O Rei da Confusão

BOB HOPE's screen career was still at the crest of the wave when he did HERE COME THE GIRLS, but was soon to descend with a bunch of largely forgettable films, beginning with CASANOVA'S BIG NIGHT in 1954. From then on, Hope's films were less enjoyable than during his heyday when he hit his stride in '39's CAT AND THE CANARY and had a string of memorable comedy hits.

Hope is improbably cast as a chorus boy with two left feet (he describes himself as "the world's oldest living chorus boy"), and ROSEMARY CLOONEY is the girl who sticks by him when the going gets rough and he loses his job when fired by stage manager, FRED CLARK.

The zany plot has him chosen by the theater manager to be the bait to attract a killer called The Slasher, who is anxious to get revenge on any man close to ARLENE DAHL when leading man TONY MARTIN is unable to go on. The plot depends heavily on this one note gimmick for laughs and it does manage to get them despite the lightweight script.

Clooney and Martin both get a couple of ballads to sing, none of them the least bit memorable, and the lavish musical numbers are staged with some flair. Hope gets the laughs as things go wrong whenever he sets foot on the stage. ROBERT STRAUSS is the killer on the loose and he does a good job of combining villainy with comic skill.

Strictly second-rate stuff, but pleasantly handled by the agreeable cast. Biggest drawback is that Hope is really woefully too old for the role of the chorus boy, constantly being referred to as "the boy" throughout.