THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE

US, 1944, 94 minutes, Colour.
Bob Hope, Virginia Mayo, Victor Mc Laglan, Walter Brennan, Walter Slezak.
Directed by David Butler.

A pleasant Bob Hope vehicle - fairly typical of his early films. He plays the usual coward who partly triumphs. His leading lady is Virginia Mayo who was working for Samuel Goldwyn, the producer of this film. She was soon to star with Danny Kaye in The Kid From Brooklyn and A Song Is Born. There is a very good supporting cast with Victor Mc Laglen, Walter Brennan and Walter Slezak hamming it up. There are a lot of in references - the style of comedy that Bob Hope was famous for on television. There are also plenty of references to Bing Crosby who appears to win the girl at the end (as usual). A reasonable example of Bob Hope's comic skill

1. A Bob Hope comedy? Bob Hope's particular comedy style - the emphasis on the verbal? Visual humour and farce? The type of character - coward, professed coward who is forced to come good eventually? Losing out in the end?

2. The colour photography, the glamour of Samuel Goldwyn's productions - even including the Goldwyn Girls! Musical score and songs? Visual effects for the pirate sequences? The atmosphere of the Caribbean towns? Costumes and decor? Pleasant recreation of period?

3. The reliance on the conventions of pirate film tradition? Galleons, battles, Captain Hook and the pirates? The Caribbean towns? Lawlessness? The rich and corrupt Governor? Perils and the happy ending? how well were these used - for the adventure touch? For parody?

4. Bob Hope as Sylvester - his comic lines, contemporary language and references? The morale boosting for World War II audiences? his comic turn and its failure? The encounter with Margaret? His cowardice during the siege, his disguise as the gypsy? Work in the town? His failure and being captured by the Governor? his heroism? his disguise as Captain Hook? The final battles and imitation of the captain? The happy ending - but losing the girl?

5. Virginia Mayo as heroine, the American style princess? her comic routines with Hope? Song and glamour? Romance?

6. The character actors and their enjoying their parody roles? Victor Mc Laglen’s swagger as Hook? Walter Brennan toothless as Featherhead? Walter Slezak as the arch villain La Roche? The conventions of their characters?

7. The crew of the ship, the Captain, the pirates, Hook's henchmen? The people in the town, the owner of the inn? The servants?

8. The humour of the set pieces - Bob Hope's routines, his comedy during the boarding of the ship, his failure in the inn, his doings in the palace, his imitation of the Hook?

9. Bob Hope's contribution to American comedy?