Hope Gets the Girl
Added 10/4/2005
Hope fans will have fun watching watching Bob and beautiful Madeleine Carroll navigate through this delightful romp about secret flight plans hidden in a gold scorpion pin. Hope gets off some good one-liners and there is even an amusing cameo from Bing. A better than usual screenplay by Don Hartman and Frank Butler, based on a story by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, give Bob and gorgeous Madeleine plenty to do yet still enough time to fall in love.
Madeleine is Karen Bentley, a British agent trying to deliver top secret flight plans that German agents want to get their hands on at any cost. The plans are in code in a gold scorpion pin. When her partner is killed by enemy agents aboard the S.S. Aleria, the chase is on. Another British agent is taken down, this one a female, murdered because they thought she was Karen. She ducks into a variety show where Larry Haines (Bob Hope) and his penguin, Percy, are doing their last show before heading to Hollywood.
Larry is just thanking his lucky stars when Karen sort of falls into his lap and wants to travel with him. But she ditches him after planting the scorpion on him before boarding the train. He has a close encounter on the train with the group of enemy spies led by Mme. Stephanie Runick (Gale Sondergaard), but manages to escape with no idea what is going on.
Karen meets up with Larry in Albany, and though Larry isn't crazy about her hot and cold personality, she's a blonde and he can't say no. All she will tell him at first is that countless thousands will be affected and the map of the world could change if she doesn't succeed. Larry's a sucker for a pretty face, and keeps putting himself in greater and greater danger, until the enemy spies no longer believe he's a pawn, but the real thing.
There are some fun moments as Larry and his pajama wearing penguin, Percy, get caught up in the danger. When a third British agent Karen was scheduled to give the plans to is murdered, she finally comes clean with Larry and lets him in on what's going on. From there on it's one escape after another. There is one very funny moment when Larry and Karen are trashing a hotel room so the cops will come and arrest them, and Larry turns on the radio, then shuts it off quickly when that Bob Hope guy comes on!
When Larry becomes wanted for murder, they steal a bus at a picnic for the union, borrow a plane, hop a freight, and steal a car. Along the way, of course, they begin to fall for each other. Larry will end up in a coffin at a funeral home before the plans can be delivered. He has planted the scorpion on Karen this time, but the enemy agents, and the British, think he's swallowed them and want to cut him open!
Madeleine Carroll had a reserved type of glamour and was good here with Hope. Some did not find her as appealing as Lamour or Lamarr, who starred in the other two films of this Hope trilogy, "My Favorite Brunette" and "My Favorite Spy," but she was simply different, and this is a lot of fun for Hope fans.
"My Favorite Blonde" is a very good film to pop in on the weekend and enjoy. Hope gets to poke fun at himself, take a swipe at Crosby, deliver some zingers, and he even gets the girl in this one. What's not to like about that?
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Happy 100th Birthday, Mr Bob Hope!
Added 2/22/2003
Another fine Bob Hope movie, Bob Hope must have been at the age of 38 or 39 at the time. He's funny and quick with the lines. Fine delivery. Bob Hope says in this film as he flattens out his hand, "I got a long life". He sure does and we are glad he has given us 65 years of laughter. Happy 100th Birthday, Mr. Bob Hope!
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Classic Hope and Carroll a definite plus
Added 4/16/2002
This is definite vintage Hope with the added benefit of the beautiful and talented Madeleine Carroll along for the ride. Legend had it that Hope constantly mentioned on his successful radio show how beautiful he found Madeleine Carroll and that any leading man in Hollywood would be lucky to work with her. Madeleine apparently was so touched by this unexpected adulation from the great comic that she called up Hope and said "Hey Bob I think it's time we made a movie together!" Needless to say Bob was happy to oblige and the result is the classic "My Favorite Blonde"
It is without doubt one of Bob Hope's best mixing his usual lovable coward character in with murders, intrigue and a priceless cross country race keeping one step ahead of hit men, police and you name it.
The one liners come fast and furious and will have you laughing from start to finish. The on screen chemistry between Hope and Carroll really works and Madeleine really surprises in holding her own against Hope's scene stealing techniques. Favorite moments are when Bob is accidently dragged in to speak to a room full of women who believe he is a child specialist. It is priceless as is the terrific scene of the "staged" domestic dispute which the pair stage to be "rescued" by the police from an apartment they are cornered in. it will have you laughing till you cry. Bob's comedy act side kick "Percy" the penguin also gets in on the act and has an hilarious scene in a sleeping car of a train when he is dressed in monogrammed pyjamas and night cap!!
Being a Hope film of the early 40's needless to say it has a very [costly] look and benefits from a terrific supporting cast including Gale Sondergaard and the always excellent George Zucco in his usual villanious character. Of course a Hope film wouldn't be complete without its share of Crosby jokes and a very funny little cameo by Bing Crosby himself just prior to the classic "bus scene" which will really have you laughing.
Even in the madcap proceedings there is still time for a bit of glamour and being an absolute fan of the glamour of old Hollywood I can say that never has Madeleine Carroll looked more beautiful than in this film, even despite the fact she spends most of the film on the run! Her Edith head fashions and beautiful Fur Coat make her look like a real glamour Goddess."My Favourite Blonde" is a classic of its genre and if you like fast paced comedies with no let up this is the film for you. I know I love it and never tire of its humour. Now if only someone would "rescue" another Hope "Favorite" in this case "My Favorite Brunette" which for too long has been lost in the horrid public domain arena where we can only see it in terrible foggy versions. That is another classic that deserves better.
Enjoy "My Favorite Blonde" she is still a beauty after all these years!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Memories for the grandchildren
Added 5/5/2001
Well, I watched this with a couple of the grandchildren--sub-teens. The plot was out-of date, but they howled at the movie's slapstick. They left the screen for a trip to the bathroom when Madeleine and Bob engaged in some "mushy stuff." That's just the way it was when I saw it in 1942. This Hope film provides a bonus which is the performance of Madeleine Carroll. Her acting skills are revealed in several scenes with Hope when she needs to save them by belting out several lines of American slang. Take it from my grandchildren; five years ago they would have claimed that MY FAVORITE BLONDE was a "bad" [super good] movie. Besides there wasn't too much huggin' and kissin' in between the good parts.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Great Hope Spy Farce
Added 8/26/1999
My Favorite Blonde is a hilarious edition to the My Favoirte Series. Madeline Caroll makes an excellent Hope cohort as does a certain penguin. I used the think that Bob Hope movies were all horribly dated but this movie proves that Hope's brand of comedy still works. I only wish they would finally re-release My Favorite Spy so that I could own the full series.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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gooooood movies
Added 11/21/2009
These are movies thar my mother introduced me to as a teenager. She was an avid fan of Bob Hope and Betty Hutten. She found them on a public tv station that she often watched late at night. These movies not only allow me to share them with my children, but it is a reminder of how much fun we had watching with mom.
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Bob Hope VINTAGE movies - AWESOME -
Added 10/6/2009
The delivery took a lot longer than is usually characteristic for AMAZON.COM. The quality of the DVD was very good, and since I enjoy these 'old timey pictures' it is a joy to watch, re-watch, and re-watch. If you like b-movies, Go for the GOLD that was left for us by our for-bearers!!Classic TV Comedians
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Two very good films,The first is typically Bob Hope. Star spangled Rhythm is full of Hollywood stars doing very different performances you wouldn't expect. A really fantastic funny film. Betty Hutton is at her best.Very enjoyable as a musical and a comedy.
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