"Double Exposure" is an early short starring Bob Hope. And, not surprisingly, since it's so early, its style is little like later Hope pictures. And, in hindsight, it's good Hope didn't make too many films like this one.
When the story begins, Ben Ali Oop* is arguing with his American wife. Apparently, the country where this potentate lives has strong feelings about having their women photographed...and a couple guys want a picture of Mrs. Ali Oop for their magazine. So, they contract Hope and is annoyingly stupid partner (John Berkes) to sneak a photo of the woman without her violent husband hurting them....as he's promised to do.
The story has a few problems with it. The biggest one is that Hope seems more like Moe Howard from The Three Stooges...slapping his assistant again and again. It really would have worked better had the Stooges made this one. As for the assistant, he's just too stupid to be funny...and makes Curly Howard seem like an Oxford grad! The other problem is that the plot is very contrived and doesn't make a lot of sense. Add to this that the short isn't all that funny and you have a film that only devoted Hope fans will want to see.
*By the way, 'Alley Oop' was a famous comic strip of the day...and naming the guy 'Ali Oop' was apparently supposed to be funny. Whatever.
