PodBill Just what I expected

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

classicsoncall The ever self-effacing Bob Hope gets to rub noses with a baby elephant in this film, and it's a toss up who's the winner. The movie itself, probably depending on your mood and the time of day, is either another fun romp or just a plain dud. In a story line that's strung together with little rhyme or reason, Hope's character Matt Merriwether finds himself on an important government mission to retrieve a space capsule carrying moon samples deep in the heart of Africa. Or wherever the Ekele country of Makuta is.The film plods along rather non-sensically until all of a sudden Hope finds himself on a golf course with Arnold Palmer! They trade a few swings and one liners until it's time to move on, leaving one to wonder what might have just happened. What could have been a 'Road' movie is given some poignancy when Hope remarks about the questionable golf clubs he finds himself using - "Fellow by the name of Crosby left those here"."Call Me Bwana" will never be accused of being a great movie, or even one of Bob Hope's better films. But if you enjoy his brand of comedy you have your share of witty zingers and name dropping references to folks like Crosby and Sinatra along the way. Having Anita Ekberg and Edie Adams on hand make it just a bit easier to handle, even while the moon probe Merriwether's after seems to change size, shape and color throughout the picture.

vincentlynch-moonoi To me, "Call Me Bwana" was the beginning of the serious slide in Bob Hope's film career, with the nadir being "Boy Did I Get A Wrong Number". Seeing these films, it's easy to forget that back in the 1940s and 1950s, Bob Hope put out some pretty decent films that were genuinely funny. Of course, we all think of the Road pictures with Bing, but there were plenty of other Hope treats over the years. So what happened? I think 2 things. First, Bob's best type of role was when he played a bit of a sap who rarely got the girl. It just worked. But as we moved into the 1960s, Hope seemed to get the idea -- perhaps part of a middle age itch -- that in films he ought to be more of an adult lover (in this film with Anita Eckberg). Well, I'm not saying it didn't work, but it didn't work well. The second issue was that Bob stopped acting and began delivering much of his dialog as he did one-liners.Beyond those problems, this film looks like a "throw-away". Let's produce a cheap film and rely simply on the names Bob Hope and Anita Eckberg. Let's not film a film about Africa in Africa, let's just do it with cheap sets on a film stage in England. If 20th Century Fox could make a film about Africa in 1939 that actually looked like it took place in Africa ("Stanley And Livingstone" with Spencer Tracy), couldn't United Artists do a little better with a film in the more modern era two and a half decades later? You can't say it was because Spencer Tracy was a bigger star, because in the world of comedy, few were bigger than Bob Hope. Yes, there was some stock footage that looked like Africa, but any of the scenes with the main actors were clearly on cheap sets. Audiences expect more.Hope was 60 years old when this picture was made. Maybe it was time to settle down and concentrate on television. Because, quite frankly, this film just isn't very funny.You've actually got a fairly decent cast here. Who was bigger than Hope? Eckerg was hot (!) in more ways than one. Edie Adams was quite talented (although probably more suited to television). And throw in an extended cameo by Arnold Palmer (maybe the most interesting part of the picture), and you've got possibilities...that were, unfortunately squandered. The "chase" scene is just plain dumb and looks so fake it's pathetic.All I can tell you is this. Every year or so I pull down the DVDs of the old Road pictures and savor them once again. I was pleased to be able to see this film 55 years after it was made, but only because was on cable, and I'll buy a DVD of it to pull off the shelf. Just not worth any investment of cash...unless you're a die hard Bob Hope fan. But, at least it's better than "Boy Did I Get A Wrong Number"!

stormhappy106 One of Bob Hope's best--When he must become a member of the Tribe, it'll remind you a little bit of JOE VS THE VOLCANO--The chief was hilarious here, and Anita Ekberg, with the killer body and too much makeup, is a joy to watch also--Although its obvious that this was not actually filmed in Africa, it still has some stock footage of some African scenery.Unlike Bob's EIGHT ON THE LAM(a disaster), this film is fun and funny--A bit slow in parts, but if you're a Bob Hope fan, you'll like it.Another funny film of his is BOY DID I GET A WRONG NUMBER(1966) with Phyllis Diller, and THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SARGENT O'FARRELL

JasparLamarCrabb Wow...it's bad. A witless comedy that has Bob Hope, as a phony great white hunter, roped into finding a downed US space capsule in Africa. He's joined by smart spy Edie Adams and smart Russian spy Anita Ekberg. Hope has chemistry with neither lady. He bounces unfunny one-liner after unfunny one-liner off them (Ekberg appears to not be getting any of it) to no avail. A dismal comedy even among the very dismal comedies Hope made in the 1960s. Directed, unimaginatively, by Gordon Douglas and featuring a lot of rear screen projection and, for some inexplicable reason, a golf game between Hope and the young Arnold Palmer! The jerky editing, fast motion and goofy sound effects are for naught. Unfunny in-jokes (directed at Bing Crosby, JFK, Sinatra, etc) abound in this awful movie.