Wolff rating: FAIR
Plot summary: Bob Hope jokes his way through a pirate adventure with in-jokes and elborate costumes, along with a pleasant Virginia Mayo.
Biased, pithy comments: Comedies made in previous decades can be great, sure, but sometimes they're a collection of dusty pop-culture references and cameos that, without intimate knowledge of what they're lampooning, aren't necessarily funny. In terms of timeless humor, there are a few moments in this film that hit the comedy target dead-on---Hope and McLaglen dressed like one another, the mugs of beer, Hope crushed beneath Slezak's bulk, and a few one liners---but generally the film is a little too slow and self-aware to be worth the trouble of dusting off if you think of 60s music as, like, really old. However, Mayo is truly radiant, Slezak and McLaglen are typecast and enjoying it, and Brennan is acting truly out of the box. One must mention, too, the costumes, which are fantastic (oh, Mayo is a hottie in that pirate outfit!), and the excellent coordination of the fight scenes. For someone steeped in older movies, this is a fun and welcome diversion. However, it's hard to recommend without being assured the recomendee can remember it all.
Other Notes: Funny cameo; Goldwyn Girls mentioned frequently but barely present. Hope had come off of the successful ``Road to ..." movies and was riding high.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Bob Hope, Virginia Mayo, Walter Brennan, Walkter Slezak, Victor McLaglen, Marc Lawrence, Hugo Haas.
Directed by: David Butler