The Princess and the Pirate (1944)

The movie The Princess and The Pirate is a movie geared towards baby boomers but is also for all those people who love to watch a humorous fun which can be enjoyed by the entire family. Bob Hope is always enjoyable to watch, and all his movies that I can think of will put a smile on your face and a light heart in your step. The movie is littered with stars like Walter Brennan, Virginia Mayo, Walter Slezak, and even a cameo performance of Bing Crosby. The movie is good for anytime, including prime time viewing. It is a good movie to introduce old movies to children 7 and older so that they can see the value in older movies and develop a love of old movies. The movie moves at a quick pace and should hold your attention. The musical score within the movie is quite whimsical at times. Bring your popcorn along and enjoy the movie.)

In this movie Bob Hope plays his traditional cowardly role, Virginia Mayo is a princess eloping to marry her true love (ha). She is captured by pirates (surprise, surprise) to be held for, what else(?) a kings ransom. Victor McLaglen is superb as the campy, over acting pirate captain. He ain't too smart in this one but he is good. Victor got a lot of character roles and usually of the same type, a semi-good natured man who you don't cross. He was in a lot of John Wayne movies, usually as a sergeant of some sort, and always did a great job. Walter Brennan plays Featherhead, an idiot type who taken one too many to the head, but Walter does it so well you don't realize just how good an actor he could be. Hope eventually gets the princess saved and all ends well.

Victor McLaglen is the Hook, much-feared pirate captain. Walter Brennan is Featherhead, slightly crazy pirate crew member who is craftier than anyone thinks. Their ship captures another carrying our two main characters: Virginia Mayo as Princess Margaret, dressed as a commoner and sailing away secretly to meet her fiancé, and…Bob Hope as "Sylvester the Great, the Man of Seven Faces": a sort of traveling vaudeville entertainer whose show includes dancing and disguises. "My act is known all over Europe," he exclaims. "That's why I'm going to America."Lots of great jokes in this big Technicolor swashbuckler filled with music and action. McLaglen has an absolute ball as the pirate captain; Walter Slezak is almost as good as a corrupt island governor who is the Hook's political counterpart and sometime business partner. Virginia Mayo is charming and quite funny and holds her own in the many scenes that she shares with Bob Hope; they make a cute pair, as he does the fast talking and she laughs at him and together they plot to escape their unhealthy predicament. Hope himself is at his wacky best—his disguises include an old gypsy woman and a Hook lookalike and his wisecracks fly past at a furious pace. (Mayo: "Who's that at the door?" Hope: "It ain't opportunity, I'm getting outa here.")Very funny and brimful of color and energy. And the final scene is a classic… "This is the last picture I make for Goldwyn!"

The Princess and the Pirate finds Virginia Mayo taken prisoner by the infamous pirate the Hook played by Victor McLaglen. She's a princess who's run away to marry a commoner, a reverse on what had happened in the United Kingdom a few years back. Unfortunately the only help she can find is a ham actor who's running away from bad notices and bill collectors and he's none other than Bob Hope.Hope did two films for Samuel Goldwyn and Goldwyn paid dear to Paramount for his services. Right after this film, success though it was, the price for Hope's services convinced Goldwyn he'd better sign a comedy star of his own as he had in the Thirties with Eddie Cantor. That was why Danny Kaye was brought over from New York to start his Hollywood career in Goldwyn's next film.But The Princess and the Pirate turned out to be one of the biggest successes for both Sam Goldwyn and Bob Hope. Hope is really at the top of his game in this one. Virginia Mayo makes a perfect foil for Hope, it's a pity she didn't do more films with him. Walter Brennan plays an addled old pirate who's not quite as dumb as he lets everyone think he is and he and McLaglen compete with Hope for laughs.The only one who looks like he's enjoying himself, but playing it very straight is crooked island governor Walter Slezak. He's got a working arrangement with McLaglen, but the two of them aren't above a little double cross.Of course this is a Bob Hope movie and Hope manages to blunder his way through to survival. But as we learn he loses Mayo right at the end to a visiting bit player from Paramount. Hope did make good on his word, he never did do another film for Goldwyn again. I guess he wanted to go out on a high note and The Princess and the Pirate is as high a comic note as Bob Hope ever struck in any of his films. Not to be missed by his legion of fans.