Let's get something straight right off the bat: Harry Ritz BLOWS!! The ONLY thing he and his brothers EVER did was make fun of the mentally handicapped! Anybody that thinks THAT'S funny is mischugina!!! Their movies were awful...and NONE of them ever did anything funny, with the possible exception of when Al Ritz dropped dead near on-stage in Vegas.
Now that THAT'S over with, the rest of the review: Hackneyed humor that is older than Jack Albertson's hairpiece, rotten, OLD Jerry Colonna jokes that Hope had been using since the 1940s, and "schtick" with Wayne Newton, who I SWEAR was not even in the actual scenes with Bob Hope. Foster Brooks was hilarious in his two seconds on screen.
When David Jansen's the funniest thing on a show, you know you're in trouble...and yet....
Hope pulls it off. His monologue is actually FUNNY (at least in spots), and it's terrific to see Vincent Price.
Steve Allen is smooth, and funny. Angie Dickinson is Angie Dickinson, and Scatman Crothers looks like he's trying to get a date with Angie while barely being able to read his cue-cards.
The most Embarrassing MOMENT in the ENTIRE production is the sight of Harry Ritz, Marty Allen, Jan Murray, Jack Carter, and (may god forgive him, 'cause he's such a beautiful should, and such a GREAT songwriter) Sammy Cahn, all acting more than slightly retarded as they "goof off,'n fun" for the camera.
Finally they turn, sans Cahn, who at least had enough sense NOT to follow this foursome (A FOURSOME BTW WHO COULDN'T GET A LAUGH IF THEIR HAIRPIECES WERE ON FIRE), as they tightened their Borscht-belts, and walk off-stage, hopefully into a large oven to roast LIKE THE HAMS THEY ALL WERE!!! My God, did you EVER see four people try to "out-mug" each other, and fail miserably?? The four of them together looked like a corner of kids waiting for the "Lighthouse for the retarded" bus to pick them up...
Was Jan Murray EVER funny? Was Jack Carter EVER anything other than aggravating? Was Marty Allen anything other than PATHETIC? Jackie Vernon was funnier than ANY of those guys...but I digress.
If you want a great trip to nostalgia-land, get this. You'll LOVE the fact that, for two hours, you can be transported back to a time when a guy like Jack Albertson could pull up to Bob Hope, obviously read a cue-card filled with BAD humor...and still make you think you're having a good time....
