Off Limits (1953)

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

In this Bob Hope vehicle, he's a fight manager who trains a champ and has all the women he wants and more! Then the champ gets drafted and Hope enlists with him. Well, something else happens but let's skip there and just say that Mickey Rooney and Marilyn Maxwell then get involved with him and lots of funny lines and scenes and a number or two gets performed and there's a chase because of another messy visual comedy scene. Oh, and there's also their military police superior (Eddie Mayehoff) to deal with and the champ's flunkies and...well, just watch the thing if you're so inclined. It's on YouTube right now. It's one of few Hope movies that's not in the public domain that's available there...

This movie does NOT focus on the military duties so much but focuses on a guy (Mickey Rooney) in the army, who wants to be a prize fighter and a trainer (Bob Hope) who joined the army to watch another fighter but things go wrong and the trainer (Bob Hope) gets stuck in the army and ends up training the new guy (Mickey Rooney). This was my first time seeing this movie. Next to the Lemon Drop Kid, its going to be my favorite movie with Bob Hope. I am thinking about buying it. Bob Hope really outdone himself, we were all laughing out loud, throughout the movie. Like so many Military comedy movies: Kelly Heroes, Major Payne, No Time for Sergeants, Sgt. Bilko, At War With the Army, just a few Military comedy movies; if you liked these; you're going to love this one.

Off Limits is a very typical Bob Hope product with Hope playing a character that he's done before, a guy who thinks he's a sharpie, but is really quite the schnook. Hope is a fight manager who finally gets himself a champion in Stanley Clements only to be done out of his end of the champ by partners, Marvin Miller and Richard Weil.It's quite the con they pull, sending a fake draft notice to Clements and then having Hope enlist to protect their investment. Of course Clements gets rejected by the Draft Board, but Hope's in for the duration.While there he buddies up with Mickey Rooney who was also a fighter and thinks he can be lightweight champion himself. Hope kids him along because he's got his mind on Marilyn Maxwell who is Rooney's aunt if you can believe that one. Later on Hope and Rooney get real earnest in their championship quest.All this is done mind you while the two of them become Military Police. That's another thing I found hard to swallow in Off Limits. Still Rooney and Hope work quite well together and I'm surprised they never did another film together. All their shenanigans are watched with a jaundiced eye by the Captain of the MPs Eddie Mayehoff who probably has the best performance in the film.Off Limits was the second of two films Bob Hope did with Marilyn Maxwell the first being the infinitely better The Lemon Drop Kid. The two of them were involved with each other at the time though that would shortly come to an end. There's a little bite in their scenes together as Maxwell was realizing Hope wasn't going to leave Dolores for her. If you look quick you'll see Charles Bronson in a brief appearance as a fighter training in a gym in one scene. Bing Crosby makes his obligatory appearance in Hope film via a clip from Welcome Stranger. As in The Lemon Drop Kid, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans wrote the score though nothing as memorable as Silver Bells came out Off Limits. Still it's a pleasant enough service comedy, though far from Hope's best work.

This movie was very funny. Hope plays a Prize fighters manager who gets swindled into the army by his corrupt partners, where he finds another fighter. He trains the kid to beat his ex-fighter and win the belt. While doing this he gets into his usual Bob Hope trouble with the MP and a woman. This is another good move by Bob Hope.