Too many fans seem to be blown away

Am I Missing Something?

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Set aside all the wonderful commentary about the concept, plot, and script. Let's get down to it: 1. This was Howard Hawks' almost-penultimate film. His hand can be seen in places, most notably in the scene in the Piano Museum. But what about the rest? 2. Take the scene where Roger tries to learn to fish. I've never seen such poor physical comedy (from a skilled actor), and the film stage set looks like it was rented from Gilligan's Island. 3. "Man's favorite sport is girls," the theme song tells us. The "girls" are studio starlets, some of them ("Tex" in particular) of marginal acting competence. 4. My father likes this movie because he himself is a fisherman named Roger. I can barely stand it, especially because I find Paula Prentiss incredibly annoying. I'd sooner watch Pillow Talk or anything directed by Charles Walters. I won't speculate on why/how Hawks, who would go on to make El Dorado, would do such an abominable movie.

Yes, there are a lot of laughs here as so-called fishing expert,Roger Willoughby, played with finesse by Rock Hudson, in his usual style, gets into all sorts of predicaments. The expert is drawn into a fishing contest at a resort owned by Paula Prentiss's father. From his first encounter with Prentiss over a parking space, she puts him into a series of situations that while humorous have predictable outcomes.Hudson shows humility at the end by confessing that he has never fished.John MacGyver, as his boss, is mainly funny, not so much because of his usual speech pattern, but rather because of the wig that he has on is always out of place.You know what the ending is going to be before half way through the film.

I have to admit I had a serious crush on Paula Prentiss during her days as a big star. Gloriously beautiful, sexy, with that great Texas accent Ms. Prentiss was a great sexy comedienne and this is likely her greatest role in Howard Hawks Man's Favorite Sport. Initially to be filmed at Paramount with Prentiss and Cary Grant, Paramount per legend refused to cast Paula Prentiss, so Howard Hawks took the project to Universal and cast Rock Hudson and Ms. Prentiss. Man's Favorite Sport? has top notch Universal production values and both stars play off well against each other. Paula Prentiss in an interview years later said she was speechless when introduced to Mr. Hudson as she claimed he was even better looking in person than he was on screen, and that Hudson's personal appearance was so great it was almost beyond comprehension. Mr Hudson does well in this film. This is a fine wacky comedy directed by a Master Director Howard Hawks and features Ms. Prentiss' finest performance. Paula Prentiss got and deserved equal star billing over the title with box office champ Rock Hudson. I for one am glad that Howard Hawks stood his ground and insisted on Mr. Prentiss who was loaned to Hawks and Universal Prentiss' from home studio MGMViva Paula Prentiss

In one of the funniest screwball comedies of the pre-World War II studio era, William Powell has a celebrated experience with a fish while he pretended to be a fishing expert. It was the highlight of Libeled Lady and I'm sure Howard Hawks thought that we could get a whole comedy out of that situation. In Man's Favorite Sport he succeeds admirably. If the film had been done 20 years earlier, Cary Grant would definitely have been in the lead. The part of Roger Willoughby, who wrote a book on fishing based on hearsay from the various customers he's dealt with at Abercrombie&Fitch, would have been ideal for Cary Grant as it has just the kind of physical comedy that Grant was so adept at.However Rock Hudson steps into the role admirably and for once he's the pursued and not the pursuer. Pursuing Hudson every step of the way is the kookie Paula Prentiss who seemed to study at the Carol Burnett school of zaniness for this part. On a bit of advice from public relations expert Prentiss, Hudson's boss at Abercrombie&Fitch, John McGiver, has him enter a fishing tournament. When Hudson confesses he's never fished and hates the slimy things, Prentiss decides to help fake it through.There are a lot of really great laughs in this film, but the best scene is Hudson trying out this inflatable suit for those who are fishing and fall in the water. He does and the results are hilarious.Don't miss this film if it is ever broadcast.