Truly horrific. This is NOT an adaptation of the 1933 musical ROBERTA but instead a typical Bob Hope TV special produced by the comedian himself. Granted some of the classic songs are there and there is a SLIGHT similarity to Otto Harbach's book but once again I stress the word slight. At one point midway we leave the show entirely so Hope can do one of his typical stand up comedy routines with topical jokes from 1969. It's a bizarre show with no redeeming qualities. It's not even campy. I've been a longtime fan of Janis Paige but her musical numbers are appalling. Her costumes are more suited to LAUGH IN and her voice doesn't sit well in the vocal arrangements given her. Then there's Michele Lee's HEAVY belt on such quiet numbers as "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." Funny thing is the show starts off like a vintage musical from bygone days and then morphs into a really bad cheesy musical variety special common in the sixties. I guess TV audiences back then were easily entertained. Cross this off your viewing list at the Paley Center for Media. Not worth the time or effort.
Review of Roberta
