My Favorite Spy (1951 film)
| My Favorite Spy | |
|---|---|
 1951 US Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by | Norman Z. McLeod |
| Written by | Edmund L. Hartmann Jack Sher |
| Produced by | Paul Jones |
| Starring | Bob Hope Hedy Lamarr |
| Cinematography | Victor Milner |
| Edited by | Frank Bracht |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.6 million (US rentals)[1] |
My Favorite Spy is a 1951 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr.
Synopsis
US intelligence agents recruit burlesque comic Peanuts White to pose as international spy Eric Augustine, whom he resembles, to acquire a million-dollar microfilm in Tangier. There, he encounters the irresistible Lily Dalbray, Augustine's one-time "friend," who is now in league with his arch-enemy, Brubaker.
Cast
- Bob Hope as Peanuts White/Eric Augustine
- Hedy Lamarr as Lily Dalbray
- Francis L. Sullivan as Karl Brubaker
- Arnold Moss as Tasso
- John Archer as Henderson
- Luis Van Rooten as Rudolf Hoenig
- Alden 'Stephen' Chase as Donald Bailey (as Stephen Chase)
- Morris Ankrum as Gen. Frazer
- Angela Clarke as Gypsy Fortune Teller
- Iris Adrian as Lola
- Frank Faylen as Newton
- Mike Mazurki as Monkara
- Marc Lawrence as Ben Ali
- Tonio Selwart as Harry Crock
- Ralph Smiley as El Sarif
Production notes
- Production Dates: late Jan-early Apr 1951
- The working title of this film was Passage to Cairo.
- Bob Hope's character, "Peanuts White," was first conceived as a schoolteacher who, while impersonating a recently deceased gangster, is sent to Cairo to obtain information. The character was later converted into a standup vaudeville comedian who resembles a leading international spy, and is persuaded to impersonate him on a mission to Tangier.
- In the scene in which Peanuts talks on the phone with President Harry S. Truman, Truman's voice is not heard.
- The "world premiere" of the film took place in Bellaire, Ohio, in the living room of Anne Kuchinka. The Ohio housewife won a letter writing contest sponsored by Hope's radio show in which participants gave reasons why the premiere should be held in their home.
- Prior to the screening, a star-studded parade and radio broadcast were held in Bellaire. According to a November 19, 1951 Time article, Corp. Karl K. Diegert of the Army Hospital at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, persuaded Hope, who was known for his USO shows, to do a second screening at the camp the day after Bellaire's.
See also
- My Favorite Blonde (1942) with Bob Hope and Madeleine Carroll
- My Favorite Brunette (1947) with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour
References
- ^ 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
External links
- My Favorite Spy at IMDb
- My Favorite Spy at the TCM Movie Database
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