Compare Prices on Bob Hope Tribute Collection – Louisiana Purchase / Never Say Die Double Feature
Yet another gorgeous disc in the Bob Hope Tribute Collection offers up two more classic Hope films, along with trailers, production notes, and cast and crew bios.
In “Louisiana Lift”, Bob is the unwitting vicim of cross Louisiana politicians who stick him with the blame when a crusading senator from Washington comes to investigate. Bob has to finagle a draw to deflect the senator from his witch hunt, and enlists the serve of a Viennese beauty played by Vera Zorina. The senator is wonderfully portrayed by Victor Moore, a pious Republican who longs for the Presidency.
Interesting to stamp here is the opening scene, which was shot in color, but on a area designed for murky and white film. The producers did this on purpose, hoping to lead up to the spectacular color sequences later on in the record, but seeing the gray/blue color blueprint here is a engrossing peer at how specific contrasts were achieved on the sets of all those murky and white movies in order to design them appear more natural.
While “Louisiana Rob” is dazzling well-behaved, “Never Say Die” steals the exhibit. Bob is a hypochondriac millionaire mistakenly given one month to live. Martha Raye teams with Bob again as the daughter of a Texas oil man who wants her to marry a cash-strapped prince. Unfortunately, she’s in adore with Andy Devine’s character, Henry Munch, and runs away rather than marry the prince! Naturally, she runs into Bob, who’s being hunted by a “gloomy widow” delightfully played by Gale Sondergaard, who’s husbands have a awful habit of always turning up stupid. The one-liners (and the laughs) approach snappily and angry in this one!
If you seek snappy, you’ll eye Monty Woolley as Dr. Schmidt, the specialist who misdiagnoses Bob’s condition. Film fans will fondly remember his later appearances in the classic Cary Grant narrate “The Bishop’s Wife”, and “The Man Who Came to Dinner” with Bette Davis.
While Bob Hope made films for over 30 years, his best by far were in the first decade and these 2 films from 1939 and 1941 easily exhibit this. They are generous entertainment. In both, Hope abandons his usual persona as the egotistical coward.
“Never say Die” is a big example of a forgotten second rung gem. Hope plays a millionaire hypochondriac who is waiting to die when he is wrongly diagnosed as having the acidity of a dog and will eventually implode because he will eat his maintain bones. The film is chubby of nutty and very amusing ideas like this, not surprising when you learn that Preston Sturges is listed as one of the writers. Martha Raye plays against type as the heroine, destined to a loveless marriage to a prince, but falling for Hope and saving him from a murky widow played by Gale Sondergaard. There is an agreeable supporting cast, magnificent backdrops of the European countryside and Raye delivers an funny song with her usual skill but to really grasp off, it needs stars of the calibre of Jeanette Macdonald and Maurice Chevalier.
“Louisiana Acquire” is the film version of a common Broadway musical with many of the modern cast. The script is a satire on politics. Filmed in technicolour which is preserved in this favorable print, there are some silly bits but most of the Irving Berlin songs have been prick and the comedy is too stupid. Irving Cummings directs in his usual technically competent, humdrum and plodding procedure. This film should have been faster and funnier. Vera Zorina plays the female lead and she is prettier and more captivating than in any of her other film appearances.
The DVD prints are capable, particularly “Louisiana Steal”, and reach with succinct liner notes about the films and the casts. One scrape though – it is impossible to return to the main menu listing the 2 films if you travel away from that menu.
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