Bob Hope Tribute Collection - Louisiana Purchase / Never Say Die Double Feature

Rating:
Summary: VERA SHINES in this film
Review: Louisiana Purchase belongs to Victor Moore and Vera Zorina. Moore underplayes hilariously and Vera`s comic touch is both off-beat and with the times... The opening sequences DEMAAAAAANDS to NEVER to be forgotten.... In the trailer we c "Marina" dance in front of "Yvonne"... I wish they could have included that number as an outtake, because - sadly - it is not in the film.

Mr Bob Hope isn`t on par with The Paleface and The Princess and the Pirate(looks as if he hadn`t found his niche quite yet), and Vera`s ballet-number is staged too simply.. Why didn`t they use her as in ON YOUR TOES and THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES? She would have been much better without the assistance of Charles Laskey..Indeed it IS a funny film.... a friend of my of 23 demanded at a party the day after: "GIVE ME SOME MISSISSIPPI RIVER WATEEEEEEEEEEER!" hehehe



NEVER SAY DIE promises a lot in its trailer, but unfortunately the great Sondergaard is underused and William Devane makes us wanna push him off a cliff... Martha Raye is good, but what really destroyes this film, is that it sounds much more fun in the liner notes, than it really is....

Rating:
Summary: Two more samples of Bob Hope's best!
Review: Yet another fine 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 Purchase", Bob is the unwitting vicim of corrupt Louisiana politicians who stick him with the blame when a crusading senator from Washington comes to investigate. Bob has to finagle a way to deflect the senator from his witch hunt, and enlists the aid 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 note here is the opening scene, which was shot in color, but on a set designed for black and white film. The producers did this on purpose, hoping to lead up to the spectacular color sequences later on in the picture, but seeing the gray/blue color scheme here is a fascinating look at how specific contrasts were achieved on the sets of all those black and white movies in order to make them appear more natural.

While "Louisiana Purchase" is pretty good, "Never Say Die" steals the show. 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 love 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 "black widow" delightfully played by Gale Sondergaard, who's husbands have a bad habit of always turning up dead. The one-liners (and the laughs) come fast and furious in this one!

If you look quick, you'll see 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 picture "The Bishop's Wife", and "The Man Who Came to Dinner" with Bette Davis.