Got a chance to catch
My Favorite Spy on
Turner Classics the other night. Sometimes I forget that
Bob Hope was actually very funny before he became an overrated lounge comic in fatigues. I wouldn't accuse the movie of being at all original in it's plot Hope plays duel rolls here as Peanuts White/Eric Augustine. Eric is a man of international espionage and Peanuts is a cowardly burlesque comic. Turns out Eric was supposed to be working with the US Government in order to obtain some spy like secrets. Although it is never completely explained it seems that Eric goes rouge with the million dollars that was to be used to purchase the secrets and in the attempt to apprehend is shot and wounded.
Peanuts who earlier in the story was picked up mistaken to be Eric is then brought back in to take the place of our spy as this is the only person the contacts will meet with. Peanuts refuses at first but after a phone call from the Commander in Cheif him self he chooses to do his patriotic duty.
Off to Tangiers or Morraco (sorry my memory is frying here.)but you know your typical dark complexioned mustachioed wearing white suit and fez spy hub type of place. At this point Peanuts also makes and unexpected meeting with Eric's on again off again also spy love interest Lily Dalbray played by
Hedy Lamarr. The love hate relationship ensues between the two as it turns out that Lily is working for a sect of spys looking to intercept the microfilm that Peanuts/Eric has come to collect.
To make it all the more interesting the group providing the microfilm to Peanuts/Eric is going to contact him but they do not know how and to make it all more interesting Eric has recovered and wants the million dollars he tried to steal to begin with.
At this point the "hilarity" ensues as they say. The movie is just ramshot with gags of mistaken identity, innuendo, chase scenes and general slap stick. Peanuts is the charter that is based on typical Hope. A hopeless coward he is forced to go from being a burlesque comic to being an inter-national man of mystery (check the diner ordering scene). The typical chase scene through the city. Check out Hope as he does a sketch on the stage that consists of legit old school burlesque material (chalk drawn hook to hang ones coat on). Hedy Lamarr is by no means difficult to look at and does a incredible job holding more then her own with Bob. Seems that Ms. Lamarr did actually want to go the over the top route for once in her career but Mr. Hope
had different plans for her this is a damn shame as from what I can see she may have been able to pull something very impressive off. This goes along with two other movies in the unofficial trilogy My Favorite Blonde and My Favorite Brunette all directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope. All and all a great laugh for about an hour and a half with a hard working supporting cast.Particularly
Francis L. Sullivan does an incredible job as the bird loving light spoof on
Sydney Greenstreet's character from the
Maltese Falcon (get it bird loving). Also seems to be one of the movies that where dipped into for coming up with
The Man Called Flintston Sorry to say My Favorite Spy looks like it has had no official realease on home video/dvd so you will have to catch it on one of your classic movie channels but it is well worth the short period of time you will spend with it.
