Product Description

After a dramatic turn in Beau James Bob Hope returned to comedy and co-starred with French comedian Fernandel in Paris Holiday. Hope plays Robert Hunter an actor traveling to Paris to purchase a screenplay only to find himself mixed up with counterfeits. While Hunter has his eye on diplomat Ann McCall (Martha Hyer - Houseboat The Chase) a sexy spy named Zara (the luscious Anita Ekberg - Miss Sweden 1950) has her eye on the screenplay. Hope produced the film and penned the original story. The screenwriting duty went to long-time collaborator Edmund Beloin (My Favorite Brunette Road To Rio and The Lemon Drop Kid) and Dean Riesner (Dirty Harry and Play Misty For Me). Behind the camera was Gerd Oswald who directed A Kiss Before Dying (1956) and the cult film Screaming Mimi co-starring Miss Ekberg. The film also features prominent film director Preston Sturges (The Lady Eve and The Palm Beach Story) in a small role.System Requirements: Running Time 100 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 090096098593 Manufacturer No: 60985-9

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81443 in DVD
• Brand: BCI ECLIPSE LLC
• Released on: 2000-11-21
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 100 minutes

Customer Reviews

Beware--another cheapjack ripoff DVD
I have been wanting to see this film for years, because I'm a fan of Hope's early films and the ones with Crosby, and this one has the reputation of being better than the losers he began to crank out in the '50s and '60s; because Gerd Oswald directed the superb (long unavailable because of the dreadful remake) A Kiss Before Dying; and because Preston Sturges appears in it as an actor. I should have known when I saw the low price tag and the unknown logo (Brentwood) that this would be a bargain basement ripoff. To begin with, it's pan and scan; just the credits are letterboxed--then you apruptly switch to seeing only a third of the Cinemascope image. The print itself in not good, a lot worse than a decent VHS tape, with drifting colors. As for the movie, I lasted midway; the jokes are definitely late Hope, smirky and obvious, and the action is slowed considerably by the fact that Hope plays opposite Fernandel, who speaks only French--you have to wait while another character translates what he says or watch him looking confused. Still, is the movie really as deadly as it seems? I'm not sure. Oswald proved in his others pictures that he knew how to fill a Cinemascope screen and it's possible that that in the correct aspect-ratio this picture as some style; the letterboxed pre-credit sequence is certainly more watchable than what follows. What's really troubling is that this same company is putting out a bunch of Hope's films, including some of his best (ie The Seven Little Foys). Are all the DVDs in the series as lousy as this? Has anyone made the mistake I made with this one, of actually buying one? Let's hear from you.

Very funny, but...
Overall, I thought "Paris Holiday" was a very funny movie. It was the first film I'd seen with Bob Hope, and i was very pleased. I could not stop laughing during that ridiculously cheesy helicopter scene!
However, one of the main reasons I got the movie was because I thought Anita Ekberg, of whom I am a big fan, was a main character. She was one of the stars to get top billing, so naturally, I thought she would be in the film quite a bit. This was not the case. Her character is important to the story line, but she is not shown much, which was a little disappointing.
Overall, the movie was very good, VERY funny, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for an Anita Ekberg movie.

An amusing later Hope comedy
After dabbling in drama--first with "The Seven Little Foys", then more deeply with "Beau James"--Bob Hope returned to familiar territory with the comedy "Paris Holiday". Hope produced & penned the original story idea about an American actor-comedian visiting Paris to purchase an important screenplay...and then soon getting involved in counterfeit espionage.
The result? The film seems to plod along until about two-thirds through, when broader comedy elements are introduced. Hope's co-star Fernandel--the French comedian--is more of an "accomplice" for Hope than an actual teaming, since the story clearly revolves around Hope's character. Fernandel offers a pleasing contrast to Hope's comedic style with slightly daffy charm. Although the lovely Anita Ekberg gets second billing, her spy character seems more of a "go-between" as she's only getting close to Hope to get what she wants. It's actually the diplomat (Martha Hyer) whom Hope has eyes for--and Hyer has more screen time than Ekberg as the character caught up in Hope's entanglements. The script is peppered with some terrific Hope jokes, and some moments that are funny throwbacks to earlier Hope comedies: Hope narrowly missing being killed in an elevator; Hope, Fernandel & Hyer posing as dummies in a "tunnel of love" boat ride; Hope wrongly put in a sanitarium (remember "My Favorite Brunette"?), and trying desperately to extradite himself; Fernandel tearing apart his own car to prove to a sanitarium guard he is "wacky"; and a climactic wild helicopter ride that's a real hoot.
Again, Brentwood failed to restore the original print, and although there's plenty of color, the film looks dark in places.
Certainly not Hope's best comedy, but there are flashes of the old Hope formula which make it quite enjoyable.