Kino Lorber, in conjunction with Fremantle Media, will bring to Blu-ray five classic Bob Hope films:
My Favorite Brunette (1947),
Road to Rio (1947),
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951),
Son of Paleface (1952) and
Road to Bali (1952). The releases are expected to arrive on the market this summer.
My Favorite Brunette
Synopsis: My Favorite Brunette is a hilarious comedy in which Bob Hope plays a baby photographer who works in the same building as a famous detective, Sam McCloud. Hope is mistaken for McCloud, which leads to him getting involved with a beautiful woman (Lamour) on a trail of mystery and intrigue. The laughs come fast and furious as Hope almost ends up getting sent to the gas chamber as he is framed for murder. Comedy legend Bob Hope is at his most hilarious in this classic film. Directed by Elliott Nugent, and starring Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr., and John Hoyt.
Road to Rio
Synopsis: To avoid being charged with arson after burning down a circus, Hot Lips Barton (Bob Hope) and Scat Sweeney (Bing Crosby) stow away on an ocean bound ship. Aboard the vessel, the duo fall for Lucia Maria de Andrade (Dorothy Lamour), who is under the spell of her evil aunt (Gale Sondergaard), who has arranged a marriage for the young beauty. This film was in good hands since many of Hope's best collaborators worked on the picture. Director Norman Z. McLeod went on to direct Hope in four more features - Alias Jesse James, Casanova's Big Night, My Favorite Spy and The Paleface. McLeod had a remarkable career behind the cameras, working with such Hollywood greats as Danny Kaye (The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty), W.C. Fields (It's A Gift) and Cary Grant (Topper). Writer Edmund Beloin supplied the stories for both My Favorite Spy and The Lemon Drop Kid. His collaborator, Jack Rose, penned My Favorite Brunette, The Great Lover, Sorrowful Jones and The Seven Little Foys. This film also features musical guests, The Wiere Brothers and The Andrew Sisters.
The Lemon Drop Kid
Synopsis: Bob Hope stars as Sidney Melbourne (a.k.a. The Lemon Drop Kid, named so after his love of the simple candy), a con man who offers a friendly "sure thing" horse tip to the girlfriend of mobster Moose Moran at the race track. When the horse loses and Moose's original pick wins, Moose gives Sidney until Christmas to pay back the money he lost or his thug, Sam-the-Surgeon, will "open" Sidney after Christmas. To pay back the money he owes Moose, Sidney enlists some pals to hit the street corners of New York dressed as Santa Claus accepting donations for a bogus elderly ladies' home. The calamity starts when gangster, Oxford Charlie (Lloyd Nolan) tries to move in on Sidney's scam. What follows is vintage Hope shenanigans, highlighted by a heart-warming rendition of the Christmas classic "Silver Bells" sung by Hope and Marilyn Maxwell (who appeared with Hope in the 1953 film Off Limits). Also starring William Frawley (I Love Lucy) and Tor Johnson (Plan 9 From Outer Space).
Son of Paleface
Synopsis: Four years after his hit comedy The Paleface, Bob Hope returned to the screen as Junior Potter, son of Painless Peter Potter, the hapless hero of the first film. The Harvard-bred Junior heads out west to claim his father's inheritance. Returning for the sequel, but in a different role, is Jane Russell (The Outlaw) as an outlaw named Mike who continually has to save our hapless hero. Also starring in the sequel is the King of the Cowboys himself. Hope teams with the pair to help get to the bottom of a gold shipment robbery. Also returning for the sequel is the Oscar-winning song "Button and Bows." Co-writer and director Frank Tashlin, a former cartoonist and screenwriter for the first Paleface, also worked with Hope on the Private Navy Of Sgt. O'Farrell and wrote and directed several Jerry Lewis films such as Cinderfella and The Geisha Boy.
Road to Bali
Synopsis: Screen legends Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are back at it. Hitting the road again in The Road To Bali, the boys have to leave Melbourne in a hurry to avoid several marriage proposals. Signing on as divers, the road takes them to Bali where they vie fore the affections of Princess Lala (Lamour). Their dangerous diving expedition nets them a treasure chest of priceless jewels. Once again they are the subjects of romantic interest from the locals with hilarious results. The Road To Bali is a classic comedy from one of the great comedy teams of all time, and it's all captured in glorious Technicolor. Directed by Hal Walker, and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Murvyn Vye, and Peter Coe.