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The Iron Petticoat movie poster, starring Bob Hope and Katherine Hepburn

The Iron Petticoat

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The Iron Petticoat (1956) starring Bob Hope, Katherine Hepburn — €“ a Cold War comedy that’s short on the comedy

Synopsis of The Iron Petticoat

Set in the midst of the Cold War, Soviet pilot Vinka Kovelenko (Katherine Hepburn) defects to the West, despite her devotion to Communism, due to having been overlooked for a promotion due to her being a female.   American Air Force Major Chuck Lockwood (Bob Hope) is tasked with bringing her to embrace Capitalism.   Despite being engaged to an English heiress, Lockwood and Kovelenko begin falling in love. Stuck in the middle of the conflict between East and West.

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The Story of Mankind

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The Story of Mankind (1957) starring Vincent Price, Ronald Colman, Cedric Hardwicke, the Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo), and many more

 In a nutshell,  The Story of Mankind has humanity on trial for its’ very existence.   The Devil himself (played delightfully by Vincent Price) is the prosecutor.  The Spirit of Mankind (Ronald Colman) is the advocate.  Cedric Hardwicke as the Celestial Judge. Evidence is presented as a series of vignettes of various stars presenting famous historical moments.  Some moments are serious, and others more silly.  The Marx Brothers appear in their final film.  However, they never show up together.  Each brother has their own distinct scene.

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The Three Musketeers

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The Three Musketeers (1939), starring Don Ameche and the Ritz Brothers

I’ve known of the Ritz Brothers for some time, although I’ve not seen many of their movies.  Previously, the only one of their movies that I saw  was  The Gorilla (with Bela Lugosi).  And I wasn’t impressed with their comedy.  The Three Musketeers, however, has totally changed my opinion of the Ritz Brothers.

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It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

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Review of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World starring Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters,

It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World is a manic, hilarious, slapstick movie. It starred some of the greatest movie clowns of their time …. And more cameos than you can shake a stick at.  

The basic plot involves a dying thief (Jimmy Durante) who tells a small group of bystanders where to find the hidden money from his last bank job.   These individuals then embark on a treasure hunt of sorts, and the madcap fun begins!   The initially small group grows. Until nearly a dozen people are looking for the treasure. The movie quickly turns into a slapstick farce. The various people compete to be the first to the location.   And those people the funniest comedians and film clowns of their time. In addition, virtually every other major comedian or clown puts in a cameo appearance in the film.

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Bean the Movie [Rowan Atkinson]

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 Bean: The Movie (1997) starring Rowan Atkinson, Peter MacNicol

In Bean, Rowan Atkinson’s clown character Mr. Bean plays the part of a sleepy watchman at an art museum. He’s sent to America to watch the famous painting, Whistler’s Mother. The reason they sent them is because of his constant causing trouble without trying. Once in America, he does the same with the “foster family” that he’s staying with. And, he inadvertently destroys a famous work of art …

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Watch the Birdie [Red Skelton]

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Watch the Birdie (1950) starring Red Skelton, Arlene Dahl, Ann Miller

 In Watch The Birdie, Red Skelton plays his normal lovable klutz (Rusty Cammeron), who runs a camera shop with him father (also played by Red Skelton, using his Newton J. Numbskull character) — and his grandfather (also played by Red, in a variation on his San Fernando Red Character). However, between the three of them, the store is nearly bankrupt, owing over $1,100 (a large sum in 1950).

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Son of Paleface

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Son of Paleface (1952) starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Roy Rogers

Movie review of Son of Paleface.  Bob Hope‘s sequel to Paleface, again co-starring Jane Russell – as the son of the original Paleface, doing a screwball comedy set in the old American West.  It’s vintage Bob Hope, and that’s saying quite a bit.   A very funny movie, and well worth watching.

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Excuse My Dust [Red Skelton]

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Excuse My Dust  (1951) starring Red Skelton, Sally Forrest, MacDonald Carey, William Demarest

Excuse My Dust is a musical vehicle for Red Skelton, set in 1895, that deals with the issues of progress and the resistance to it.   It stars  Red Skelton as Joe Belden, a young inventor who’s determined to build a “horseless carriage”.  This complicates things, since he’s in love with Liz Bullitt (Sally Forrest), whose father (played by  William Demarest, best remembered for his role of Uncle Charlie on  My Three Sons) runs the local livery stable, and sees the €œhorseless carriage € as a threat to his livelihood.

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Whistling in Brooklyn [Red Skelton]

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Whistling in Brooklyn (1943) starring Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford, Rags Ragland

Movie review of Red Skelton’s third, and final, appearance as Wally Benton, aka. The Fox, a radio personality and amateur detective. In this installment, The Fox is still trying to marry his fiancee. But he’s on the run from the police after being blamed for the murders of the mysterious “Constant Reader”. Danger and comedy in equal parts, with an appearance by the Brooklyn Dodgers as well!

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