My Favorite Spy (1951 film): Difference between revisions

My Favorite Spy
My Favorite Spy
	1951 US Theatrical Poster
Directed by	Norman Z. McLeod
Written by	Edmund L. Hartmann; Jack Sher ; Hal Kanter ; Lou Breslow ; Edmund Beloin
Produced by	Paul Jones
Starring	Bob Hope; Hedy Lamarr ; Francis L. Sullivan
Cinematography	Victor Milner
Edited by	Frank Bracht
Music by	Victor Young
Production; company	Paramount Pictures
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	December 25, 1951;
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2.6 million (US rentals)

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 02:50, 22 December 2024

My Favorite Spy is a 1951 American comedy spy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope, Hedy Lamarr and Francis L. Sullivan. It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures and forms the third of a loose trilogy featuring Hope including My Favorite Blonde and My Favorite Brunette.

Plot

US intelligence agents recruit burlesque comic Peanuts White to pose as international spy Eric Augustine, whom he resembles, to acquire a million-dollar microfilm in Tangier, Morocco. There, he encounters the irresistible Lily Dalbray, Augustine's one-time "friend," who is now in league with his arch-enemy, Brubaker.

Peanuts is persuaded to take the dangerous assignment via a phone conversation with an unseen President Harry Truman.

Arriving in Tangiers wearing an uncomfortable money belt containing one million dollars in payoff money, Peanuts is assigned a right hand man, Tasso. Peanuts enjoys the part of the assignment where he must surround himself with beautiful women. Repeated attempts on his life he does not enjoy. On one occasion, he and Tasso must dodge assassins inside a 2-man camel costume.

The real Eric Augustine escapes from the hospital and arrives in Tangiers. He goes to Lily's room and without a word, beats her up. As soon as he leaves the room, he is killed by Brubaker's men.

Lily thinks Peanuts hit her and tears into him. Peanuts confesses the deception just to calm her down (finding Augustine's corpse also aids in this).

Peanuts and Lily are captured by Brubaker and taken to his villa. Peanuts is injected with truth serum, but this only causes him to recite some of his old burlesque routines.

After Lily switches loyalties, she and Peanuts escape after setting fire to Brubaker's mansion. They run to the nearest firehouse, don fireman disguises, only to have the fire alarm take them right back to Brubaker's house. They make their final escape in a hijacked fire engine with Peanuts dangling precariously from the highest point of a hook-and-ladder.

Brubaker makes such a public spectacle of himself during the chase that he is recognized and arrested. The microfilm ends up in the right hands. And Lily ends up in Peanuts' hands.

Cast

Bob Hope as Peanuts White/Eric Augustine
Hedy Lamarr as Lily Dalbray
Francis L. Sullivan as Karl Brubaker
Arnold Moss as Tasso
John Archer as Henderson
Luis Van Rooten as Rudolf Hoenig
Stephen Chase as Donald Bailey
Morris Ankrum as Gen. Frazer
Angela Clarke as Gypsy Fortune Teller
Iris Adrian as Lola
Frank Faylen as Newton
Mike Mazurki as Monkara
Marc Lawrence as Ben Ali
Tonio Selwart as Harry Crock
Ralph Smiley as El Sarif
Joseph Vitale as Fireman
Nestor Paiva as Fire Chief
Helen Chapman as Miss Dieckers
Kasey Rogers as Maria
Veola Vonn as Tara
Suzanne Dalbert as Maid
Torben Meyer as Headwaiter
Suzanne Ridgway as Dancer
Steven Geray as Croupier
Joan Whitney as Woman In Bathtub (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford as Husband of Woman In Bathtub(Uncredited)
Chester Conklin as Short Man Hiding In Closet (uncredited)
Hank Mann as Short Man Hiding In Closet (uncredited)
Roy Roberts as Johnson, FBI Agent (uncredited)
Duke York as "Man" (uncredited)
Ralph Byrd as Unnamed Government Official (uncredited)
Rolfe Sedan as Room Service Waiter (uncredited)
Norbert Schiller as Dr. Estrallo (uncredited)

Production

The film was produced from late January to early April 1951 under the working title Passage to Cairo.

Hope's character, Peanuts White, was first conceived as a schoolteacher who, while impersonating a recently deceased gangster, is sent to Cairo to obtain information. The character was later converted into a standup vaudeville comedian who resembles a leading international spy, and is persuaded to impersonate him on a mission to Tangier.

Release

The world premiere of the film took place in Bellaire, Ohio, in the living room of Anne Kuchinka. The Ohio housewife won a letter writing contest sponsored by Hope's radio show, in which participants gave reasons why the premiere should be held in their home. Prior to the screening, a star-studded parade and radio broadcast were held in Bellaire. According to a November 19, 1951 Time article, Corp. Karl K. Diegert of the Army Hospital at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, persuaded Hope, who was known for his USO shows, to do a second screening at the camp the day after Bellaire's.

