You would think with Hope and Gleason in the same picture that it would be a riot Alice, but sadly not so. Not as bad as the failed team-up of Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett and Morey Amsterdam in 1969's "Muscle Beach Party", but almost. Honestly, you would think that both comedians should have known better. As adversaries in the story, their put downs of each other were very weak, and the picture was already on a down hill slope when Mildred the Chimp joined the action on a golf course. Besides that, there were a number of times while watching the flick that I thought I missed something, as scenes followed one another without a connecting thread. I know I didn't doze off because the clock on the DVD player never hinted at a time lapse I couldn't account for.
On top of all that, you had Professor Irwin Corey in the role of a mystic prophet named Baba Zia, who's gimmick consisted of a 'Peace Through Protein' schtick that made no sense at all. Somehow he convinced the Benson's daughter (JoAnna Cameron) and her fiancée (Tim Matheson) to give up their baby to adoption for a cause I can't even begin to comprehend. In fact, the picture offered so many instances of anti-family values (divorce, shacking up, chimpanzee golf), that I couldn't believe it was a Bob Hope vehicle. Gleason with the booze was about the only thing that made any sense.
Maybe I'm being too harsh on the film, other viewer comments seem to have found some entertainment value in it. For me though, this was un-funny and a bore to sit through, but that's the promise I made to myself when I started doing these reviews - see it complete from start to finish. This one had me thinking about revising the rules.
On top of all that, you had Professor Irwin Corey in the role of a mystic prophet named Baba Zia, who's gimmick consisted of a 'Peace Through Protein' schtick that made no sense at all. Somehow he convinced the Benson's daughter (JoAnna Cameron) and her fiancée (Tim Matheson) to give up their baby to adoption for a cause I can't even begin to comprehend. In fact, the picture offered so many instances of anti-family values (divorce, shacking up, chimpanzee golf), that I couldn't believe it was a Bob Hope vehicle. Gleason with the booze was about the only thing that made any sense.
Maybe I'm being too harsh on the film, other viewer comments seem to have found some entertainment value in it. For me though, this was un-funny and a bore to sit through, but that's the promise I made to myself when I started doing these reviews - see it complete from start to finish. This one had me thinking about revising the rules.