Don't believe me - watch it and see for yourself!

Funny stuff
I like this film quite a bit. I always liked Bob Hope as a kid and this film is pretty funny. I didn't buy this one for Bob though, I LOVE Jane Russell and had the hots for her as a kid. This film is a good fun family film that is pretty silly. If in a silly mood check this film out!

Silly fun
I've never seen the original film but used to catch this one alot on tv when I was a kid. I am a HUGE Jane Russell fan and enjoy the silly humor presented here in this film but truly got it for Jane Russell. She looks good in the film and that is a very dim witted reason to REALLY enjoy this film but it's the truth. I think its a good silly romp for the whole family and for anyone who can laugh at Bob hope. It was alot funnier as a kid of course but it's good if in a silly mood. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bob Hope plays a small-time con artist with a fondness for lemon candyin this film based on a Damon Runyon story. When the Lemon Drop Kid accidentallycheats gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark) out of his track winnings, the Kidpromises to repay Moose the money by Christmas. Creating a fake charity for"Apple Annie" Nellie Thursday, the Kid tricks his gang into donning Santa suitsand "collecting dough for old dolls" like Nellie who have nowhere to live. Radiopersonality Marilyn Maxwell assists as the Kid's girlfriend, while WilliamFrawley and Jay C. Flippen play the lovable, gruff crooks that fall for theKid's Santa scam.

Hope is great as the fast-talking sharpster, and the comical gangsters are wellworth the price of admission. Music by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (includingthe classic Christmas song "Silver Bells") makes The Lemon Drop Kid thatmuch sweeter. --Mark Savary ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A fun Hope Christmas flick
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this lesser-known Bob Hope Christmas film. Bob Hope plays a shifty race track con man who finds himself with only the few remaining weeks to Christmas to procure the $10,000 he accidentally scammed a mobster out of. The Lemon Drop Kid flees to New York where he rounds up his old friends to help him in a scheme that involves a shelter for old ladies and a lot of sidewalk Santa Clauses.

Even when he was playing a lout, Hope was still somehow sweet and loveable. No matter how dirty his deeds, he never crosses a line that you can't forgive, and he always redeems himself in the end.

The disc,as was to be expected, was pretty barebones. Unfortuntely, not a lot of effort is put into the releases of these older films unless they're universally-recognized classics like "Casablanca". Still, the film is enough fun to get this DVD even without the extras that make the format so worthwhile.

"The Lemon Drop Kid" is one of Hope's best !!!
I love this movie! I have seen it so many times and will never tire of watching it. Bob Hope is a riot and the whole Christmas storyline makes it probably my all time favorite holiday movie. I love all Damon Runyon adaptions and this and "Pocketful of Miracles" are just great classic films. My other fave Hope/Runyon film is of course "Sorrowful Jones" with the Queen of Comedy Lucille Ball. If you haven't seen "The Lemon Drop Kid" then I strongly suggest you see it because you will fall in love instantly with this great Bob Hope classic.

One of the best Christmas movies ever made
The Lemon Drop Kid is one of the lesser known Christmas movies probably because, in a sense, it doesn't try to be a traditional Christmas movie.
Bob Hope plays a con artist who is run out of Florida and winds up in New York City during a very bad cold snap. He is in hock to the mob and desperately needs to raise some cash.
He comes up with a fiendish plan, he sets up a home for old ladies and funds it Santa's ringing bells a la the Salvation Army. The problem is that he intends to take all the money and leave the old ladies stranded on December 26th.
Of course, being a Christmas movie, that doesn't happen, the kid has a change of heart, and along the way the movie provides Bob Hope in his prime as the ever loveable wise guy.
This movie also introduced the wonderful "Silver Bells" which is more famous than the movie itself.
If you're looking to add a movie for Holiday viewing, or really to watch anytime, this is a delightful addition.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE HOPE MOVIES
An this is also overlooked as a Christmas movie. Hope plays the Lemon Drop Kid. A race horse tout in Florida who unknowingly gives the wrong tip to gangster Moose Moran and costs him $10,000. Moose give him until Christmas to come up with the money or else.

