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My
Favorite Blonde
Genre:
Comedy
Released: 1942
Directed by: Sidney
Lanfield
Starring: Bob
Hope, Madeleine Carroll, George Zucco
Alfalfa portrays: Frederick,
a boy with a strange habit...
Alfalfa's screen time: 1:08
Lines of dialogue spoken by Alfalfa:
1
"My Favorite Blonde" and
images © MCA Universal Home Video
Alfalfa
gets ready to spit a bee-bee at Bob Hope.
Bob Hope stars
opposite Madeleine Carroll in this comedy which sees Hope get mixed
up trying to outwit some German spies with the help of his trained
penguin, Percy.
Near the end of the film, Hope is posing
as a sort of child psychologist who dispenses advice to a filled
auditorium. After giving predictably Hopeian "advice"
to some of the people who get up to ask him questions about child-rearing,
a well-dressed woman walks up on the stage with her son Frederick
(Alfalfa).
 
A
decidedly unenthusiastic Frederick (Alfalfa) is brought
onstage by his mother for a consultation with "Dr. Higbee".
Click both images to enlarge.
Hope: Ah, madame...when did that happen? [referring to Alfalfa]
Woman: Doctor Higbee, I hope you don't mind, but I took the
liberty of bringing my little boy for an examination. I'm so troubled
about him. He's developed a very peculiar and unpleasant habit.
Hope: Ah yes, breathing, no doubt.
Woman [to Alfalfa]: Go ahead, Frederick—don't
be afraid of the good doctor.
Alfalfa [snidely]:
The good doctor stinks!
Hope: You're not exactly Chanel No. 5 yourself, son...now
open your mouth and say "ahh".
Hope
examines Alfalfa...
Alfalfa does as he's told. Hope takes his
eyeglasses and holds them close to Alfalfa's open mouth so he can
get a better look at the boy's throat and exclaims, "Marvelous
thing, the human stomach!"
Hope then "accidentally" drops his glasses into Alfalfa's
mouth, causing him to gag slightly. But Alfalfa will exact his revenge:
He begins spitting bee-bees directly at a stunned Hope's face. The
embarrassed mother explains that her son does this all the time,
even to the deacon. Hope asks the mother if perhaps she found Alfalfa
at the Army/Navy store.
...and
warns him to cut out the spitting. To no avail.
After about four or five well-aimed bee-bees,
Hope's trained penguin interrupts the scene.
Alfalfa is very good in this sequence opposite one of Hollywood's
most well-known comedy performers. Arriving on stage with his Ladies'
Auxiliary-ish mother, he slouches disinterestedly until he pops
the bee-bees in his mouth and goes to work. As he continues making
direct hits off Hope's forehead and face, it seems almost as if
Alfalfa has to keep from cracking up during the scene—he's
obviously having a good time.
This film is jammed with appearances by many comedy veterans of
the era, as well as by Hope's buddy Bing Crosby—one of three
non-Rascals Alfalfa films in which Crosby appears ("Going
My Way" and "Dixie"
are the other two).
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