Bob Hope Movie Review

Do you like old movies? If so, then  I have two classics you’ll want to add to your DVD library.

Over the weekend, we watched The Ghost Breakers (1940) starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.

Lawrence Lawrence (Hope) is a crime reporter for Manhattan radio. After he spills some dirty laundry about the local underworld leader Frenchy Duval (Paul  Fix), Lawrence, is summoned to see Mr. Duval in his hotel room. The lovely Mary Carter(Goddard) is an heiress of a haunted castle called ‘Castillo Maldito’ located just off the coast of Cuba and who coincidentally is roomed in a nearby suite as Frenchy Duval.  With the elements of an electrical storm, a city-wide black-out, and a smoking gun Lawrence is accused of murder. He soon finds himself as a stole away in Miss Carter’s trunk bound for Havana. Before long, Lawrence Lawrence’s criminal investigating mind begins to work as he unravels the mystery surrounding Castillo Maldito and someone trying to keep Miss Carter away.

Watch for yourself….

Two weekends ago, we watched another old family fun flick.  In The Cat and the Canary (1939), Wally Campbell (Hope) and Joyce Norma(Goddard), along with four others gather in a dilapidated, old mansion on the tenth anniversary of their eccentric millionaire relative for the reading of his will. That’s when the spooks and laughs begin with the focus on a murder, a homicidal psychiatric escapee,  and a treasure hunt for a missing diamond necklace all happening on the estate after the bewitching hour.

Here’s a clip.

Bob Hope delivers dead pan some hilarious lines like no one’s business in both old movies. We enjoyed the slap stick humor and the simple innocence of romance in these films.  If you’re looking for a fun way to spend in front of the TV, then look no further. The Ghost Breakers and The Cat and the Canary are both excellent feature presentations that will surely delight the entire family.  I highly recommend both of these movies. They definitely earned two thumbs up!

This is coming not only from my husband and myself, but from our 17-year old son. These movies are available in Bob Hope’s Thanks for the Memories Collections  at Amazon. We bought the set to add to our movie library.SaveSave