Claysaba
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
Acensbart
Excellent but underrated film
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
classicsoncall
Abbott and Costello may have wreaked havoc on more branches of the military, but they never tangled with two at the same time the way Bob Hope does in "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell". A somewhat uneven comedy, the film makes do with Hope's traditional one liners and does the best it can with a supporting cast that includes Jeffrey Hunter, Phyllis Diller, and Gina Lollabrigida. At the center of the story is Sgt. O'Farrell's (Hope) plan to bring women and beer to the island base of Camp Funapee. Once accomplished with mixed results, the story meanders off to allow Hope's character to capture a Japanese submarine single handedly, and close out the story arm in arm with the lovely Maria (Lollabrigida).As for the beer, I was surprised to see that it wasn't Budweiser cans floating all over the Pacific, but those of then heavyweight Milwaukee competitor - Pabst Blue Ribbon. It made me wonder if the Anheuser-Busch folks might have been given a shot at the picture. By the time the film really gets rolling, there's a can of Pabst in just about every scene. Being a long time Bob Hope fan, I can't recall today if Pabst was ever a major sponsor of his programming. But I sure do remember Texaco.Hey, did you catch the nod to one of Hope's earlier pictures? All the men are on the beach drinking when the Indian private says to Hope - "Excuse me Heap Big Paleface…" There's also that funny sequence attempting to reenact the beach scene in "From Here to Eternity"; Hope even throws Lancaster's name out there in a bit of self deprecation. Also, if you were waiting to see if Crosby would show up, there's that clip of "Pennies From Heaven" to keep the streak going.Yet even with all the typical Bob Hope humor, he seems just a bit out of place in this late 1960's flick pretending to be one from the 1940's. This one approached the beach blanket bingo genre just a little too close for my comfort, and I prefer virtually any of his earlier efforts in glorious black and white. For my money, if I'm looking for Hope in a military setting, I'd just as soon tune in to one of his many USO entertainment specials. If memory serves, one of them would also have showcased Gina Lollabrigida and Phyllis Diller.
karenmichele1968
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.
moonspinner55
Arguably Bob Hope's worst comedy (and that includes some heavy competition). Stuck on an island with sailors, Hope's Sgt. O'Farrell dreams aloud of being in a bathtub with a geisha girl "steering his ship." Somebody certainly steered this Hope-hackery over the cliff, as it features Phyllis Diller and Gina Lollobrigida and still can't work up any laughs or excitement. Frank Tashlin is to blame for the lax direction (he also had a hand in the screenplay, though I have no idea why he wanted the credit). Alan Stensvold's cinematography is an eyesore, and Hope has never seemed so square and bland. Where's Bing Crosby when you need him? NO STARS from ****
sbox
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.