Kid goes to New York to see his girl played ny Marilyn Maxwell and to cook up a scheme to collect money for a bogus home for old ladies to pay off his debt.

he enlists local crooks and con men to dress up as Santas and collect money on steet corners for the phony charity.

Hope is at his best as the fast-talking and wise cracking Lemon Drop Kid. The movie is notable for Hope and Maxwell's singing Silver Bells, which would become a staple of Hopes annual Christmas specials.

Look for William Frawley of I Love Lucy as one of Hopes con man friends. Funny movie!

"Kid" avoids pitfalls, delivers rare holiday gem
Bob Hope's movies generally make me squirm with their heavy-handed comedy schtick, even "classics" -- those Hope-Crosby road movies -- don't live up to their reputations. And then, of course, there's the Hope plus Phyllis Diller equals pain movies of the 60's... BUT...

This movie is a gem. Its puns still work, it features a deep cast of character actors that fill small moments, and surprisingly, gives Hope a role that even his hamming doesn't get the best of. Definitely a perennial holiday favorite for me (as a kid I watched this every year between the gazillion forgettable Christmas Carol remakes).

Usually I cringe during the inevitable musical numbers in the movies of this period (made in 1950, released in 51), but the two numbers here are not forced, nor prolonged, and -- geez -- fun? Yeah, fun. I'm an avowed musical hater, to give you some perspective.

There might be a few moments that are pure camp, but if you're looking for a funny movie that's got sentimental elements that aren't saccharine, your kids will enjoy, and is worthy of a viewing or two or three, look no further. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

It;s really not that bad
Why this film was a commercial failure and is critically loathed is beyond me. No, this is not one of Bob's best, not by any means. But Hope himself is in fine form, and while the film is uneven, there are enough good one liners and sight gags to satisfy his fans. Hope is ably supported by an ace supporting cast, including Phyllis Diller, Dick Sargent, and Jeffrey Hunter. Just sit back, relax, and laugh.

A surprisingly sub-par military comedy from Bob Hope
It is rather ironic that Bob Hope (who turned 100 today) provided so much entertainment for American troops in the field from World War II to Vietnam and beyond yet could only come up with this less than stellar military comedy. Bob plays the titular Sgt. O'Farrell, the power behind the throne on a U.S. base during World War II. When the base turns dry, the result of a Japanese torpedo and unsympathetic officeers, the sarge comes up with a plan, involving his own private navy, to get beer to the troops. O'Farrell is helped by Calvin Coolidge Ishimura (Mako), a Japanese deserter hiding out on the island. Once the boys are liquored up, the next goal becomes female companionship. The good news is that this brings Gina Lollobrigida to the island; the bad news is that it also brings Phyllis Diller, who plays Nellie Krause. She takes a liking to O'Farrell, which makes it difficult for him to go after Gina (or "Maria" as she is called--but no name on earth is as good as Gina Lollobrigida). Hope and Diller worked fine in their first film together, "Eight on the Lam," but not this time around as she relentlessly pursues O'Farrell. There is some good slapstick shtick and good lines here and there, but overall it is rather uneven. Is this the best Bob Hope comedy film ever? No, that remains "Paleface," even above the Road pictures. But it is not as bad as "The Iron Petticoat" with Katharine Hepburn. Be glad I do not let anybody see my copy of that film. "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell" is worth one look, but I would not consider it worth repeat viewings.

Hope fan
This movie is so cornball that I just love it. Bob and Phyllis together are great, and so is Jeffrey Hunter. Light hearted goofy fun! Wish it were cleaned up and put in widescreen though cause the ocean island setting is very scenic.

Leonard... Get Real!!
Of all the Bob Hope Movies during the sixties, this was one of the best (even though I loved them all). It had the slapstick with Hope and Diller playing off each other, the friendly Japanese soldier (Kinda like McHale's Navy TV Series), and just a light hearted plot that wasn't offensive to anyone. Leonard, you must have been sleeping thru this one, because you usually like the easy going movies like I do)... I just wish they would release the others, such as Boy Did I get A Wrong Number and Critic's Choice on DVD... Enjoy the fun everyone!!

