Louisiana Purchase (1941)

A bumbling senator investigating graft in Louisiana is the target of a scheme involving a Viennese beauty.

Director:

Irving Cummings

Writers:

Buddy G. DeSylva (short story) (as B.G. DeSylva), Morrie Ryskind (play)

Stars:

Bob Hope, Vera Zorina, Victor Moore

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bob Hope	...	Jim Taylor
Vera Zorina	...	Marina Von Minden
Victor Moore	...	Sen. Oliver P. Loganberry
Irène Bordoni	...	Madame Yvonne Bordelaise
Dona Drake	...	Beatrice
Raymond Walburn	...	Col. Davis Sr. aka Polar Bear
Maxie Rosenbloom	...	The Shadow aka Wilson
Phyllis Ruth	...	Emmy Lou
Frank Albertson	...	Robert Davis, Jr.
Donald MacBride	...	Capt. Pierre Whitfield
Andrew Tombes	...	Dean Albert Manning
Robert Warwick	...	Speaker of the House
Charles La Torre	...	Gaston, Waiter
Charles Laskey	...	Danseur
Emory Parnell	...	Sam Horowitz, Lawyer

Storyline

Graft is rampant in the government of a "mythical" Louisiana, and the arrival of U.S. Senate investigator Loganberry brings panic. The chief miscreants shift the blame on to their innocent tool, Jim Taylor, who to save himself must "compromise" the simon-pure Senator Loganberry. As his instrument, Jim selects Marina Von Minden, beautiful Viennese refugee. But matters become complicated when Jim falls for Marina... and she takes a liking for the Senator.

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Plot Keywords:

frame up | senator | louisiana | graft | scheme | 

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Taglines:

IT MADE GAY BROADWAY GAYER! (original print ad-all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

31 December 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Huijari huiputtaa

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Irène Bordoni and Vera Zorina both repeated their roles from the original Broadway stage version.

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Quotes

Sam: [looking at Marina] Boy, if she were black, she'd be beautiful!

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Connections

Version of Musical Comedy Time: Louisiana Purchase (1951)

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Soundtracks

YOU CAN'T BRUSH ME OFF
Written by Irving Berlin
Sung in original play; used instrumentally in film

User Reviews

Truly Terrible

Recently, I was reading one of Internet columnist Jeffrey Well's articles and he wondered what the appeal of Bing Crosby was and that he doesn't translate beyond his era. One can say the same of his partner in crime from that era, Bob Hope. Truly, what was the appeal of this fella? Most of his pictures are terrible, including the Road Movies. The ones I can stomach are the Paleface pictures. All Bob Hope ever did was deliver puns and innuendos laced as wisecracks rather than real comedy - punchlines with no punch. He was a spoofish of current pop culture which he uses so frequently that a lot of the wisecracks fly over your head once you are out of the era, no let's the year, not even that three months ago pop culture events. This movie is one of his further nonsense. As the trailer spieled, this an adaptation of a Broadway smash that has been running for two years but as soon as you see the movie, you know it has been warped beyond belief for the screen because nothing this flimsy could have run on broadway for two years lest two weeks. And you just can feel there is a lot of political humor that has been cut out, the Victor Moore character keeps referencing democrats and republicans in oblique terms that do not advance the movie and thus are not funny because the terra firma has been eviscerated. The plot - Hope is a state rep in the house who is set up as the fall man for a bunch of corrupt school board officers. Moore is the good to his bones senator sent to investigate the irregularities. Somebody'd going to jail and it ain't going to be Hope so he tries to blackmail the senator by photographing him in an uncompromising situation, to say. The girl for the task the Hungarian immigrant played by Zorina. That's that. There is a Mardi Gras scene that is an embarassment to all involved in the production, us as an audience and others who have not seen this movie. Musical numbers are lovely but numb. Why does this movie have musical numbers? No reason except a Hope picture must have some and Hope is in none of them. By the time he is doing a filibuster a la Jimmy Stewart in Mr Smith goes to Washington, you the viewer will be ready to kill him. What a shame!