GamerTab That was an excellent one.

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Matho 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.

a.lampert Catching up with two or three Bob Hope movies recently on TV, this, the 3rd in a month, didn't really excite me, even as a prospect before I started watching it. Let me make it clear, for me, Bob Hope was the most charismatic comedy actor ever, but the subject matter of 'The Iron Petticoat' just sounded dull. Katharine Hepburn plays a Russian pilot who has an ex lover (Robert Helpmann) who she meets up with in West Germany at an American air base. It's a bit unclear why she flies there but anyway, after landing she is persuaded by Capt Chuck Lockwood (Bob Hope) to pursue Western values and the pair eventually fall in love after a series of mishaps. That's about it as a story but Hepburn is just irritating as the Russian pilot. I'm normally something of a fan of Kate but in this movie she has such a terrible, harsh, mock Russian accent it just grated on me, rather destroying any chemistry between the two stars and is the worst performance I've seen her give. Hope on the other hand saves the movie with his non stop quips which always keeps me glued to his presence. Apparently Hope's production company was involved which allowed him to alter Ben Hechts' original script as he wasn't satisfied with it and Hecht and Hope fell out over it. The Cold War is a rather unfunny premise for a comedy which is why it didn't really appeal to me but if you love just watching Bob Hope, then it's worth a watch. Supporting actors don't really add anything as they are rather dull and giving their worst performances and the list included great character actors like James Robertson Justice, Sid James and Richard Wattis who normally bring a boost to their pictures, but alas, not here. Apparently the picture has only recently become available on TV as Hope prevented it in his lifetime so you may find it interesting as a curiosity. Only five stars and they're for Hope and his gags and timing.

cinemabon If you're looking for a title that shows off Katy Hepburn's talents, this should be at the bottom of the list. For MGM in the 1950's, it was easier and cheaper to rework an old script rather than write new material. Such was the case with this reworking of "Ninotchka" originally a vehicle for Greta Garbo. In this instance, Dore Schary, in trying to save money and put up a "big star" convinced Hepburn to take the part. To say her Russian accent is a cross between New England slang and bad British is to be kind. Hope was so dismayed over Ben Hecht's script, that he and producer Harry Saltzman conspired with outside writers to give Hope "ad libs" to punch up his part. This so infuriated Hecht that he went to Schary and demanded his name be taken off the project (which Schary did not allow). Slated to make its network premier this month on Turner Movie Classics I would encourage fans of Hepburn patience in watching this debacle between British director Ralph Thomas and two "prima-donna" stars who departed this film never speaking to one another again. An absolute turkey and not recommended except for the most die hard Hope fans who like his ab lib humor.

ianlouisiana You can't say that about many movies!"The Iron Petticoat" is a bizarre relic of the 1950s with a smug Bob Hope hogging the limelight and a grimly determined Katherine Hepburn fighting a rearguard action with a pantomime Russian accent and a very smart wardrobe. Mr Hope is the USAF officer to whom Miss Hepburn - a pilot in the Soviet air force overlooked for promotion - defects,and he is tasked with her "Americanisation".Cue lots of dated one - liners from him and conspicuous displays of cheekbone from her. The plot concerns the efforts of the Russians who understandably regard her as a traitor to take her back and the Americans who regard her as a propaganda coup to hang on to her. In later years of course they would have simply killed her with a poisoned umbrella,but the comparative naivety of the Russians as they try to kidnap Miss Hepburn gives us ample opportunity to relish the joys of the splendid British supporting cast,notably Mr J.R.Justice,chain - smoking,cold and calculating,and Mr Sid James with a preposterous wig and a vaguely "foreign" accent who turns out to be a wizard on the dance floor in contrast to Mr Bob Helpmann the great choreographer and dancer who,like John Travolta 40 years later in "Pulp Fiction" insists he is unable to dance at all. Miss Noelle Middleton remains rather aloof from it all as Mr Hope's betrothed. The movie is being given a run on "Film on Four" at the moment and is worth watching if only for the moment when Mr James,displaying nifty footwork,twirls Miss Hepburn towards certain death at "The Russian Bear" nightclub.Keep that back straight Sid,and the elbows just a little higher,please.

gaityr This movie is by no means one of the classics in any sense: it's entertaining, occasionally LOL-funny, but nothing spectacular. Bob Hope plays Chuck Norwood, an English captain eager to marry into the British upper class; Kate Hepburn plays Vinka Kovelenko, a tough-as-nails Russian flying ace who defects because she feels discriminated against in Communist Russia.What's odd, and possibly most positive, about this Cold War comedy (written and produced at the height of tensions between the US and the USSR) is that there is no moralising or preaching. No propaganda. In the end, it's simply a romantic comedy about opposites attracting.And such opposites! Hepburn is great as Vinka--her trademark energy barely reined in, her Russian accent a little OTT but passable. Watch for the moment when she sits on a cushion in front of Chuck--she gives her one unguarded smile in the film, and it becomes obvious why Chuck (and everyone else) falls in love with her so quickly. Hope was on fine wisecracking form, although this is marred by the fact that he tried to dominate the movie from behind the scenes, bringing in his own team of joke-writers to increase his own footage. (Hepburn kept quiet as her role shrank proportionately, the most comedic scenes apparently landing on the cutting room floor--ever the professional.)Bizarre, but interesting if you want to see Hepburn speaking in a Russian accent and examining a pushup bra with a look of utmost disdain on her face.