Bob Hope’s final starring feature film is a comedy thriller very loosely based on Louis L’Amour’s contemporary western crime novel, The Broken Gun. Scarcely anything remains of the original story, however, save for aspects of the setting; the differences are so great that one wonders why Hope licensed the novel at all. Hope has a familiar role as a man wrongfully suspected of murder and trying to clear his name. Eva Marie Saint does well as Hope’s wife, while Anne Archer, as “Crazy,” adds some youth but not much more. Ralph Bellamy and Forrest Tucker are suitably menacing as the villains, and Keenan Wynn enjoyable as the local sheriff. As it stands, however, the movie leans largely on the usual Bob Hope one-liners, and the viewer’s enjoyment of the film will likely depend on his fondness for those jokes.

  Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 16 for 2021.