Bob's a Blast!
This is one of my absolute favorite Bob Hope movies. The supporting cast is wonderful, and the plot is light-hearted and entertaining. I could watch this one over and over again--and have. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Son of Paleface
SON OF PALEFACE is a sequel, of sorts, to Bob Hope's 1948 hit PALEFACE. It reunites Hope with Jane Russell (Calamity Jane in the previous movie, Mike 'The Torch' Delroy in this one.) Singing cowboy Roy Rogers rounds out the lead roster as Federal Agent Roy Barton.
Hope plays Peter 'Junior' Potter Jr., a recent Harvard grad who travels west to claim his inheritance. Russell plays a masked bandit and Rogers the Fed investigating a series of stagecoach holdups. There's a search for a cache of gold hidden by Junior's father but beyond that the plot doesn't get in the way much at all. If it did, you'd wonder how the masked Torch is able to keep her identity a secret. Yeah, she's wearing a mask, but the hip-hugging jeans and tight blouse she wears when a-robbing make it kind of obvious who it is under the mask.
Not that it matters much. The plot is just thick enough, thank you. Russell and Rogers play it straight and provide Hope with strong foils to play against. By 1952, when SON OF PALEFACE was made, Bob Hope had the blustering coward schtick down cold. Teamed here was director and former Warner Brothers animator Frank Tashlin things get a little wacky. Non sequiturs, snappy one-liners and mugging close-ups are the rule here. Tashlin throws in some very cartoon-y gags, as well. Hope drinks an impossibly tall drink in a bar. After a moment the pipe he's smoking straightens out and spits fire. The H on his Harvard shirt curls. The pipe curls and his nose is caught in the bowl. Smoke hisses out of Hope's ears. His head spins rapidly, then his body. His head sinks into his coat and his hat covers the neck hole. Russell lifts the hat and peeks in....
You get the idea. It's all good family fun with just a scene or two that might zoom past the uninitiated. For instance, when Hope drives his roadster across the desert two vultures perch on the rumble seat. At one point Hope turns on them and says "Hey! Martin and Lewis! Beat it!" Fortunately, the visual and verbal gags come at such a rapid-fire rate we aren't forced to mull over such mysterious references. Before we're given a chance to think about it Hope has driven through an ice-rink desert mirage and the vultures have changed into penguins.
SON OF PALEFACE is one of those rare movies that will appeal to almost everybody and offend almost nobody.

Golden age western is a winner
Delightful western spoof is one of Bob Hope's best films, and he has plenty of solid support from the busty Jane Russell and the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers and his golden palomino, Trigger, "the smartest horse in the movies". Junior Potter [Hope] comes west to inherit his dad's wealth and instead finds himself saddled with his numerous debts and an irate townsfolk is ready to take out their frustrations on Harvard man Potter. Rogers is in town to investigate a series of bank robberies led by "The Torch" and the trail leads to lovely Mike [Russell], a dance-hall singer by day and a black-clad raider by night. Hope fires off snappy one-liners throughout the film's 95 minutes and he has a humorous sequence with Trigger in a hotel room while trying to escape from agent Rogers. Several songs are presented in the movie, among them the popular tune, "Buttons and Bows".

Hope at his Best!
Quite seriously (in a manner of speaking!) this is the best of all of Bob Hope's movies. Although the Road To.. films are classics and will forever feature in the Comedy Hall of Fame, this little-known gem is a real riot! This probably comes closest to Road to Utopia in terms of zaniness.
A sequel-of-sorts to the hugely inferior The Paleface, this movie lays it's cards on the table from the very beginning as we are introduced to the titular 'hero' through a very witty narration ("This girl has just the kind of lips I like to kiss - one on top and one on the bottom") that includes the almost obligatory Bing Crosby cameo. Following this is a few minutes of plot development (and, strangely, this film has more plot than most straight westerns) before Junior Potter (Hope) bursts into town. Great one-liners abound ("I'm an innocent man and if you have any justice in you, you'll accept my bribe") but the real beauty of the film is the surreal, almost cartoon-like direction. Of course the direction has every right to be cartoon-like - it's directed by Frank Tashlin who started in Hollywood directing Porky Pig! Wild action includes Hope's reaction to a Micky Finn, Hope's attempts to blend in with his cowboy costume, Hope and Trigger sharing a bed and talk (tastefully done!) and a crazy chase finale involving banana skins!
Supporting players Jane Russell, Roy Rogers and, of course, Trigger do extremely well in the shadow of Hope who pulls out all of the stops for a career-best performance. The songs, including Buttons and Bows with a twist, are great and the script, apart from the few straight seems which are kept to a minimum, compares well with the Marx Brothers at their best.
Don't believe me - watch it and see for yourself!

