Entertainer Bob Hope (Larry) gets dragged into World War 2 spy shenanigans when British agent Madeleine Carroll (Karen) attaches secret information onto his jacket via a brooch as she is being chased by a Nazi unit headed by the always excellent Gale Sondergaard (Madame Runick). Can Bob and Madeleine reach the authorities before they get caught? Well, it's a comedy, so no guesses…..Our two leads really do get involved in a lot during the course of this film - planes, trains and automobiles. The story keeps going at a fast pace and keeps the audience watching. Not sure it's a very good film, though. I thought it was OK but it may ultimately depend on what you think of Bob Hope and stories that are completely unrealistic. Carroll seems to be able to do everything including flying an aeroplane.It's a comedy so there are funny moments as would be expected by the law of averages, but there are also scenes that aren't particularly funny, eg, the whole Irish are stupid stereotype thing. The best part is the appearance of Bing Crosby.

"My Favorite Blonde" is one of the zaniest, fast-paced, and great comedies of all time. I count no fewer than 18 specific sequences of hilarity. Each has some sidesplitting lines. And, the only types of transportation missing seem to be a rowboat and a hot air balloon. This isn't just a film of one-liners. It isn't a film full of slapstick. It is a masterful work of witty dialog, repartee, and wonderful action combined that will keep an audience laughing throughout. The writers did a great job with the script. The direction is excellent and the settings and technical values are very good. But, it's the casting that nails this film. Bob Hope and Madeleine Carroll are perfectly matched for this wonderful farce. They play Larry Haines and Karen Bentley. With the breezy, witty and at times, uproariously funny script, they bounce off each other with ease and perfection. There are no real supporting roles, but many minor ones. The nemeses of Karen and Larry carry out their roles well in providing the occasional slightly serious overtone to the film. Gale Sondergaard, George Zucco and Lionel Royce are Nazi spies trying to knock off Larry and Karen and steal the secret scorpion message. But, several minor comic roles add to the overall comedy of the film. Edward Gargan as Spike Mulrooney, and James Burke as the union secretary, go at it in two short hilarious scenes. If a movie was continuous shooting, these would have been timely to allow Larry and Karen to catch their breath. Fred Kelsey and Edgar Dearing play Los Angeles policemen, Sam and Joe. They can't stomach the "icky-wicky" chatter of Larry and Karen in the back of their squad car, so they turn them loose. Their looks and lines are very funny. After a dramatic slow start aboard a passenger ship, the story gradually picks up speed and it accelerates throughout the film. Larry and Karen move from scene to scene using different modes of transportation. They dodge pursuers by taxi, passenger train, airplane, bus, more taxis, a hopped freight train, police cruiser, sheriff's car, stolen pickup, stolen bus, stolen airplane and stolen hearse. The movie is one frantic and hilarious scene after another. Karen frequently changes her persona, reacting to the appearance of her pursuers. At first, this catches Larry off guard because he's not convinced of her plight. His expressions and reactions to her changes nearly had me rolling with laughter. Here are some sample lines to whet one's appetite. Karen, "My name's Karen Bentley. I can't tell you any more." Larry, "My name's Larry Haines. There's no more to tell." Karen, "Be quiet please. I'm being followed by two men in black." Larry, "You sure you don't mean two men in white?"Leaving the theater with Larry, Karen sees two pursuers nearby, so she changes her voice to a hilarious one. Karen, "Say, Jack, remember dat week in Wacko when we was Flip and Nip? Boy, did we wow 'em. And dat hotel, Floppy Louie's. Was it crawlin? Was it crawlin'?" Larry, "Yeah, Flip and Nip at Floppy Louie's institution." At the train station, Karen says she is going with Larry to Chicago. She glimpses the spies on her trail. She kisses Larry and pushes him onto the train car, "Goodbye. Goodbye." Larry, "Hello." Karen, "Don't forget to take your pills. And, that green stuff, take lots of that. It's good for you." Larry, "OK. But don't you drink any more. You've got quite a snoot full now." Karen, "And don't you worry about Winky and Pinky. I'll see that they don't ride their bicycles in traffic." Larry, "Hey, how do you ride bicycles in straitjackets? Winky and Pinky!"In an apartment, with spies all around outside, they have no way to escape. Larry starts throwing vases at the windows. He throttles Karen and tells her to scream. She gets it and they call each other goofy names and destroy the apartment before the police come to haul them away. Larry, "So I'm a snit drivel, am I?" Karen, 'Yes! And you're also a scridge podge!" Larry, "A scridge podge! Why you!"In the back of the police cruiser, Karen snuggles up to Larry, and they start babbling. We can see the faces of the two burly cops turning sour and grimacing. Karen, "Is daddy sorry he hit his boopsy woopsy with his lampy?" Larry, "Yes, daddy is sorry he hit boopsy woopsy with the itsy bitsy piano stool. And, daddy's going to kiss where he made a little bumpy wumpy. Does boopsy woopsy forgive daddy waddy?" The police stop the car and tell them to scram. Joe, "Sam, I couldn't take any more of that." Sam, "Me either. I was ready to throw up."Larry and Karen get on a Teamsters bus going to a picnic. The repartee with Turk O'Flaherty (played by Charles Cane) is hilarious. The bus breaks out singing "When Irish Eyes are Smiling." Bob Hope has a good voice, and Larry adds some harmony solos in the song to everyone's delight. Karen's smiles seem almost to break out in laughter as she watches Hope at his best. Of the many movies Bob Hope made, this is by far his best and funniest. His match with Madeleine Carroll is perfect. They seem to play off one another spontaneously and with ease. This movie is a real hoot and one the entire family should enjoy. The younger kids will be entertained by some of the antics and the babbling scenes. Adults can explain the subtleties of the dialog to teens and others were needed. I wonder if John Hughes, the writer and director, didn't get his idea from this film for his 1987 smash comedy, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles." I have both films in my comedy library. "My Favorite Blonde" is one of the best.

