The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell

Many people cannot stand Bob Hope and his mannerisms, and, to be honest, I am one of them. Most of his films are little more than an extended stand-up routine of his with mostly rather predictable jokes.

But sometimes he pulled off a better film, like his Paleface movies, and this one here is even better - it must surely be the best film of his career, although most critics failed to notice it. Apart from having better jokes and a better cast than the usual Hope effort, this film even comes with a message. It is anti-racism and anti-war but it does not wear this attitude on its sleeves, it merely subverts it under the cover of slapstick comedy into the mind of the viewer. I'll be hard pushed to name another anti-war movie which brings across its message so effectively, and this is an amazing thing to say about a Bob Hope flick, given the stiff and famous competition in this field.

"The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell" is a solid 1960's comedy. This may be my favorite Bob Hope movie. It's a very funny movie. The jokes are great. The story is a great comedy plot. The supporting cast is very strong. All around "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell" is a great way to spend 90 minutes. It's a lot of fun. Honorable Mention: a very dreamy Gina Lollobrigida.

Really funny plot drives this silly film regarding the boredom faced by soldiers in the Pacific during WWII. After the Japanese torpedo Hope's beer supply, he takes matters into his own hands to improve morale.

His effort to bring women on the island, only gets him male nurses and Phylis Diller. Although the plot drags a bit, and Hope's pranks seem dated, this is still a good flick with lots of harmless laughs. However, if you are politically correct, you will probably be offended.

I own this movie and I really did not think that it would be all that great. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's GREAT and Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller work great together. I highly recommend it. I love the two of them together. I have to say that I consider Bob Hope to be in the top 10 of funniest comedians.

I should start by affirming that I am NOT a fan of Bob Hope. He may have been one of the most admired comedians for years, but my parents' generation knew Hope as the old-school yakker taking Playboy Bunnies to Vietnam - so that he could cheer on the war, mind you - and he was practically forgotten by the time my generation became aware of entertainment (I might add that in the '80s, Hope disgustingly made jokes about AIDS-afflicted people). I'd wager that a lot my generation learned of him through a "Simpsons" episode where Homer watches footage of Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller acting like a caricature of hippies.

So it's inevitable that "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell" is one of the cringiest movies that I've ever sat through. This stillbirth was obviously made for the older generation, as no one taking an interest in Hollywood's newer, edgier output would've subjected themselves to this. To be certain, I suspect that the most recognizable cast member to my generation is Dick Sargent, best known as the second Darrin on "Bewitched".

In conclusion, Frank Tashlin directed far better stuff in earlier years (he did a number of Looney Tunes cartoons, and then did some Jerry Lewis movies). I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out than watch this again.