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My Favorite Spy

  • 1951
  • Approved
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr in My Favorite Spy (1951)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:01
1 Video
20 Photos
ComedyCrimeMusicRomance

A burlesque comic, who resembles an international spy, is recruited by the government and sent to Tangier to retrieve a sensitive microfilm before it's captured by hostile foreign agents.A burlesque comic, who resembles an international spy, is recruited by the government and sent to Tangier to retrieve a sensitive microfilm before it's captured by hostile foreign agents.A burlesque comic, who resembles an international spy, is recruited by the government and sent to Tangier to retrieve a sensitive microfilm before it's captured by hostile foreign agents.

  • Director
    • Norman Z. McLeod
  • Writers
    • Edmund Beloin
    • Lou Breslow
    • Edmund L. Hartmann
  • Stars
    • Bob Hope
    • Hedy Lamarr
    • Francis L. Sullivan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    1.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Norman Z. McLeod
    • Writers
      • Edmund Beloin
      • Lou Breslow
      • Edmund L. Hartmann
    • Stars
      • Bob Hope
      • Hedy Lamarr
      • Francis L. Sullivan
    • 22User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    My Favorite Spy
    Trailer 2:01
    My Favorite Spy

    Photos19

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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Bob Hope
    Bob Hope
    • Peanuts White…
    Hedy Lamarr
    Hedy Lamarr
    • Lily Dalbray
    Francis L. Sullivan
    Francis L. Sullivan
    • Karl Brubaker
    Arnold Moss
    Arnold Moss
    • Tasso
    John Archer
    John Archer
    • Henderson
    Luis Van Rooten
    • Rudolf Hoenig
    Stephen Chase
    Stephen Chase
    • Donald Bailey
    Morris Ankrum
    Morris Ankrum
    • Gen. Frazer
    Angela Clarke
    Angela Clarke
    • Gypsy Fortune Teller
    Iris Adrian
    Iris Adrian
    • Lola
    Frank Faylen
    Frank Faylen
    • Newton
    Mike Mazurki
    Mike Mazurki
    • Monkara
    Marc Lawrence
    Marc Lawrence
    • Ben Ali
    Tonio Selwart
    Tonio Selwart
    • Harry Crock
    Ralph Smiley
    • El Sarif
    Joseph Vitale
    Joseph Vitale
    • Fireman
    Nestor Paiva
    Nestor Paiva
    • Fire Chief
    Abdullah Abbas
    • Fireman
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    • Director
      • Norman Z. McLeod
    • Writers
      • Edmund Beloin
      • Lou Breslow
      • Edmund L. Hartmann
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    6.51.3K
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    Featured reviews

    Harri85274

    Funny Hope-Hedy comedy

    I read somewhere here in this forum a readers take on the Bob-Hedy friction. Let me settle this once and for all. Hedy was always Bob favorite...look at some of the old war newsreels with the stars getting involved in the war, in their own way. There's a clip where Bob is surprisingly sharing a bed with his crony, Bing Crosby and in his dreams, he keeps calling out for Hedy. Hedy was an MGM player, so odds were against them making a movie together, each under contract to different studios. It turned out that some of Hedy's best funny scenes were cut, because the studio head at Paramount, didn't want anyone to be more funnier than their bread and butter comedian. She resented it, after all she was in the midst of making a comeback, as they called it in those days, after her terrific success in Samson and Delilah for that same studio a year before. Its odd that in 1951, Bob and Hedy made a comedy radio stint on top of a U.S.Navy flattop, in front of the sailors, in San Diego port. They even made jokes about appearing together in that movie. So, if there was friction, it was short lived. As far as her role, she was suppose to be playing it straight to Bob's antics. To me,the funniest scenes involved Hedy, mainly because I was surprised at how well she did handle comedy. Her hitting Bob like a wildcat, after he 'punched' her. Her double take upon seeing "both" Bob's was priceless...and that ending, with her driving the fire truck.
    mhtyler

    A Unique Bob Hope Movie

    This movie, while far from Hope's best, has Bob in a duel role as Peanuts White and Eric Augusine, the latter being a notorious spy.

    What is unique is that the character of Augustine is shown as a humorlous brutal killer, and for a few brief scenes we see a serious side of Bob Hope that to my knowledge has never been shown since in any effort.

