A Global Affair

One of the four projects in which Jack Arnold directed Bob Hope, "A Gobal Affair" has Larrimore (Hope) taking an abandoned baby home for the weekend, apparently one of his responsibilities at the UN building. Hope had just done Road to Hong Kong, the last ROAD film, in 1962. Of course, Larrimore's neighbor Mr. Snifter is suspicious, and keeps threatening to throw him out of his apartment. Viewers will recognize the neighbor ( John McGiver ) from "Breakfast at Tiffanys", and "Mame". All sorts of silly things happen to Larrimore and the baby, and they attempt to explain why they don't just turn the baby over to the police. There is a not-so-graceful edit while Larrimore is addressing the UN, and it sounds like a line was added later. Co stars Yvonne DeCarlo and Nehemia Persoff. Even appearances by Hugh Downs and Adlai Stevenson. Throw in some silly dates with women from Russia, Spain, and Japan who are out to prove a point, and you've got this movie. Starts out light, gets heavy in the middle, and must all be ironed out by the end. Where were we ...? oh that's right, it's all being done to figure out where the baby should grow up. Some quickie lines for Hope, but not his best work.

This movie is an exercise in wasted talent. Bob Hope, who was so funny in the 40s and early 50s, sleepwalks through this film. He once used to toss off wisecracks and one-liners with body posture, facial expression, and voice intonation all adding to the impact. In this film, he seems encased in cement and bored. Another misfire: Lilo Pulver, the gorgeous, hilarious, sexy secretary (to James Cagney) in "One, Two, Three." is wasted. She was given a drab wig and mousy dress and mainly used to give Hope an opportunity to tell her that the USA is superior to the USSR. The rest of the cast shows no sparkle; the gags are old and performed with no verve. To bring this down to rock bottom, there are saccharine drenched parts.

This should be shown in screen writing classes to demonstrate how a comedy can be made to be insufferable.

As the countries of the earth gathered at the New York World's Fair in 1964, Bob Hope and Producer Ed Small (who would produce a series of films in the 60's that became increasingly cataclysmic disasters with each subsequent release) felt this topical comedy on the United Nations and an abandoned child "adopted" by Hope would be a natural for laughs. Nope. Hope's effortless sauntering around a set in lieu of acting became standard by this time, and here his search for a mate among the international nubile hostesses at the U.N. is particularly dated and borderline offensive. As was undoubtedly said at the time- Hope sets the sites on his laugh targets low... and misses. Even a mild diversion as "Bachelor In Paradise" just three years hence would prove a high-water mark of the latter half of Hope's film career. They may have "hoped" to succeed "Globally" but stank locally.

I'm a fan of Bob Hope, but I'm not a fan of baby movies. But since I am indeed a fan of Bob Hope and this movie only has 8 reviews at the time I am writing this, I've decided to watch it and then write a review. Okay, I am now going to watch the movie and I'll see you in the next paragraph.

Well, I watched it. It was kind of cute. A baby is abandoned and every country in the world wants to adopt it, including Russia who threatens nuclear war if they don't get the baby. Oh those wacky Russians.

Bob Hope is the one in charge of the baby. He gets to decide who gets it. In the meantime he has to take care of it. When the countries learn that he is a bachelor that loves women they each send a beautiful woman to persuade him to pick their country. The scene with the Russian woman is pretty good. It gets a little preachy at times, but over all they had good chemistry together I thought.

There are some beautiful women in this movie which always helps to make a movie more watchable. Think Elvis movies. In fact, this could have been an Elvis movie. Just unplug Bob Hope and plug in Elvis Presley and add a few lame songs. Bingo. You've got an Elvis movie.

There are a few cute scenes and a few cute lines. One of the cute lines: "Yesterday I was a bachelor and today I have a complete family....whatever happened to the honeymoon?" That's a cute line. But most of the lines are not as good as that one. The humor is just okay, nothing special.

Bob Hope was a man of the world at this point hobnobbing with presidents and making movies was undoubtedly boring to him, which is understandable. Once in a while he shows a little more energy, but not too often. He does look wonderful for his age though. He was 60 years old here and looked no older than 50. Too bad we can't all look that good at age 50. Superstars get all the breaks. And all the women, too. Bob would live another 40 years.

To sum up, it's okay for what it is. If you like Bob Hope by all means go ahead and watch it. The final lesson of the movie is one of hope for the world. Hope for a world of peace, understanding, and love.

It's unfortunate that a most intriguing idea about who does an abandoned infant left at the United Nations belong to was turned into a subpar Bob Hope comedy. Very few of Hope's films in the 60s compare with what he was doing for Paramount in the 40s and 50s.

In A Global Affair Bob plays a UN employee and is given charge of the infant and to make a decision which country gets the child. Hope's about the last person to be given this assignment as he's a confirmed bachelor with a reputation as a wolf. So a lot of countries hoping to score a propaganda coup send some of their best diplomats to make a pitch for their nation. And it just so happens that all of them are beautiful women appealing to Bob's baser instincts.

It all gets rather silly after a while. Even the baby starts to look bored with it all.

There was a good message there delivered by Hope in the end about nationalism being something that is acquired. Perhaps had a more serious approach been taken with the film it might have resonated. But you want serious in a Bob Hope comedy?