My Favorite Blonde Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

My Favorite Blonde Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 23, 2021

Sidney Lanfield's "My Favorite Blonde" (1942) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Sam Deighan and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

My Favorite Blonde can be given as a terrific example that sometimes a great chemistry is better to have than a great story. By the way, My Favorite Blonde is not one of those very old films that dispatches its stars on an entirely predictable journey filled with overused cliches. On the contrary, it is quite exotic and from time to time it becomes seriously unpredictable, but all of the magic that happens in it emerges from the great chemistry between Bob Hope and Madeleine Carroll. For approximately eighty minutes, the two are essentially feeding each other that very special kind of inspiration that makes all the difference when the camera begins rolling. It is pretty amazing to watch because it is crystal-clear that they are fully aware of the inspiration as well, and because their performances are still perfectly synchronized.

New York City. The perpetually broke vaudeville performer Larry Haines (Hope) is approached by the beautiful British spy Karen Bentley (Carroll) who is being followed by a couple of enemy agents. Larry thinks that it is his lucky day, but Karen only needs him to be her ‘partner’ until she ditches the agents so that she can deliver a small medallion with top-secret information to her bosses in Chicago. While at the club where Larry makes ends meet, they strike a deal but under a slightly different pretext, and immediately after that head to the train station. But at the train station Karen is forced to improvise, and after they part ways, with Larry incorrectly assuming that will not see each other again, both become big moving targets.

Sidney Lanfield’s direction leaves the impression that the two stars have plenty of freedom to improvise, but it is difficult to tell just how much of their performances isn’t scripted because the entire film still maintains a very steady tempo. As implied earlier, they just feel very comfortable together and once the mayhem begins everything that they go through appears entirely organic.

But this isn’t as easy to pull off as it sounds because the chemistry alone would not have been enough to ensure the great continuity between the different segments. The quality of the writing, for instance, reminds of Preston Sturges’ work, though admittedly the wit behind the lines isn’t quite the same. Also, it would be unfair not to point out the good editing work that helps tremendously whenever Hope begins interacting with his miniature ‘assistant’. So, obviously there is quite a bit of improvising, but it is done as part of perfectly rehearsed and executed segments that are also edited very well.

It also needs to be underscored that Hope is the bigger star and he constantly leads. This may seem like a moot point now, but the film does not explicitly treat him as such. He has an equal partner in Carroll who is required to do just as much to keep the film moving in the right direction, so if the same type of high-quality performance isn’t on the opposite end, a lot of material would not work as intended. The difference comes from Hope’s body language and myriad of facial expressions that either open or close situations where the stars shine. There is confidence in them that comes from greater experience that can be infectious, and it is probably the catalyst behind the great chemistry that makes the entire film so attractive.

Lanfield used the services of two-time Oscar winner William C. Mellor, though the quality of his work in My Favorite Blonde isn’t on par with that witnessed in A Place in the Sun, Giant, Bad Day at Black Rock, and The Last Frontier.

My Favorite Blonde Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, My Favorite Blonde arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very nice recent 2K master. Aside from some cosmetic work that could have been performed to remove tiny white flecks and the occasional black marks and scratches, as well as sporadic adjustments to better expose detail in darker areas, I think that the film looks terrific in high-definition. Depth, clarity, and fluidity are very pleasing. Also, the overall stability of the visuals was excellent. I did not see any traces of problematic digital corrections, which means that grain is very nicely exposed. The grayscale is convincing, but the blacks could have been managed slightly better. the density of the visuals is good, but you should expect to see a few very minor inherited fluctuations. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

My Favorite Blonde Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and stable. Dynamic intensity is quite good as well. However, I did notice some extremely light background hiss trying to sneak in from time to time. It is no way distracting, but if you turn up your volume enough, you will almost certainly notice its presence as well. There are no distortions or audio dropouts to report.

My Favorite Blonde Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for My Favorite Blonde. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Bob Hope Promo - a promo piece for other Bob Hope titles from Kino Lorber's catalog. (5 min).

• Commentary - exclusive new audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan.

My Favorite Blonde Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Say, honey, you and me could make music together. Right now, I feel like the philharmonic." Loud slap on Bob Hope's face, quickly followed by round two of fiery exchanges and misdirection plays. This is a short sample of the type of fun you can expect from My Favorite Blonde. It is pretty easy to tell where the film is heading once Hope and Madeleine Carroll become partners in crime, but their chemistry is outstanding and the mayhem that ensues after they begin dodging the Nazi agents is very entertaining. Kino Lorber's release of My Favorite Blonde is sourced from a recent and very nice 2K master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.