My Favorite Spy
My Favorite Spy is a 1951 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope and Hedy Lamarr.
| My Favorite Spy | |
|---|---|
 1951 US Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by | Norman Z. McLeod |
| Produced by | Paul Jones |
| Written by | Edmund L. Hartmann Jack Sher |
| Starring | Bob Hope Hedy Lamarr |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Cinematography | Victor Milner |
| Edited by | Frank Bracht |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.6 million (US rentals)[1] |
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
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