Pleasant comedy about a guy (Bob Hope) who has a vaudeville act with a penguin getting mixed up with a British secret agent (Madeleine Carroll). It's not the funniest comedy you ever saw but darned if it isn't one of the most likable. Hope and Carroll have nice chemistry and their banter is great. Lots of snappy lines. The villains are played by George Zucco and Gale Sondergaard. It's pretty much impossible to have a bad movie that features both Zucco and Sondergaard. Nice cameo from Bing Crosby. Very funny bit about halfway through between Edward Gargan and James Burke over who is really Mulrooney (watch and you'll see). It's a good comedy with a fun spy plot and a great cast.

The film begins with Bob Hope performing on stage with his sidekick, Percy the Penguin. While the film stars Hope, at times Percy is the best thing about the movie--mostly because it infuses a bit of fun into the film! Soon, Hope meets a blonde who apparently is in some sort of trouble (Madeleine Carroll). While it's uncertain whether she's telling the truth or is a criminal, Hope decides to help her for the noblest of reasons--she's good looking! However, for his trouble HE is soon accused of murder and the two set out on a cross-country chase to California. Why California? Well, Carroll is apparently a spy for the British and has information that could save a squadron of Boston bombers (a really crappy plane--called the Lockheed Hudson in the states but sold to the Brits). Why this takes her to California, I have no idea! During this trek, they are pursued by cops as well as a gang of Nazi spies who are intent on finding a scorpion pin on which the secrets are hidden.Overall, this is NOT a laugh out loud sort of comedy but is more a pleasant little film--the sort of thing Hope made very well in the 1930s-50s--before his career went into hibernation about 1960 (he DID make more films after this, but they were pretty listless). Despite one reviewer calling it "one of the funniest American comedies ever made", I just can't see that. Instead, it's more of a pleasant little diversion--a nice time-passer and not even among Hope's best films. I was tempted to give the film a 6, but decided on a 7 simply because of the presence of Percy! He's the best.