As the most untalented chorus boy (and obviously one of the oldest) on Broadway, Bob Hope is still filled with ego and the delusion that one day he will be a leading man in a big musical comedy. Well, that dream is about to come true, but that is because he is chosen to go on for injured leading man Tony Martin, stabbed by the psychotic stalker of the leading lady. To bring the killer out into the open, producer Fred Clark reluctantly puts Hope into the lead for the pre-Broadway try-out, and this leads him into going on opening night not knowing that the killer is still out on the loose.
While there are some funny moments in this colorful musical, the plot line travels way beyond the path of ridiculousness into pure absurdity. Of course, there's a Bing Crosby reference (he meets a delivery boy whose name happens to be Bang Crosby) and one of several gags of Bob reacting to alcohol too strong for his stomach, but the highlight is the chase sequence on stage and in the audience between Bob and the killer.
Arlene Dahl and Rosemary Clooney offer colorful feminine beauty, and each of them gets a few good musical numbers, but Hope's hamming threatens to overshadow them. Of course, the show within the movie doesn't represent any realistic Broadway musical, probably giving the Gay White Way a big laugh at how Hollywood tried but failed quite a bit in presenting a realistic view of what goes on behind the scenes. A few good supporting performances (particularly Clark and William Demarest) round out the cast with Robert Strauss a convincingly scary villain.
While there are some funny moments in this colorful musical, the plot line travels way beyond the path of ridiculousness into pure absurdity. Of course, there's a Bing Crosby reference (he meets a delivery boy whose name happens to be Bang Crosby) and one of several gags of Bob reacting to alcohol too strong for his stomach, but the highlight is the chase sequence on stage and in the audience between Bob and the killer.
Arlene Dahl and Rosemary Clooney offer colorful feminine beauty, and each of them gets a few good musical numbers, but Hope's hamming threatens to overshadow them. Of course, the show within the movie doesn't represent any realistic Broadway musical, probably giving the Gay White Way a big laugh at how Hollywood tried but failed quite a bit in presenting a realistic view of what goes on behind the scenes. A few good supporting performances (particularly Clark and William Demarest) round out the cast with Robert Strauss a convincingly scary villain.