"Call Me Bwana" is not a terrible film...and considering the sort of terrible movies Bob Hope was making in the 1960s and early 70s, this is saying a lot! Movies like "Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number", "How to Commit Marriage" and "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell" simply were NOT funny and it seemed as if Hope was simply going through the motions...so I had extremely low expectations for "Call Me Bwana". In many ways, the film was exactly what I expected....it wasn't funny. But, on the other, it did have nice production values and the story wasn't horrible!The story begins with a moon probe going off course on its return to Earth. Somehow, it ended up landing in the middle of no where in Africa and the US government go to Matt (Hope) to ask this famous adventurer to retrieve it. However, Matt is full of hot air and has made up his tales of adventure and is a complete phony. At the same time, the Soviets have sent out a sexy spy (Anita Ekberg) and her assistant (Lionel Jeffries). And, since Matt is an idiot, he invites these two to accompany him. Can Matt find the probe...and can he prevent these two from getting to it first?This one has 'time-passer' written all over it. There are a few parts that are even ALMOST funny...and Hope fans might enjoy it. All others, just watch his earlier films...your brain will thank you for it.

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!

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.

If you read the other reviews here, you'll be told about how bad this movie is. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I'm not going to argue with the other reviewers. I just want to say that I had fun watching this film, and that's really all the justification I need. (I use movies as a springboard to the imagination anyway). I thought Hope was funny enough, and I liked the supporting players, all memorable to me. The plot was silly, but it wasn't boring. Everyone comes off as a buffoon, the Americans, the Russians, the CIA, the KGB. Even the Africans were funny, but not in a demeaning way. I've seen this three or four times over the years, and I've always looked forward to seeing it again.I doubt, though, that people born after the 1960s would think much of it. It succeeds for what was intended, but it's very much a movie of its time. I was six when it came out, and I still remember what was going on in that era. I "get" the jokes in the film that were aimed at then-current events and people. On the other hand, just as I can enjoy and appreciate comedies made decades before even my generation, people whose experience is only of today might broaden their horizons and get a kick out this when they simply want to personally relax and have a little fun.