    The closest to it in terms of range would be Beau James which he did some years later.
    8blanche-2

    Bob Hope in a dual role

    1951's "My Favorite Spy" stars Bob Hope, Hedy Lamarr, Francis L. Sulllivan and Mike Mazurki. Hope plays Peanuts White, a burlesque comedian, who bears a strong resemblance to a spy, Eric Augustine. When Augustine is injured, the government gets Peanuts to go in his place to Tangier with $1 million to collect some microfilm. Peanuts, like Hope's other characters, is a bona fide coward, but he goes after Harry Truman talks with him on the phone. ("Oh, she's out on tour?" Hope asks, referring to Truman's daughter Margaret, who at that time was pursuing a singing career.) When Peanuts arrives in Tangier, he meets the woman with whom Eric was previously involved, the beautiful nightclub singer Lily Dalbray. She's under orders from the other side to get the microfilm, so she acts as if she's ready to resume things with Eric. Unfortunately, the real Eric escapes from the hospital and makes his way to Tangier, causing the situation to become even more confusing as everyone chases everyone else.

    Hope is very funny in this and does indeed create a second role in Eric Augustine, who has a much darker persona than Peanuts. There are some great laughs, my favorite scene being Hedy and Peanuts dancing in the hotel while his contact tries to get his attention. The part where Lamarr drives a fire engine while Hope hangs onto the ladder is funny as well.

    Hedy Lamarr was 36 or so at the time of the filming and looks glorious, particularly in the form-fitting white sequined gown she wears during her nightclub act. It's so unfortunate that in Hollywood, once a woman turned 30, lead roles became so difficult to get. Lamarr was one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in film - at any age. She's basically straight man to Hope here and holds her own in what is a Dorothy Lamour part, right down to the nightclub act. She contributes to the foreign flavor of the film.

    This isn't Hope's best film, but it's still very good with some great bits and laughs.
    dougdoepke

    Hope Showcase

    Hope fans should enjoy this showcase. The comedian's in about every scene where the one-liners, throw-aways, and snappy retorts fly faster than a machine-gun on rapid fire. After all, there were seven writers, yes, seven! And I expect each wanted his or her work accommodated. So, it's a loaded script. Bob plays a baggy-pants comedian (Peanuts) pressed into government service in order to catch a dangerous look-alike who's on the run. Along the way he gets "help" from the gorgeous Hedy LaMarr.

    Plots are secondary for Hope vehicles, mainly furnishing set-ups for the gag-lines. Here, the setting for international intrigue is Tangier. Thus there's a hint of he Hope-Crosby Road pictures, while La Marr provides the eye candy, in spades. But, I gather from other reviewers that her best scenes ended on the cutting room floor courtesy Hope's desire to dominate. Then too, don't expect much continuity given the generally ragged editing process.

    Anyhow, I love that line where a ringing sound comes from Lilly (LaMarr) and Peanuts observes that she always makes him tinkle—snuck by the censors, I guess. And, if you don't like this gag, hold on because more will soon fly by. All in all, it's a Hope showcase during his most productive movie period.
    6ksf-2

    not quite a "Road to " movie, but almost

    In this remake of the 1942 film of the same name, Bob Hope is Peanuts White, a hack Vaudevillian looks just like the thug Eric Augustine, who is wanted by the police. They ask White to help them by impersonating the crook to fool a gang of spies into turning over the microfilm. The nightclub scene is kind of fun, as he tries to pass for the crook with Lily (Hedy Lamarr) and Augustine's friends and enemies. Arnold Moss is Tasso, a non-singing Bing Crosby- type straight-gag-guy who doesn't take any jabs at Hope. Tasso one of the good guys, trying to keep White out of trouble in Tangiers. Not a lot for Lily (Hedy ) to do in this film...she's kind of along for the ride. Lamarr only made a few more films after this. It would have been interesting to have the actual locations listed; appears to be mostly the backlot and PCH. Like most of the "Road" movies, this one goes all over the map, in the casino, riding on a firetruck, thru the bazaar. Not the funniest Bob Hope movie caper, although it DOES have its laughs. Not bad.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the original script, Peanuts is a schoolteacher who is caught impersonating a deceased gangster and is sent on a mission to Cairo.
    • Goofs
      Tangier is in Morocco, but instead of speaking French or Arabic, the natives are speaking Spanish. This is most evident during the scene where the house is on fire with the firemen yelling in Spanish to spray the water on the house.
    • Quotes

      Peanuts White: That dress does things for you. Doesn't do me any harm either.

    • Connections
      Follows My Favorite Blonde (1942)
    • Soundtracks
      JUST A MOMENT MORE
      Music by Jay Livingston

      Lyrics by Ray Evans

      Performed by Hedy Lamarr (dubbed by Martha Mears) (uncredited)

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    FAQ13

    • How long is My Favorite Spy?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 1951 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Passage to Cairo
    • Filming locations
      • Palos Verdes, California, USA(the chase scene at the end of the picture)
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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