How sad is this?

A Masterpiece!

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This amiable romp sees a familiar theme, mistaken identity followed by turmoil. It begins with a villain named Augustine being cornered and then shot by intelligence agents; this was in the days when the Yanks were regarded as the good guys. Augustine bears a striking resemblance to actor/clown Peanuts White, which is hardly surprising as they are both played by Bob Hope. In fact at the beginning, White is arrested by mistake, and with Augustine out of the way he is pressured, coerced, flattered and bribed into taking Augustine's place – and a plane to Tangier. What does he do there? Without his straight man Bing Crosby, there are no duets, at least no singing duets, but he does end up playing the rear end of a pantomime camel. That would be bad enough, but the real Augustine returns, although shortly he ends up dead, and the faux Augustine has some explaining to do to his leading lady while he is dodging the bad guys who want to kill him (again).

Most of Bob Hope's movies from the 1940s and 1950s are okay to good. The style of humor is dated, especially that with Bing Crosby in the Road shows. Also, Hope's technique of speaking to the camera just didn't carry much comedy. But, "My Favorite Spy" has none of that. It still has some of his corny one-liners, but it also has some very good zingers. The final half hour with some very crazy antics helps raise this film considerably. Hope plays Peanuts White and Eric Augustine – two look- alikes. One's a corny comic and the other is a ruthless international espionage free agent. The place of his frequent female opposite, Dorothy Lamour, is taken in this film by Hedy Lamarr as Lily Dalbray. This is one comedy in which Bob gets the girl. It's nice fun, with lots of action and mayhem. Some of the other cast members who shine are Francis L. Sullivan and Karl Brubaker, Mike Mazurki as Monkara and Marc Lawrence as Ben Ali. Here are some of my favorite lines from the movie. All are by Hope unless otherwise noted. "Remember you guys. Your salaries are paid by the taxpayers, and I may be one someday." "I can just see it now – the unknown civilian.""No, never mind. No memories. Tonight will make memories for tomorrow. Let's hope that tomorrow we can remember them.""I don't remember what I said. But if you liked it, I meant every word of it.""Ach du lieber! Augustine!"Augustine (Hope) is sitting at a table, pulling the petals off a corsage, looking for a message. A woman sitting at his table asks, "What are you doing?" Augustine, "Oh, this? I was just helping the native farmers. I'm looking for Japanese beetles."

Bob Hope in a dual role here. Naturally, as a comedian, he is confused with a spy and is made to serve his country to act like the former to obtain information.We get the usual Hope shtick here. "I have no friends in Washington. I vote Republican."You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that the real spy escapes and soon is on Hope's trail as well.Hedy Lamarr tries to be funny but really can't. She is the thrown-over ex-girl friend of the spy Hope who soon realizes that the joker Hope can't really be her true flame.The ending is funny. We see the two on the lam riding on a fire truck. Some funny lines here, almost as funny as Hope fleeing with Jane Russell and saying to an animal, "Thanks for the ride.""Thanks for the memories Bob," you did a lot better than this.

Typical enjoyable Bob Hope movie, enhanced by the lovely shimmering beauty of Hedy Lamarr that makes it all worthwhile. You might notice at the start of the night club scene before Lily (Hedy) sings, they play music from "Samson and Delilah" which had been a big hit for Hedy two years earlier. I agree that at times the plot seems rather thin but if you're a regular fan and hooked on Hope's films you'll like it and not worry about wondering why. Just enjoy!