The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell

Many people cannot stand Bob Hope and his mannerisms, and, to be honest, I am one of them. Most of his films are little more than an extended stand-up routine of his with mostly rather predictable jokes.

But sometimes he pulled off a better film, like his Paleface movies, and this one here is even better - it must surely be the best film of his career, although most critics failed to notice it. Apart from having better jokes and a better cast than the usual Hope effort, this film even comes with a message. It is anti-racism and anti-war but it does not wear this attitude on its sleeves, it merely subverts it under the cover of slapstick comedy into the mind of the viewer. I'll be hard pushed to name another anti-war movie which brings across its message so effectively, and this is an amazing thing to say about a Bob Hope flick, given the stiff and famous competition in this field.