''Off Limits'' is a 1953 comedy film directed by

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...

and starring

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

and

Marilyn Maxwell Marvel Marilyn Maxwell (August 3, 1921 – March 20, 1972) was an American actress and entertainer. In a career that spanned the 1940s and 1950s, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War ...

. Hope plays a manager who enlists in the army to keep an eye on his boxer, who has been drafted. The picture was written by

Hal Kanter Hal Kanter (December 18, 1918 – November 6, 2011) was a writer, producer and director, principally for comedy actors such as Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and Elvis Presley (in '' Loving You'' and ''Blue Hawaii''), for both feature films and televis ...

and

Jack Sher John Jacob Sher (16 March 1913 – 23 August 1988) was an American newspaper columnist, songwriter, film director, film writer, and producer. Career Born in Minneapolis, Sher wrote for several magazines, including the ''Saturday Evening Post,'' ...

, and was released in the UK as ''Military Policemen'', as the characters played by Hope and Rooney join the

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

Plot

Wally Hogan (Hope) has things going his way. He is the manager-trainer of Bullet Bradley (Stanley Clements), a fighter who has just won the lightweight championship. Life suddenly takes a not-so-happy turn, however, when Bullet gets drafted. Hogan's gangster partners persuade him to enlist and keep an eye on the fighter, who is subsequently declared psychologically unfit for the Army. Enter Herbert Tuttle (Mickey Rooney), a draftee eager to have Hogan turn him into a fighter. Hogan reluctantly agrees only after he discovers Tuttle's aunt is the beautiful singer (Marilyn Maxwell) at a nightclub. From then on it is a case of stringing Tuttle along while trying to get close to his aunt. To further complicate Hogan's life there is a military policeman who tries to squash the shenanigans.

Cast

as Wally Hogan *

as Herbert Tuttle *

as Connie Curtis *

Eddie Mayehoff Edward Mier Mayehoff (July 7, 1909 – November 12, 1992) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Harold Lampson, the henpecked husband and incompetent lawyer in ''How to Murder Your Wife'' (1965). Mayehoff could also be s ...

as Karl Danzig *

Stanley Clements Stanley Clements (born Stanislaw Klimowicz; July 16, 1926 – October 16, 1981) was an American actor and comedian, best known for portraying "Stash" in the East Side Kids film series, and group leader Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie in The Bowery ...

as Bullets Bradley *

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

as himself *

Marvin Miller Marvin Julian Miller (April 14, 1917 – November 27, 2012) was an American baseball executive who served as the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 to 1982. Under Miller's direction, the players ...

as Vic Breck *

John Ridgely John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea, September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits. Early years Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: T ...

as Lieutenant Commander Parnell *

Tom Harmon Thomas Dudley Harmon (September 28, 1919 – March 15, 1990), known as Tom Harmon, as well as by the nickname "Old 98", was an American football player, military pilot, actor, and sports broadcaster. Harmon grew up in Gary, Indiana, and playe ...

as himself *

Norman Leavitt Norman Turner Leavitt (December 1, 1913 – December 11, 2005) was an American film and television actor. Life and career Leavitt was born in Lansing, Michigan. He began his stage career in 1935, appearing as a wedding guest in the Broadway ...

as Chowhound *

Art Aragon Arthur Benjamin Aragon (November 13, 1927 – March 25, 2008 ) was an American boxer in the lightweight class from New Mexico. Early and later life Aragon was a native of Belen, New Mexico, but grew up in East Los Angeles. His family was of M ...

as himself *

Kim Spalding Kim Spalding (born Ross F. Latimer; December 7, 1915 – November 18, 2000) was an American film, television and theatre actor. Life and career Spalding was born in Washington, Missouri, the son of Ross Latimer. He began his film career in ...

as Seaman Harker *Jerry Hausner as Fishy *Mike Mahoney as MP Huggins * Joan Taylor as Helen * Carolyn Jones as Deborah (uncredited) *

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...

as Russell (uncredited)

Production

* During the final bar scene,

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

, Bob Hope's frequent co-star, is seen briefly, singing on the bar's television set. *

Alan Young Alan Young (born Angus Young; November 19, 1919 – May 19, 2016) was a British, Canadian and American actor, comedian, radio host and television host, whom ''TV Guide'' called "the Charlie Chaplin of television". His notable roles includ ...

was to co-star with Hope in the picture. * In addition to retired champion boxer

, the film features

, a popular Southern California boxer. * Orchestra leader and vocalist Nuzzy Marcellino dubbed "wolf-whistles" for the picture, according to Paramount press information, included in the file on the film at the AMPAS Library. * Publicity also notes that the Provost Marshal General's office in Washington, D.C. gave Mickey Rooney special permission to depict an MP, even though the minimum height requirement was 5'7" and Rooney was only 5'3". * Hope and Marilyn Maxwell had an affair spanning years that led insiders to refer to her as "Mrs. Bob Hope." * Rooney wore his World War II uniform in the film, according to publicity.

References

External links

* * 1953 films 1950s sports comedy films American boxing films American comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by George Marshall Military humor in film Paramount Pictures films Films with screenplays by Jack Sher 1953 comedy films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{1950s-comedy-film-stub