A Global Affair (1964)

A Global Affair Film Details

Overview: As an employee at the United Nations building in New York City, Bob Hope finds himself in charge of an infant abandoned at the UN. Besides being a bachelor trying to cope with an infant, he…

Tagline: Bob’s On The Road To Paternity!

Review: I’m a huge Bob Hope fan but this film’s rather disappointing, rather dull, and not terribly funny. There are some amusing moments and recognizably-typical Hope lines but the premise is limited and proceeds slowly in spots, especially in the prolonged scene between Hope and Lilo Pulver, a Soviet sociologist featuring now-dated, propagandistic comments from both parties, and is tediously talky in nature. Mr. Hope himself looks trim and moves and speaks appealingly but aside from some of his lines, almost anybody else could’ve played the role. For a Hope comedy, it’s not funny enough. Perhaps if some other actor was playing the part of Lattimore, it wouldn’t’ve seemed so obvious, as not as much would’ve been expected, or been as desirably-dependent on a star’s well-known personality. Hope, as always, is likeable and smooth but the plot and script don’t give him much to work with. The movie, as mentioned, is dated. Almost noone watching today would recognize the silent cameo of Adlai Stevenson, a household name in his day. And, until recently, not many viewers would understand the U.S./Russia rivalry, as presented here with regard to the baby. In fact, the entire vehicle has a Cold War, pro-West propaganda feel to it–almost as if the U.N. cultural unit asked Hollywood to make such a feature, using the most patriotic American comedian then in existence, Bob Hope. In fairness, the star was trying new things by this point in his film career. He was getting older, and couldn’t remain popular with audiences in the same way as he did during the studio system’s heyday. By the time of “A Global Affair”, Hope was playing a more mature type of suburban, middle-class American, usually a father or a businessman, or both, rather than a knockabout, wisecracking clown-type, great as he was in those earlier roles, often with songs and musical interludes. By 1964, all this was passe’, and the comedian’s movie roles began reflecting the changing, mid-20th century society of the country. In short, “Affair”, though offering a potentially cute premise, doesn’t really deliver much with it. The film screams for some big comedy moments, or, at least, a huge, hilarious ending but it was not to be. Although the storyline’s clearly padded, more inventive, humorous situations might’ve saved it. Surprisingly, the movie picks up a little steam in the last quarter-hour, becoming livelier and a little funnier but, in truth, the film seems like an extended sketch from one of Bob’s TV specials, where it might’ve come off better on a smaller, more intimate, screen.

Country: USA

Language: English

Duration: 84 min

Genre: Comedy

Also known as: Majeraye jahani,Staatsaffären,Quem É o Pai da Criança?,Lapsenpiika vastoin tahtoaan,Tolle Staatsaffären,Ziteitai babas,Un biberon en la ONU,A Global Affair,Quem é o Pai da Criança?,Papa play-boy,Rindvieh ohne Hörner,I guai di papà,Problema mundial,Um Assunto Internacional