Review contains SPOILERS:
Most Bob Hope films released between 1965 and 1972 are, to put it delicately, not considered classic comic cinema by a longshot and "Cancel My Reservation" is no exception. However, compared to "Boy, Did I Get A Wrong Number", "Cancel My Reservation" seems like a celluloid masterpiece.
Essentially, the film plays like a combination of the formula from his 1940s hits like "My Favorite Blonde" and the 1970s NBC Mystery Movie. Hope plays a successful New York TV talk show host who heads to Arizona for a rest/vacation and ends up getting framed for a murder. His wife and co-host(wonderfully played by Eva Marie Saint) heads out west to help him and together the duo go thru a series of detecting and misdadventures before clearing Hope and the obligatory happy ending. Much of the film feels like a pilot for a husband-wife sleuthing team/seriocomic detective show in the manner of "McMillan and Wife" or "Hart to Hart" with Ralph Bellamy, Keenan Wynn, Forrest Tucker, Chief Dan George and the adorable Anne Archer(daughter of Hope's BDIGAWN "wife" Marjorie Lord) as the guest stars and featuring cameos by John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Flip Wilson and the ubiquitous Bing Crosby. While never a particularly "good" film, "Reservation" remains watchable thanks to some nicely photographed Arizona scenery and a thankful lack of "blue screen" except during the rather obvious scene of Hope on a motorcycle. "Reservation" also benefits from giving Hope a wonderful leading lady in Miss Saint. The 1954 Best Actress Academy Award Winner sparkles as Hope's co-star and the two of them have terrific chemistry together. I wish that the other film they made together, 1956's "That Certain Feeling", would become available on home video so I could see that too. The Hope/Saint duo beats the Hope/Phyllis Diller duo anyday IMHO.
Bottom line: if you've never seen Hope or Miss Saint before I recommend you pick another of their films to start with. For Hope, "They Got Me Covered" or any of his "Road" films while for Miss Saint, I recommend "North By Northwest" or "36 Hours" first. But, if you are already a fan of either star, "Cancel My Reservation" makes for painless enough star vehicle viewing as a late movie on the AMC channel.
Rating: 5 out of 10.
Most Bob Hope films released between 1965 and 1972 are, to put it delicately, not considered classic comic cinema by a longshot and "Cancel My Reservation" is no exception. However, compared to "Boy, Did I Get A Wrong Number", "Cancel My Reservation" seems like a celluloid masterpiece.
Essentially, the film plays like a combination of the formula from his 1940s hits like "My Favorite Blonde" and the 1970s NBC Mystery Movie. Hope plays a successful New York TV talk show host who heads to Arizona for a rest/vacation and ends up getting framed for a murder. His wife and co-host(wonderfully played by Eva Marie Saint) heads out west to help him and together the duo go thru a series of detecting and misdadventures before clearing Hope and the obligatory happy ending. Much of the film feels like a pilot for a husband-wife sleuthing team/seriocomic detective show in the manner of "McMillan and Wife" or "Hart to Hart" with Ralph Bellamy, Keenan Wynn, Forrest Tucker, Chief Dan George and the adorable Anne Archer(daughter of Hope's BDIGAWN "wife" Marjorie Lord) as the guest stars and featuring cameos by John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Flip Wilson and the ubiquitous Bing Crosby. While never a particularly "good" film, "Reservation" remains watchable thanks to some nicely photographed Arizona scenery and a thankful lack of "blue screen" except during the rather obvious scene of Hope on a motorcycle. "Reservation" also benefits from giving Hope a wonderful leading lady in Miss Saint. The 1954 Best Actress Academy Award Winner sparkles as Hope's co-star and the two of them have terrific chemistry together. I wish that the other film they made together, 1956's "That Certain Feeling", would become available on home video so I could see that too. The Hope/Saint duo beats the Hope/Phyllis Diller duo anyday IMHO.
Bottom line: if you've never seen Hope or Miss Saint before I recommend you pick another of their films to start with. For Hope, "They Got Me Covered" or any of his "Road" films while for Miss Saint, I recommend "North By Northwest" or "36 Hours" first. But, if you are already a fan of either star, "Cancel My Reservation" makes for painless enough star vehicle viewing as a late movie on the AMC channel.
Rating: 5 out of 10.