The Princess and the Pirate [VHS] [1944]

one of bob hope best films (certainly in the top three-in my view)sees the legendary comic playing the role of a cowardly ham actor,inadvertaintly getting mixed up with blood thirsty pirates and buried treasure(all in glorius technicolour)laughs a plenty-the gags and one liners keep coming(you often have to listen very closey or you miss half of them)the stunning virginia mayo(often seen in the classic danny kaye comedies of the same era)provides the main support/love interest.great to finally see this old classic on dvd-the colour/picture quality is very good on the whole-the colour does fade/blur on one or two occasions,briefly-but for a film this old it is not too much of a surprise-and certainly does not spoil the enjoyment.will bob hope find the buried treasure,and get the girl??? you will certainly enjoy finding out!

The Princess and the Pirate is directed by David Butler and produced by Samuel Goldwyn and Don Hartman. It stars Bob Hope, Virginia Mayo, Walter Slezak, Walter Brennan and Victor McLaglen. Filmed in Technicolor, it sees Victor Milner and William E. Snyder on cinematography and the music is scored by David Rose. Story sees Hope as failing stage performer Sylvester Crosby, who whilst fleeing his bad reviews in Europe, gets involved in piracy, treasure maps and the safe keeping of a runaway princess (Mayo). With the feared pirate known as The Hook (McLaglen) after their gizzards, lawlessness, peril and high jinks will no doubt follow.

Samuel Goldwyn wanted, and got, big things for The Princess and the Pirate. Marking it out for booming Technicolor was one thing, getting Bob Hope to star was another. Having loaned out Billy Wilder and Gary Cooper to Paramount, Goldwyn was able to call on the services of Hope for two movies. Having used him the previous year in They Got Me Covered (where Dorothy Lamour co-starred), this was the final part of that deal. Also of note is that co-producer Don Hartman was part of the writing team, because having co-written Hope and Crosby movie Road to Morocco (1942), this picture is structured very similar to the style of that successful Hope & Crosby series of film's. Suffice to say that fans of the "Road To" movies are more than likely to enjoy this one too.

Hope had such a long career in film it often gets forgotten that he has some great movies outside of those "Road To" film's. Sure there were some duffers, but for a Bob Hope fan there are many treasures lurking within his considerable output. Treasures mostly found when he was doing period comedy, such as in the likes of The Paleface, Monsieur Beaucaire , and here with this exuberant pirate adventure. It's one of his best film's, but not just because of he himself. Sure he's at the top of his game, be it hopelessly using humour to try and court the radiant Miss Mayo, or quipping away in cowardly fashion when faced by the villains, he thrives on vocal delivery and mugging towards the camera, but he is helped enormously by the splendid people opposite him.

Mayo is made for Technicolor, and in what is one of her early starring roles, more than holds her own in amongst all the boys. Brennan is wonderfully cackling like, infectious and plays off of Hope's rapid-fire approach with great success, while Slezak neatly underplays it for maximum sly villainy. But it's McLaglen who is the real comedy bonus here. Full of pirate bluster and hook handed menace, he appears to be having a great time and it rounds out the comedic chaos nicely. Having a considerable budget of just under $3 million (a lot for a comedy movie at the time), it's disappointing that the film doesn't boast sweeping location work, but the sets are smart and the costuming is visually appealing. While David Rose's Oscar nominated score is suitably high-seas influenced.

Plenty of action, buffoonery and even a little song, it's a film for all the family to enjoy. A film that even today finds Hope's jokes still effective and never in danger of getting old. Tickle yee gizzards indeed. 7.5/10

MGM presents "THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE" (1944) (94 min/Color) -- Starring Bob Hope, Virginia Mayo, Walter Brennan, Walter Slezak, Victor McLaglen & Marc Lawrence

Directed by David Butler

Princess Margaret (Virginia Mayo) who is kidnapped by a rough, tough buccaneer known only as The Hook (Victor McLaglen). Through a series of unbelievable circumstances, she is rescued by Sylvester the Great (Bob Hope), a two-bit entertainer "touring" the West Indies in the 18th century. The two of them then pose as traveling troubadours in a treacherous Pirate colony, where people are stabbed and dumped in the ocean for nonpayment of rent and other such offenses.

Disguising himself as The Hook, Sylvester is befriended by corrupt colonial governor La Roche (Walter Slesak), but only until the real Hook shows up. Things look bleak for Sylvester and Margaret, but salvation is on the way, as well as a surprising romantic denouement, when a "bit player from Paramount" (guess who?) shows up to steal the Princess away from Sylvester ("Boy, this is the last picture I make for Goldwyn!") No fewer than six writers teamed up for this Technicolor extravaganza, which still holds up beautifully today. A surprise performance comes from Walter Brennan as an addled pirate named Featherhead - a character right out of a Tex Avery cartoon!

Oscar nominations for Art Direction & Music

Special footnote: -- 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). They Got Me Covered [VHS]

"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on March 26, 1945 with Bob Hope and Virginia Mayo reprising their film roles.

BIOS:
1. David Butler (Director)
Date of Birth: 17 December 1894 - San Francisco, California
Date of Death: 14 June 1979 - Arcadia, California

2. Bob Hope (aka: Leslie Townes Hope)
Date of Birth: 29 May 1903 - Eltham, London, England, UK
Date of Death: 27 July 2003 - Toluca Lake, California

3. Virginia Mayo [aka:Virginia Clara Jones]
Date of Birth: 30 November 1920 - St. Louis, Missouri
Date of Death: 17 January 2005 - Thousand Oaks, California

4. Walter Brennan
Date of Birth: 25 July 1894 - Swampscott, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 21 September 1974 - Oxnard, California

5. Victor McLaglen (aka: Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen)
Date of Birth: 10 December 1886 - Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, UK
Date of Death: 7 November 1959 - Newport Beach, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 94 min on DVD/VHS ~ MGM ~ (May 17, 2005)