References

^ 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953

External links

My Favorite Spy at IMDb
My Favorite Spy at the TCM Movie Database
My Favorite Spy at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

[1] 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|1951 film by Norman Z. McLeod}}
 {{distinguish|My Favorite Spy (1942 film)}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = My Favorite Spy
 | image          = My Favorite Spy.jpg
-| image_size     =
 | caption        = 1951 US Theatrical Poster
 | director       = [[Norman Z. McLeod]]
-| producer       = Paul Jones
+| producer       = [[Paul Jones (film producer)|Paul Jones]]
-| writer         = Edmund L. Hartmann<br>Jack Sher
+| writer         = [[Edmund L. Hartmann]]<br>[[Jack Sher]] <br> [[Hal Kanter]] <br> [[Lou Breslow]] <br> [[Edmund Beloin]]
+| starring       = [[Bob Hope]]<br>[[Hedy Lamarr]] <br> [[Francis L. Sullivan]]
-| narrator       =
-| starring       = [[Bob Hope]]<br>[[Hedy Lamarr]]
 | music          = [[Victor Young]]
-| cinematography = Victor Milner
+| cinematography = [[Victor Milner]]
-| editing        = Frank Bracht
+| editing        = [[Frank Bracht]]
-| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]]
+| studio = [[Paramount Pictures]]
+| distributor    = Paramount Pictures
 | released       = {{Film date|1951|12|25}}
 | runtime        = 93 minutes
@@ Line 22: / Line 23: @@
 }}
-'''''My Favorite Spy''''' is a [[1951 in film|1951]] [[comedy film]] starring [[Bob Hope]] and [[Hedy Lamarr]].  The movie was directed by [[Norman Z. McLeod]].
+'''''My Favorite Spy''''' is a 1951 American [[comedy film|comedy]] [[spy film]] directed by [[Norman Z. McLeod]] and starring [[Bob Hope]], [[Hedy Lamarr]] and [[Francis L. Sullivan]]. It was produced and distributed by [[Paramount Pictures]] and forms the third of a loose trilogy featuring Hope including ''[[My Favorite Blonde]]'' and ''[[My Favorite Brunette]]''.
-==Synopsis==
+==Plot==
+US intelligence agents recruit burlesque comic Peanuts White to pose as international spy Eric Augustine, whom he resembles, to acquire a million-dollar microfilm in [[Tangier]], [[Morocco]]. There, he encounters the irresistible Lily Dalbray, Augustine's one-time "friend," who is now in league with his arch-enemy, Brubaker.
-A comedian poses as an international spy to recover mysterious microfilm.
+Peanuts is persuaded to take the dangerous assignment via a phone conversation with an unseen President Harry Truman.
-Peanuts White, a burlesque comic, is recruited by U.S. agents to impersonate international spy Eric Augustine (whom White resembles) in a mission to purchase a million-dollar microfilm in mysterious, exotic Tangier. There, he encounters the irresistible Lily Dalbray, an "old friend" of Augustine who is now dealing with his arch-enemy, Brubaker. But where is the real Eric? Comedy thriller with slapstick climax.
+Arriving in Tangiers wearing an uncomfortable money belt containing one million dollars in payoff money, Peanuts is assigned a right hand man, Tasso. Peanuts enjoys the part of the assignment where he must surround himself with beautiful women. Repeated attempts on his life he does not enjoy. On one occasion, he and Tasso must dodge assassins inside a 2-man camel costume.
+The real Eric Augustine escapes from the hospital and arrives in Tangiers. He goes to Lily's room and without a word, beats her up. As soon as he leaves the room, he is killed by Brubaker's men.
+Lily thinks Peanuts hit her and tears into him. Peanuts confesses the deception just to calm her down (finding Augustine's corpse also aids in this).
+Peanuts and Lily are captured by Brubaker and taken to his villa. Peanuts is injected with truth serum, but this only causes him to recite some of his old burlesque routines.
+After Lily switches loyalties, she and Peanuts escape after setting fire to Brubaker's mansion. They run to the nearest firehouse, don fireman disguises, only to have the fire alarm take them right back to Brubaker's house. They make their final escape in a hijacked fire engine with Peanuts dangling precariously from the highest point of a hook-and-ladder.
+Brubaker makes such a public spectacle of himself during the chase that he is recognized and arrested. The microfilm ends up in the right hands. And Lily ends up in Peanuts' hands.
 ==Cast==
+{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
-*[[Bob Hope]] as Peanuts White/Eric Augustine
-*[[Hedy Lamarr]] as Lily Dalbray
+* [[Bob Hope]] as Peanuts White/Eric Augustine
-*[[Francis L. Sullivan]] as Karl Brubaker
+* [[Hedy Lamarr]] as Lily Dalbray
-*[[Arnold Moss]] as Tasso
+* [[Francis L. Sullivan]] as Karl Brubaker
-*[[John Archer (actor)|John Archer]] as Henderson
+* [[Arnold Moss]] as Tasso
+* [[John Archer (actor)|John Archer]] as Henderson
-*[[Luis Van Rooten]] as Rudolf Hoenig
