The Sea Empress Theater presents: Bob Hope clips

The Sea Empress Theater presents: Bob Hope clips

One of the finest performers of the Twentieth Century spanned the eras from vaudeville to international televised performances and also spanned the continents entertaining U. S. and Allied troops for decades up to the time of his death in 2003.

Hope has a long line of followers, not only in audiences but in the many great talents who work hard at providing an uplifting experience for people around the world with their original content and even a few stolen jokes, though, those stealing jokes from old-timers like Milton Berle do so at their own peril.

Jack Rue with violin in kitchen of High Chimneys

My old friend Jack Rue told me it was okay for him to steal jokes out of Berle’s book when he was penning humor and history columns for my newspaper. I asked him why. He answered, “Why not?”  “Berle stole them too!”

My ambition in high school was to, some day, be a writer for Bob Hope. Now I simply aspire to be a better writer.

Enjoy these postings and clips of the life of Bob Hope and scroll down for the full-length 1947 feature film from Paramount, My Favorite Brunette. 

 

 


This was one of the three films that Bob Hope did for Paramount with the theme of favorites: blonde, spy, and brunette. He was at one of the best moments of his career when this spoof about the detective movie genre went into production. “My Favorite Brunette” was directed by Elliott Nugent with a style that made it fun and light to watch. The screenplay by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose parodies those films that showed a charismatic private eye get into all kinds of dangerous situations. In this film, Ronnie Jackson, a photographer in San Francisco is suddenly, thrown into a web of intrigue when he steps into the office of his neighbor, the real P.I, Sam McCloud, who is fed up with the job and is leaving town. Enter the femme fatale, something that is a must in this type of film, Carlotta Montay. She will get Ronnie into all kinds of difficult situations and even the gas chamber as he tries his best to deal with all the bad people that are chasing Carlotta. Bob Hope was excellent in his take of Ronnie Jackson. Dorothy Lamour, in all her beauty, made the most of her Carlotta. Two cameos in the film were notorious because they are uncredited and unexpected: Alan Ladd and Bing Crosby. Others in the film are Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr., Charles Dingle, Frank Puglia, Reginald Denny, among the supporting cast. The film is still a lot of fun as it makes fun of other more dramatic movies thanks to the direction of Elliott Nugent.

 

Plot

The story is told in Flashback (narrative) from Death Row as Ronnie Jackson (Hope) relates the events to a group of reporters the events that lead to his predicament. Jackson is a baby photographer who dreams about being a real private detective like his friend Sam McCloud (Ladd). One day he is mistaken for a detective by a mysterious lady in distress (Lamour) and soon finds himself involved in a murder mystery.

My Favorite Brunette is a 1947 American romantic comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose, the film is about a baby photographer on death row in San Quentin State Prison who tells reporters his history. While taking care of his private-eye neighbor’s office, he is asked by an irresistible baroness to find a missing baron, which initiates a series of confusing but sinister events in a gloomy mansion and a private sanatorium. Spoofing movie detectives and the film noir style, the film features Lon Chaney, Jr. playing Willie, a character based on his Of Mice and Men (1939 film) role Lennie; Peter Lorre as Kismet, a comic take on his many film noir roles; and cameo appearances by film noir regular Alan Ladd and Hope partner Bing Crosby. Sequences were filmed in San Francisco and Pebble Beach, California.

Cast

  • Bob Hope as Ronnie Jackson
  • Alan Ladd as Sam McCloud (cameo appearance)
  • Dorothy Lamour as Baroness Carlotta Montay
  • Frank Puglia as Baron Montay
  • Peter Lorre as Kismet
  • Lon Chaney, Jr. as Willie
  • John Hoyt as Dr. Lundau
  • Charles Dingle as Major Simon Montague
  • Reginald Denny (actor) as James Collins
  • Ann Doran as Miss Rogers< name=”imdbcast”></>

2 Comments on “The Sea Empress Theater presents: Bob Hope clips

    • Bill; Glad you enjoyed them, there are a few other classics around the Sea Empress Theater, but nothing really as priceless as Hope.
      Ken

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