DVD My Favorite Brunette
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Review(s): DVD My Favorite Brunette | |
| Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour reunite in entertaining comedy |  |
Bob Hope made many movies for Paramount during the 1940's when he was at the peak of his career. "My Favorite Brunette" is one of the best and is well written with some very funny comic situations. Hope is reunited with his co-star from the "Road" series - Dorothy Lamour - and they work well together. "Brunette" has an impressive supporting cast including Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr, John Hoyt, Ann Doran, Reginald Denny, Ray Teal, Jack la Rue, and features a couple of surprise star cameos.Hope plays baby photographer Ronnie Jackson but his heart is set on becoming a private detective ("All my life I've wanted to be a hard boiled detective like Humphrey Bogart, or Dick Powell, or even Alan Ladd!"). Dorothy Lamour is Carlotta Montay and she mistakes Hope for Sam McCloud who is a qualified private detective and has the office next door to Hope. Lamour hires Hope to look for her missing uncle who has been kidnapped but after various misadventures she realises just how inexperienced he is! After being exposed to great danger and becoming a target for the villains Hope begins to regret his deception. ("I don't know how much more of this I can take - you've had me in hot water so long I feel like a tea bag"). Some favourite lines from the film: Bob Hope (to Peter Lorre): "Nice cheerful place - what time do they bring the mummies out?". Bob Hope: "It always looked so easy in those Tarzan pictures!". Hope was best known for his series of "Road" comedies with Crosby and Lamour but in "Brunette" proved he could handle a leading role on his own. Around this time he also made "My Favorite Blonde" with Madeleine Carroll and "My Favorite Spy" with Hedy Lamarr but played different characters in each film. The Bob Hope films of the forties were popular light hearted entertainment and can be viewed with increasing pleasure over and over again. Clive Roberts.
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| "My Favorite Brunette" with my favorite Bob Hope! | |
Baby photographer Ronnie Jackson (Bob Hope) would more than anything love to become a private eye. But while while taking calls for the detective agency next door, who should walk in but drop dead gorgeous Carlotta Montay (Dorothy Lamour). Mistaken for the destective himself, Ronnie cannot refuse helping out the lovely lady. It's not long before our favorite comedian, (who can't even handle a gun!), is caught up into dangerous plot with dangerous bad guys (Lon Chaney Jr. and Peter Lorre). Will Ronnie and Carlotta be able to sort everything out before they're 'silenced' forever?I can't help but love the old screwbal comedies from the golden black&white age where movies were tons of fun. And with such an all-star cast, what could go wrong with this film? Nothing! Bob Hope of course stands out in the movie with the most comedic power. He has such talent and seems to effortlessly pull off gags, give out hysterically funny one-liners, and make us laugh with his slapstick comic routines. Dorothy Lamour is a great actress but seems to be stuck in the sidelines under the light of Bob Hope. But that's ok because it's fun just to see her in fabulous costumes and pull Ronnie into the dangerous plot. But besides Bob Hope, Peter Lorre is the bad guy everyone can't help but love. It's great to see him give his innocent puppy dog face which he's so famous for! Also, don't forget to check out Alan Ladd and Bing Crosby in their cameo appearances (Alan Ladd as the detective, Sam McCloud, and Bing Crosby as an attendant.) My advice to you is that if you love Bob Hope, watch "My Favorite Brunette", which I've nicknamed, "Our Favorite Bob Hope"! Also check out these other Bob Hope classics; "My Favorite Spy", "The Lemon-Drop Kid", "The Ghostbreakers", and all the "Road To..." Series.
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| Above Average Bob Hope Movie - LOUSY DVD! |
This review refers to the Alpha (Gotham Distribution, as listed on Amazon) version of this movie on DVD. The print used for this DVD is absolutely horrible. The opening credits are barely readable, and the movie itself looks murky and has tons of scratches and dust. It's a shame that Alpha couldn't find a better print, but from some of the reviews I've read it seems that some other companies have had the same problem. It would be better not to release it at all than to use such a bad print. This is a really fun movie, and it deserves a lot better than this. Wait for a cleaner copy to surface - one will eventually.
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