Customer Reviews

The Bob Hope Films

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"The Bob Hope Films" is not an in-depth biography or scandal-riddled tell-all. It is exactly what the title states, a history of Bob Hope's movie career. So on that level, it achieves its goal. Mr. Neibaur is obviously a Hope fan and rightfully champions many of the comedian's underrated comedies, but he is objective enough to separate the gold from the garbage. Be advised that if your only exposure to Hope movies has been "Call Me Bwana" or "Cancel My Reservation" you seriously need to check out his hilarious '40s-early '50s work and this book can serve as your tour guide. Mr. Hope was one of the funniest people ever to set foot in front of a motion picture camera, and "The Bob Hope Films" serves as an important reminder of that simple fact.

The late Bob Hope was an amazingly prolific entertainer. Unfortuantely, many poeple identify him with his later-day career: those Godawful TV specials and celluloid turkeys like I'LL TAKE SWEDEN (amazingly, due out soon on DVD) and CALL ME BWANA. In his prime, however, Hope was an above-average physical performer and quite possibly the finest verbal comedian of his generation.

From 1939 to 1954 "Rapid Robert" starred in a series of comedy films that have an astonishingly high batting average, including THE CAT AND THE CANARY, THE GHOST BREAKERS, ROAD TO MOROCCO, THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE, ROAD TO UTOPIA, MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE, MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE, ROAD TO RIO, THE PALEFACE, SON OF PALEFACE, and CASANOVA'S BIG NIGHT. It was generally downhill after that, although gems like ALIAS JESSE jAMES and THE FACTS OF LIFE turn up late in the game. If you're still undecided about Hope, try to seek out these titles. To watch these films is to see a genuine comic giant in action.

James L. Neibaur's THE BOB HOPE FILMS covers the comedian's entire movie career and argues that Hope had enough screen successes to qualify as one of the all-time great screen clowns. even if you don't agree with Neibaur's overall assessment, the book nicely documents his output and serves as a reminder that there was far more to Bob Hope than those lame comedy sketches opposite Brooke Shields and Don Johnson.

I agree with the negative reiews of this disappoiinting book. It has no depth and contains no thoughtful accounts of Hope's unique career in film. Not worth even a highly discounted price.

This is a really terrific starter book for any Bob Hope fan. All of his films are here in detail. Yes, it leaves you wanting more photos (that's its only fault), but it's loaded with fascinating trivia. Any shelf full of film and tv books needs this edition.

OK, we all know about the negatives in Hope's later work. But read and refer to this book and you will be able to pick the films that will tickle your funny bone again and again. I grew up on these films but the book is solid with interesting observations and facts. Example: "Where There's Life" was unknown to me. Not any more. Neibaur also doesn't let his admiration for Hope get in the way of his evaluations of the films. Finally, you get lots of information about the films and the role each played in Hope's career, as well as information about other actors. I read the book in one night and keep it handy as the best reference you can have on Hope. Woody Allen once said he copied from Hope shamelessly. It is obvious he wasn't just saying that when you examine the book and the films. Use this book to double your pleasure of seeing Hope at his best and learning loads of interesting facts about his career and each film.

I am a fan of Mr. Neibaur's writing. His book on the Jerry Lewis films is one of my favorites. This book, however, reeks of, "Hope recently died, so let's throw something together.". Hope was THE greatest single comedian working in films during the 40's into the mid 50's. He even surpassed the wonderful Red Skelton. (The best team films were made by Abbott and Costello during this time.) Therefore, Hope's film work should have inspired a much more detailed and incisive look. Chapters seem like blurbs you'd find in a festival screening program. Quotes are minimal, and reviews even less so. When I read the great review by Simon Louvish (whom I really admire as one of the best myth busting biographers in film book history) I immediately pressed my purchase button. It isn't without value, and I can't say that I didn't enjoy the few hours it took me to read it, but come on Jim....

How about a follow up that really gets to the heart of the matter? Mr. Neibaur? Mr. Louvish? Anybody???

This is a welcome addition to the shelf of books on Bob Hope and his amazing seventy years in show business. A proper reference book should include the most comprehensive credits for those who worked on the films, and this is exactly what this book provides. I can't understand how one can criticise a reference work for having too much reference. May I make a plea for less destructive comments and more reasoned argument in dealing with obvious labours of love like this one? This is a book every fan should have.

Stay away from this book. The credits for each film takes up more space than the awful brief critical review of each film. Barely a few paragraphs for each movie. Waste of money. Hopefully a definitive career book on Hope will be published one day - like the old Bio-Bibliographies from Greenwood Press.