Funny stuff
I like this film quite a bit. I always liked Bob Hope as a kid and this film is pretty funny. I didn't buy this one for Bob though, I LOVE Jane Russell and had the hots for her as a kid. This film is a good fun family film that is pretty silly. If in a silly mood check this film out!

Silly fun
I've never seen the original film but used to catch this one alot on tv when I was a kid. I am a HUGE Jane Russell fan and enjoy the silly humor presented here in this film but truly got it for Jane Russell. She looks good in the film and that is a very dim witted reason to REALLY enjoy this film but it's the truth. I think its a good silly romp for the whole family and for anyone who can laugh at Bob hope. It was alot funnier as a kid of course but it's good if in a silly mood. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

It;s really not that bad
Why this film was a commercial failure and is critically loathed is beyond me. No, this is not one of Bob's best, not by any means. But Hope himself is in fine form, and while the film is uneven, there are enough good one liners and sight gags to satisfy his fans. Hope is ably supported by an ace supporting cast, including Phyllis Diller, Dick Sargent, and Jeffrey Hunter. Just sit back, relax, and laugh.

A surprisingly sub-par military comedy from Bob Hope
It is rather ironic that Bob Hope (who turned 100 today) provided so much entertainment for American troops in the field from World War II to Vietnam and beyond yet could only come up with this less than stellar military comedy. Bob plays the titular Sgt. O'Farrell, the power behind the throne on a U.S. base during World War II. When the base turns dry, the result of a Japanese torpedo and unsympathetic officeers, the sarge comes up with a plan, involving his own private navy, to get beer to the troops. O'Farrell is helped by Calvin Coolidge Ishimura (Mako), a Japanese deserter hiding out on the island. Once the boys are liquored up, the next goal becomes female companionship. The good news is that this brings Gina Lollobrigida to the island; the bad news is that it also brings Phyllis Diller, who plays Nellie Krause. She takes a liking to O'Farrell, which makes it difficult for him to go after Gina (or "Maria" as she is called--but no name on earth is as good as Gina Lollobrigida). Hope and Diller worked fine in their first film together, "Eight on the Lam," but not this time around as she relentlessly pursues O'Farrell. There is some good slapstick shtick and good lines here and there, but overall it is rather uneven. Is this the best Bob Hope comedy film ever? No, that remains "Paleface," even above the Road pictures. But it is not as bad as "The Iron Petticoat" with Katharine Hepburn. Be glad I do not let anybody see my copy of that film. "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell" is worth one look, but I would not consider it worth repeat viewings.

Hope fan
This movie is so cornball that I just love it. Bob and Phyllis together are great, and so is Jeffrey Hunter. Light hearted goofy fun! Wish it were cleaned up and put in widescreen though cause the ocean island setting is very scenic.

Leonard... Get Real!!
Of all the Bob Hope Movies during the sixties, this was one of the best (even though I loved them all). It had the slapstick with Hope and Diller playing off each other, the friendly Japanese soldier (Kinda like McHale's Navy TV Series), and just a light hearted plot that wasn't offensive to anyone. Leonard, you must have been sleeping thru this one, because you usually like the easy going movies like I do)... I just wish they would release the others, such as Boy Did I get A Wrong Number and Critic's Choice on DVD... Enjoy the fun everyone!!

Bob's a Blast!
This is one of my absolute favorite Bob Hope movies. The supporting cast is wonderful, and the plot is light-hearted and entertaining. I could watch this one over and over again--and have. ... Read more