IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

On March 2nd, Kino Lorber Studio Classics will continue their fantastic string of Blu-ray releases of classic Bob Hope comedies with three of the comedian’s early starring vehicles, Caught in the Draft (1941), Nothing But the Truth (1941), and My Favorite Blonde (1942). I got an early look at the three discs, and “spoiler alert,” they’re all great. Having previously reviewed Caught in the Draft (1941), let’s move on the Nothing But the Truth, which was released just three months later.

Bob Hope began working in motion pictures in 1934, but he hadn’t made much of an impact on audiences until he was paired with Paulette Goddard for the “Old Dark House” mystery/comedy, The Cat and the Canary (1939). The mix of comedy, romance, and scares, plus the chemistry of Hope and Goddard, was a big hit with audiences and critics alike. Consequently, Paramount reteamed Hope and Goddard a year later in The Ghost Breakers, a similar scare comedy with bigger production values. Once again, it was a major hit. By 1941, Bob Hope had established himself as a bankable star, with solo hits, a weekly radio show, and two Road pictures already under his belt. However, Paramount saw no reason not to try the Hope/Goddard pairing one more time with Nothing But the Truth .

This time around, the Hope/Goddard team wouldn’t rely on ghosts and ghouls to attract audiences. Nothing But the Truth was a farcical romantic comedy with a premise somewhat similar to that of the Jim Carrey movie Liar Liar (1997). It was based on a stage play by James Montgomery, which itself was an adaptation of a (rather florid) novel by Frederic S. Isham.

Hope stars as Steve Bennett, a new partner at a Miami-based brokerage firm, run by the rather slimy T.T. Ralston (Edward Arnold). Steve is given $10,000 in charity money to invest by the boss’ niece, Gwen Saunders (Goddard), saying that she needs to double her money. While doubling the $10,000 seems unlikely, Steve wants to impress the beautiful Gwen, so he takes the money. What Steve doesn’t know is that Gwen has gotten her Uncle to agree to match the charity money if she collects $20,000 by the end of the week (since T.T. imagines such a thing as impossible).

When T.T. tries to pressure Steve into tricking clients into buying worthless stock, Steve refuses, saying that he can do his job without lying to the clients. This prompts T.T. and his other partners (Glenn Anders and Leif Erickson) to bet Steve any amount he chooses that he can’t go 24 hours without telling a lie. Steve agrees to the wager, because it is the only way to quickly double Gwen’s $10,000. Of course, the bet causes numerous misunderstandings and obstacles in the way of Steve and Gwen’s budding romance.

Nothing But the Truth was the most pleasant surprise of the three new Kino Lorber releases. Like Caught in the Draft, I was viewing the film for the first time, but while I found the earlier film funny, I found this one delightful on multiple levels. Reviewers of the time criticized the picture because of its origins in “creaky stage farce.” However, that is one of the reasons why it plays so well today. It is one of the most unique films in the Hope filmography. While his character in Nothing But the Truth is still quick with a wisecrack, Hope is playing much more of a standard romantic comedy lead, rather than his familiar “brave coward” persona. In fact, I could easily see the character played by Dick Powell or Joel McCrea with little or no reworking of the script. That isn’t a bad thing. It’s fun to see the comedian treading less familiar ground.

Having worked together twice previously, Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard have great chemistry (despite the fact that, in reality, Goddard disliked working with the egotistical comedian). Hope was always at his best when his pusillanimous character was matched with a smarter, stronger, more formidable female lead, such as Paulette Goddard, Jane Russell, or Dorothy Lamour. In Nothing But the Truth, Goddard is charming, funny, and sexy. She provides fantastic support, whether she is called upon to play “straight man” or to carry the comedy herself.

The rest of the supporting cast is also quite game. A particular standout is Glenn Anders (best remembered for his wonderfully weird turn as George Grisby in Orson Welles’ The Lady From Shanghai), who seems to be having a ball playing an amoral womanizer. Anders spent most of his career on the stage, so it is great to see him in one of his few film appearances.

Also along for the fun is Willie Best, who once again plays Hope’s valet (as he did in The Ghost Breakers). Some audiences may find the African-American comic’s performance a bit uncomfortable by today’s standards, but his role here is less of a negative stereotype than he usually played. Best is at least allowed to get the better of Hope’s character verbally from time to time, and while the performance is definitely a product of its time, there’ no denying that Willie Best was a talented performer.

I think that fans of classic romantic comedies will be surprised by how much they like Nothing But the Truth. Even audiences that normally find Bob Hope’s onscreen persona grating, may find that this lesser-known charmer is the one Hope comedy that they actually enjoy. It is certainly one of the most appealing and unique films in his rather large filmography.

USA/B&W-90m./Dir: Elliot Nugent/Wr: Don Hartman & Ken England (based on a stage play by James Montgomery and the novel by Frederic S. Isham)/Cast: Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Edward Arnold, Leif Erickson, Helen Vinson, Catherine Doucet, Glenn Anders, Grant Mitchell, Rose Hobart, Willie Best

For Fans of: If you enjoyed the concept of Jim Carrey’s Liar Liar (1997), you’ll probably enjoy this earlier take on the same idea.

Video: The upcoming Nothing But the Truth Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics is sourced from a new 2K restoration. The image quality looks excellent and is an improvement over prior home video releases. The image is sharp, and while there may be a few minimal scratches and speckles, I honestly didn’t notice any. The picture features rich blacks, perfect contrast, and appropriate film grain. Overall, it looks like a near-pristine film print being projected for the first time.

The original mono DTS sound is solid, presenting dialogue, sound effects, and music with clarity. I detected no age-related hiss or distortion. This film will likely never look or sound better. Whether you are a fan of this particular film or Bob Hope films in general, the disc is highly recommended.

Kino Lorber also included a wealth of special features to put the film in historical context:

• A new audio commentary by film critic and author Simon Abrams: Simon discusses the differences between the original novel, the stage adaptation, and the finished film. He also goes into the differences between Bob Hope’s onscreen and off screen personas, background on the careers of the supporting players, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, the reception of the film during its original release, and much more. While the film is a lot of fun on its own, the commentary provides interesting context.
• The original theatrical trailer
• Bonus trailers for The Cat and the Canary, The Ghost Breakers, and a brief Kino Lorber promo for some of their other Bob Hope titles.
• Optional English subtitles for the feature

Streaming: At the time of this review, Nothing But the Truth was not streaming as part of any of the major subscription services.  The film was also not available for digital rental or purchase.

More to Explore: You can’t go wrong with most of the Bob Hope films produced between 1939 and 1954. Classic film fans are likely familiar with the Road pictures that Hope made with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. Below I posted links to Blu-ray releases of some of the best of Hope’s films as a solo comedian.

Trivia: Murder, He Says (1945) was originally written to be a fourth pairing of Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. However, Goddard was through with working with Hope after Nothing But the Truth. She disliked the comedian’s egotism and womanizing, so she stopped working with him when the studio saw that she could draw audiences on her own.

For More Info: There have been many film references and biographies written on “Old Ski Nose,” but the definitive tome on the comedian is Hope: Entertainer of the Century by Richard Zoglin. If you are looking for a Bob Hope film reference, The Road to Comedy: The Films of Bob Hope by Donald McCaffrey provides a nice overview.