They Got Me Covered - Region 1 DVD

Dorothy Lamour--Hope and Bing Crosby's glamorous love interest in seven Road pictures--appears here sans sarong, playing an intrepid Lois Lane type. But Hope doesn't have to fight Crosby for her affections; "Der Bingle" makes only one brief vocal appearance, via a music box. Subtlety is not this movie's strong suit, and goofy gags abound from the start, with Hope skulking through a Russian hotel disguised as a Cossack to escape creditors. The Axis characters--Germans, Italians, and Japanese--are stereotypical villains all. An uncanny Mussolini look-alike has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in an airplane scene, and acclaimed director Otto Preminger proves he's a good sport with his portrayal of a wicked Nazi ringleader. It's all a fun romp, and an interesting look back at the kind of propaganda Hollywood once churned out to help keep the world safe for democracy. --Laura Mirsky