Paree, Paree

Dorothy Stone may be top-billed in this mini-version of Cole Porter's FIFTY MILLION FRENCHMEN, but of course, it's Bob Hope you're interested in, not the Busby Berkeley shots or perhaps even the Cole Porter songs -- more fool you. Hope and Miss Stone sing two of Porter's better known songs, "You've Got That Thing" and "You Do Something To Me". Even us old-movie fans sometimes forget that Hope had a long trek on the vaudeville stage and was first noticed in two different Porter shows.

You can't see much of the Hope persona that he established over the first dozen Paramount movies, the wise-cracking, self-derogatory skirt-chaser, but he is in hot pursuit of the high-kicking Miss Stone, ready for an aside to the furnishings.

Paree, Paree (1934)

*** (out of 4)

Bob Hope plays a millionaire American touring Paris and falling in love with a woman (Dorothy Stone) who doesn't know he's rich. The man bets his friends that he can make her fall in love with him without telling her how much money he's worth. This musical-short is actually a remake of 50 MILLION FRENCHMEN, the 1931 Cole Porter film. I was pleasantly surprised at how charming this film was because of its two leads who turn in nice work and we've also got some very good musical numbers. We get five different musical numbers and they are all quite good and the dance sequences are handled very well by director Mack who was an old pro at this type of short. Stone really steals the film with her charm, which makes it easy to see why someone would fall for her. I think Hope's comic timing was still a little weak but he too is quite charming in the film.

Netflix should mention this short feature on the info for Silk Stockings. Superior in every way to that over-produced fluff. This had much better Cole Porter songs and lots more energy. Silk Stockings turned out to be a big disappointment. Fred was getting too old for this sort of thing, though the dances and Cyd are lovely. I will be on the watch for the Garbo--Melvyn Douglas version of Ninotchka. Was Peter Lorre ill during the making of Silk Stockings--he seems to be very passive in the more active numbers and with less lines? Very glad that I ran across Paree--Paree by pure accident. Made the whole experience a lot more enjoyable. Bob Hope, as a simple "song and dance man' is pure joy.

"Paree, Paree" is among Bob Hope's earliest films. I can only assume his newness to the medium would explain why it really isn't a comedy--it's really a musical. Sure, he makes a few quips here and there but they aren't all that funny and seem like more of an afterthought.

Peter (Hope) is in Paris and he's smitten with a lady...though he's only seen her and doesn't even know who she is. However, he bets his friends that within 30 days he'll marry her...even though he's broke. What follows is far less romance and more just a whole bunch of musical numbers...one after the other. In other words, plot is pretty much secondary. And, considering it's a short film, it really could have used less singing and more plot. Watchable and pleasant enough but nothing more. It does, however, allow you to hear the nice Cole Porter song, "You Do Something to Me".

A delight mini movie, a musical short based on three of Cole Porter's Broadway smash songs. Bob Hope's first credited film is a delight! He plays an American playboy millionaire on vacation in Paris. The film opens with him sitting at a table of an out door café telling his friends about this beauty that takes his breath away. Suddenly he spots her a few yards away. he is so over come his friends tease him and suggest "just show her your bank book." But Hope claims he can win her in less than 30 days with "no" money! They bet polo ponies over the issue and take all his cash and ID's. Hope follows her and when they are alone gushes out a proposal she does not believe he is sincere until he sings to her, "You Do Something to Me" by Cole Porter. But she must leave and he tries to earn money as a tour guide so he can pursue her. But when she sees him showing another girl around town, disillusioned she wants to drop him. He continues to chase her and catches up to her and her family at a race track where he bets his meager earnings on the last race hoping to win enough to impress her. Through a series of events and large synchronized dance numbers he loses the winning ticket and she decides to marry him rich or poor. So he wins the girl, the race and the bet and sings two more songs!