Never Say Die (1939)

• Year: 1939
• Released: 14 Apr 1939
• Country: United States
• Adwords: N/A
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031716/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/never_say_die
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Approved
• Genre: Comedy, Musical, Romance
• Runtime: 82 min
• Writer: Don Hartman, Frank Butler, Preston Sturges
• Director: Elliott Nugent
• Cast: Martha Raye, Bob Hope, Andy Devine
• Keywords: widow, heiress,

6.8/10

Never Say Die Storyline

Bob Hope is being stalked by a predatory widow who is a widow of wealthy husbands many times over. Martha Raye is a Texan heiress who wants to marry her boyfriend Andy Devine, but her father is determined that she marry into royalty. To solve both their problems, Martha Raye and Bob Hope decide to marry, but will they ever find love together?—laird-3

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Never Say Die Movie Reviews

Early Hope picture has charm.

This early Bob Hope feature is very funny, and quite charming in its own particular way to boot. Of Hope’s more frequent leading ladies in film, I have always found his teamings with Martha Raye to be the most satisfying, possibly because Bob and she seem to feed off each other in a way his other regulars (Paulette Goddard/Lucy/Dottie) didn’t. Perhaps it has something to do with their vaudeville background. Anyway, both Bob, and particularly Martha, are far more subdued in their roles here than usual, and Never Say Die benefits enormously as a result. (Perhaps in the case of Hope this is due to the fact that this film comes so early in his screen career, before his on-screen persona of the egocentric and cowardly would-be ladies man was so firmly established). Their characters of John Kidley and Mickey Hawkins here somehow have a human dimension which is usually lacking in the usual Hope or Raye portrayal (no matter how enjoyable), and the warmth of the romantic scenes between the two in this picture is something which in my opinion is unique, never repeated by either of them in any of their other film work again.

There are other aspects of Never Say Die which have always made it one of my favourite Hope pictures…Gale Sondergard as a man hungry widow, Monty Woolley in a small role as an ambitious medico, Andy Devine as Martha’s intended, and especially Sig Rumann as Poppa Ingleborg in some hilarious scenes at the hotel. Also Preston Sturges involvement in the script does show. And has already been noted elsewhere, fans of Danny Kaye may be interested in viewing this picture if only to see an earlier (and one must admit less successful) incarnation of the “flagon with the dragon” routine from The Court Jester.

Entire cast hilarious in wild comedy

Wealthy hypochondriac Bob Hope is visiting a European spa called Bad Gaswasser, taking the waters and hiding out from gold digging widow Gale Sondergaard. Meanwhile, Martha Raye has been dragged to the same locale by her nouveau riche Texan dad, who wants her to marry prince Alan Mowbray, who is broke and seeks a large dowry. Martha, however, has her heart set on hometown pal Andy Devine, who also shows up….

The script and the cast are very funny in this fast-paced comedy that barely slows down for a couple of really sweet moments between Hope and Raye (who are both excellent). Among the best moments are an opening sequence showing a scientist in a water processing lab mixing and testing the “natural hot mineral springs” water that Bad Gaswasser promotes; poor Sig Ruman as the hotel manager who can’t quite figure out what’s going on with guests Hope, Raye and Devine; and Raye, blindfolded, mistaking a friendly bear for Andy Devine (“Why, Henry, how dare you take your shirt off!”).

Monty Woolley is hilarious in a bit as a doctor who mistakenly receives a dog’s test results instead of Hope’s and thinks he’s discovered a rare case that will make him famous: “With your acidity,” he exclaims, “you can digest bones!” Sondergaard is also wildly funny as the former Olympic sharpshooting champion whose husbands tend to die suddenly.

In fact, with this cast of crazies, it’s fair (if odd) to say that Hope and Raye essentially play the straight roles in the picture—although both, of course, get in their share of funny moments, too.

It’s extremely light and it goes by very fast. Good fun.

Why Didn’t Preston Sturges work again with Bob Hope?

Bob Hope at the point in time that Never Say Die was released was not the big name star he became, but he was definitely getting there. Please note that Martha Raye is billed above him in the credits.

Preston Sturges, year away from getting his first film as a director as well as writer, wrote a pretty funny and witty script, not an easy thing to accomplish both.

Bob Hope temporarily escapes the clutches of a predatory widow played by Gale Sondergaard who has him picked out to be her latest rich husband who have a knack of dying. In fact it’s a mixed up diagnosis with a dog that makes Hope think he is dying.

Enter Martha Raye who’s a nouveau riche daughter of a nouveau riche Paul Harvey who’s a new Texas millionaire. He wants her to marry Alan Mowbray who’s one no-account count. His daughter with a title will get him into society. She wants to marry her boyfriend Andy Devine back in Texas.

When Hope and Raye meet up they decide to marry each other and solve all their problems. I can’t mention the rest but take it on faith that the players here perform to the stereotypes we have of them.

Even with Hope and Raye in the cast, my favorite moment is with Gale Sondergaard trying to vamp Andy Devine. Among other things Gale is the Olympic pistol target shooting champion. Poor Andy doesn’t have a prayer in every sense of the word.

In two years, both Preston Sturges and Bob Hope were at the top of the Paramount pecking order. It begs the question why they never worked together at that period. Was it that they couldn’t find a mutually agreeable project or was it a question of a couple of egos clashing. Hope and Sturges did in fact work together, but it was Hope’s film Paris Holiday where Sturges had a brief acting role. Sturges was living in Paris at the time and living what could be described as genteel poverty. Anyway I think it’s a real loss that Never Say Die and Paris Holiday are their only joint credits.