Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

one of my absolute favorites!

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

Frank Tashlin's last movie (he died in 1972) is certainly not one of his best. In fact, it could justly be described as a somewhat disappointing effort. None the less, it is not as bad, in my opinion, as some people rate it. Of course, ratings all depend on the viewer's expectations. If you've paid out good money and your expectations are high, you would be inclined to give the film the lowest marks possible. But if you're a professional reviewer, you don't pay out any money and you have only a few expectations. You avoid reading what's published in the New York and Los Angeles press, and you prejudge the movie from what you have seen of the artists' previous work. On this basis, this "Private Navy..." is a good Bob Hope comedy. Not superlative, not wonderful. not a scream... but not the pits either! Admittedly, it has a lot going wrong for it. Although writer Tashlin's gags are fair enough, director Tashlin's sloppy approach with his pointless use of close- ups is to be deplored. And his direction of the players is also none too hot. Admittedly, Lolo comes across well. She's had to deal with more than a few bum directors in her time and she knows how to handle them. Mylene, on the other hand, should have threatened court action if her woefully directed footage was not removed. On yet another hand, there are some good cracks at the expense of Bing Crosby, who appears in an extract of his rendition of the title song of "Pennies from Heaven".

I have never expected a great deal from Bob Hope's comedies and know perfectly well that his films were meant to amuse their audiences in a lighthearted, unpretentious way. Hope was always the same as an actor but even his sameness was somewhat brilliant and I tend to like him. I remember having had lots of fun seeing THE PALEFACE, Paris HOLIDAY, BACHELOR IN PARADISE and other of his films. THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SGT. O'FARRELL is just an average effort. Frank Tashlin was an excellent director but this is not one of his major comedies. The plot could have resulted in a more substantial screenplay, in better devised and more entertaining comic scenes. The film has an obvious 60's look and no effort was made to give it a more authentic 40's atmosphere. Hope and Diller are their usual selves, and occasionally make one laugh. Gina Lollobrigida is as beautiful as ever but has very little to do. As usual, she is merely seen as a decorative presence. She could be so much more, as we know from films such as COME September, HOTEL PARADISO and BUONA SERA, MRS. CAMPBELL. Mylène Demongeot does a sort of cameo. It would have been to the film's advantage to give her more screen time.

I own this movie and I really did not think that it would be all that great. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's GREAT and Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller work great together. I highly recommend it. I love the two of them together. I have to say that I consider Bob Hope to be in the top 10 of funniest comedians.

Really funny plot drives this silly film regarding the boredom faced by soldiers in the Pacific during WWII. After the Japanese torpedo Hope's beer supply, he takes matters into his own hands to improve morale.His effort to bring women on the island, only gets him male nurses and Phylis Diller. Although the plot drags a bit, and Hope's pranks seem dated, this is still a good flick with lots of harmless laughs. However, if you are politically correct, you will probably be offended.