Moviecut—Call Me Bwana

source: Call Me Bwana

Call Me Bwana

One of Bob Hope's best--When he must become a member of the Tribe, it'll remind you a little bit of JOE VS THE VOLCANO--The chief was hilarious here, and Anita Ekberg, with the killer body and too much makeup, is a joy to watch also--Although its obvious that this was not actually filmed in Africa, it still has some stock footage of some African scenery. Unlike Bob's EIGHT ON THE LAM(a disaster), this film is fun and funny--A bit slow in parts, but if you're a Bob Hope fan, you'll like it. Another funny film of his is BOY DID I GET A WRONG NUMBER(1966) with Phyllis Diller, and THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SARGENT O'FARRELL

Is Call Me Bwana Hope's best? Of course not. My Favorite Blonde and My Favorite Spy were classics, and it was dated the JFK and Khrushchev rocking chair scene and the Hope saying "They ( Africans) must be Republicans" after asking if they heard of Kennedy's, and I have no idea what Edie Adams ( Fred) was doing in the movie ( including driving away and abandoning her mission ( not what you expect from an agent)). But Anita Ekberg.( Luba) is actually a very good love interest.for Matt ( Hope), and like Hedy Lamarr ( Lily) in My Favorite Spy not someone you identify with comedy. The funniest scene is where Matt thinks Luba is cleaning his back and it is a lioness licking it. Spoilers ahead: Does Matt complete the mission the Government sent him on ( locating a lost space capsule in Africa ( despite being a fraud (pretending to be an African expert) and end up with Luba? Of course he does. By how he does and why Luba changes sides from Russia to Hope is why you watch. 8/10 stars.

Wow...it's bad. A witless comedy that has Bob Hope, as a phony great white hunter, roped into finding a downed US space capsule in Africa. He's joined by smart spy Edie Adams and smart Russian spy Anita Ekberg. Hope has chemistry with neither lady. He bounces unfunny one-liner after unfunny one-liner off them (Ekberg appears to not be getting any of it) to no avail. A dismal comedy even among the very dismal comedies Hope made in the 1960s. Directed, unimaginatively, by Gordon Douglas and featuring a lot of rear screen projection and, for some inexplicable reason, a golf game between Hope and the young Arnold Palmer! The jerky editing, fast motion and goofy sound effects are for naught. Unfunny in-jokes (directed at Bing Crosby, JFK, Sinatra, etc) abound in this awful movie.

Just watched this latter-day Bob Hope comedy on Hulu. In this one, he comes to Africa for the first time having previously passed his late uncle's adventures from the latter's diary as his own best selling books. I'll stop there and just say that I found many of Hope's lines and scenes alternately funny and lame in many places. His leading lady is Swedish sexpot Anita Ekberg though he probably would have been better off if he'd been more paired with other player Edie Adams as she's more of a comedienne as evident in their initial meeting on a plane. Lionel Jeffries also provide some amusements as the villain but perhaps the highlight is when Hope has golfing star Arnold Palmer stop by as they play a game with some clubs left by some guy named Crosby. In summary, Call Me Bwana isn't very good but it's not too bad either.

Look this movie is a comedy that has a value today more as a remembrance of the type of fluff Hollywood produced in the early '60s. This film is watchable, but it isn't a classic. It has some funny gags, but not the best plot. It's something about a lost satellite in Africa, and once the leads get there it moves along briskly. It's very reminiscent of the 'Road to ...' movies, although this one doesn't have Crosby. It offers Ekberg who worked w/ Abbott & Costello AND with Lewis and Martin. The woman knows comedy and plays off Hope well. There are A lot of worse films to watch, and this does offer a good remembrance of the time once known as Camelot w/ its jokes about the Kennedy family.

I'm surprised this one received such negative reviews. Despite an outlandish climax and a few gauche touches here and there, I thought it was Bob Hope's funniest film since "Son of Paleface" (1952). I particularly enjoyed the amusing tilts at some Very Top People. The support cast is great too. Lionel Jeffries is on hand to hand out some delightful extra mayhem, while Orlando Martins has a royal time as the tongue-in-cheek Chief of the Ekele Tribe. I'll readily admit that Anita Ekberg is a bit of a disappointment, but I guess she can't be persuaded to take all (or most of) her gear off all the time. A pity!