+* [[Luis Van Rooten]] as Rudolf Hoenig
-*Alden 'Stephen' Chase as Donald Bailey (as Stephen Chase)
+* [[Stephen Chase (actor)|Stephen Chase]] as Donald Bailey
-*[[Morris Ankrum]] as Gen. Frazer
+* [[Morris Ankrum]] as Gen. Frazer
-*Angela Clarke as Gypsy Fortune Teller
+* [[Angela Clarke (American actress)|Angela Clarke]] as Gypsy Fortune Teller
-*[[Iris Adrian]] as Lola
+* [[Iris Adrian]] as Lola
-*[[Frank Faylen]] as Newton
+* [[Frank Faylen]] as Newton
-*[[Mike Mazurki]] as Monkara
+* [[Mike Mazurki]] as Monkara
-*[[Marc Lawrence]] as Ben Ali
+* [[Marc Lawrence]] as Ben Ali
-*[[Tonio Selwart]] as Harry Crock
+* [[Tonio Selwart]] as Harry Crock
-*Ralph Smiley as El Sarif
+* Ralph Smiley as El Sarif
+* Joseph Vitale as Fireman
+* [[Nestor Paiva]] as Fire Chief
+* Helen Chapman	as Miss Dieckers
+* [[Kasey Rogers]] as 	Maria
+* [[Veola Vonn]]	as Tara
+* [[Suzanne Dalbert]] as 	Maid
+* [[Torben Meyer]] as 	Headwaiter
+* [[Suzanne Ridgway]] as 	Dancer
+* [[Steven Geray]] as 	Croupier
+* Joan Whitney as Woman In Bathtub (uncredited)
+* Ralph Sanford as Husband of Woman In Bathtub(Uncredited)
+* Chester Conklin as Short Man Hiding In Closet (uncredited)
+* Hank Mann as Short Man Hiding In Closet (uncredited)
+* Roy Roberts as Johnson, FBI Agent (uncredited)
+* Duke York as "Man" (uncredited)
+* Ralph Byrd as Unnamed Government Official (uncredited)
+* Rolfe Sedan as Room Service Waiter (uncredited)
+* Norbert Schiller as Dr. Estrallo (uncredited)
+{{div col end}}
+==Production==
+The film was produced from late January to early April 1951 under the working title ''Passage to Cairo''.
+Hope's character, Peanuts White, was first conceived as a schoolteacher who, while impersonating a recently deceased gangster, is sent to Cairo to obtain information. The character was later converted into a standup vaudeville comedian who resembles a leading international spy, and is persuaded to impersonate him on a mission to Tangier.
+==Release==
-==Production notes==
+The world premiere of the film took place in [[Bellaire, Ohio]], in the living room of Anne Kuchinka. The Ohio housewife won a letter writing contest sponsored by Hope's radio show, in which participants gave reasons why the premiere should be held in their home. Prior to the screening, a star-studded parade and radio broadcast were held in Bellaire. According to a November 19, 1951 ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' article, Corp. Karl K. Diegert of the Army Hospital at [[Camp Atterbury, Indiana]], persuaded Hope, who was known for his USO shows, to do a second screening at the camp the day after Bellaire's.
-* Production Dates: late Jan-early Apr 1951
-* The working title of this film was Passage to Cairo.
-* Bob Hope's character, "Peanuts White," was first conceived as a schoolteacher who, while impersonating a recently deceased gangster, is sent to Cairo to obtain information.  The character was later converted into a standup vaudeville comedian who resembles a leading international spy, and is persuaded to impersonate him on a mission to Tangier.
-* In the scene in which Peanuts talks on the phone with President [[Harry S. Truman]], Truman's voice is not heard.
-* The "world premiere" of the film took place in [[Bellaire, Ohio]], in the living room of Anne Kuchinka. The Ohio housewife won a letter writing contest sponsored by Hope's radio show in which participants gave reasons why the premiere should be held in their home.
-* Prior to the screening, a star-studded parade and radio broadcast were held in Bellaire. According to a November 19, 1951 ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' article, Corp. Karl K. Diegert of the Army Hospital at [[Camp Atterbury, Indiana]], persuaded Hope, who was known for his USO shows, to do a second screening at the camp the day after Bellaire's.
 ==See also==
@@ Line 62: / Line 95: @@
 ==External links==
-*{{IMDb title|0043827}}
+* {{IMDb title|0043827}}
-*{{tcmdb title|id=84320}}
+* {{TCMDb title|id=84320}}
+* {{AFI film|50215}}
 {{Norman Z. McLeod}}
-[[Category:1950s comedy films]]
 [[Category:1951 films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:American spy comedy films]]
-[[Category:American spy films]]
-[[Category:American comedy films]]
 [[Category:American black-and-white films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Victor Young]]
-[[Category:Film scores by Victor Young]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Norman Z. McLeod]]
 [[Category:Films set in Tangier]]
 [[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
-[[Category:Spy comedy films]]
+[[Category:1950s spy comedy films]]
+[[Category:Films with screenplays by Jack Sher]]
+[[Category:1951 comedy films]]
+[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
-{{1950s-comedy-film-stub}}
+[[Category:1950s American films]]
+[[Category:English-language spy comedy films]]