The Princess and the Pirate

**The Princess and the Pirate** is a 1944 feature film from RKO Radio Pictures starring Bob Hope and Virginia Mayo.

## Summary

A pirate captain known as the Hook buries his treasure on an island and kills the mapmaker so no one can find it. He and his cutthroat crew pursue the *Mary Ann*, a ship on which Princess Margaret is running away from her father, the King, so she can marry a commoner. The Hook plans to hold her for a large ransom. A cowardly actor, Sylvester the Great (Hope), is in the cabin next door to Margaret. The Hook's ship, *The Avenger* attacks the *Mary Ann* and after a big fight, the crew are killed or made to walk the plank by the pirates. Sylvester escapes by disguising himself as a gypsy woman and is taken on board *The Avenger* with Margaret.

The ship's aged tattooist, Featherhead, has taken a fancy to the gypsy. He guessed the gypsy was a man, and involves Sylvester in his plot to get the Hook's treasure for himself. He gives him the treasure map and helps Sylvester and Margaret escape in a boat and they are to pass the stolen map to Featherhead's cousin on the pirate island of Casarouge. The couple make it to the island which is extremely bloodthirsty. The couple check in at the Boar's Head Inn where they are to meet the cousin, who is not yet on the island, and do an act at the Bucket of Blood to get some money to pay for their stay.

Margaret is kidnapped and Sylvester goes to Governor La Roche to complain only to find out he was the kidnapper. La Roche has recognized Princess Margaret and plans on holding her for a million doubloon ransom. He stops Sylvester from leaving, planning to ransom him for a hundred thousand doubloons, sure that the King will want to hang him. Sylvester is well looked after and helps Margaret who is on a hunger strike. The Hook is in with La Roche and they threaten nasty things for the possessor of the map. Featherhead turns up under Sylvester's bed and knocks out Sylvester who wants to destroy the map to save his skin. Featherhead tattoos the map on the chest of the unconscious Sylvester and when he recovers, they both eat it.

After a meeting, the Hook guesses Sylvester is the gypsy who stole the map and returns to the Governor's house to kill him. The Governor sees the map on Sylvester's chest as the Hook arrives. The Hook chases him but is stopped from killing Sylvester by Featherhead who shoots him. As he has not returned, Pedro, the Hook's second-in-command, leads a raid on the Governor's house to rescue the Hook and after a big fight, inadvertently rescues Sylvester who has disguised himself as the Hook, along with Margaret.

Back on *The Avenger*, Sylvester as the Hook starts giving orders, not knowing that the real Hook has just been grazed by the bullet and is now also on the ship. Contradictory orders flow from the two different Hooks at different times, until Sylvester is unmasked. In chains and ready to kill themselves, *The Avenger* is attacked and they believe it is La Roche. It however turns out to be the King's ship and both are released. La Roche has been captured and has revealed all. The King says he is not going to stand in Margaret's way if she wants to marry a commoner and she rushes forward. Sylvester is shocked as she passes him and into the arms of another man, Bing Crosby, who is playing a sailor. Indignantly, Sylvester says, "That is the last picture I do for Goldwyn" (which it was).

## Cast

* Bob Hope as Sylvester Crosby
* Virginia Mayo as Margaret Warbrook (singing voice dubbed by Louanne Hogan)
* Walter Brennan as Featherhead
* Walter Slezak as La Roche
* Victor McLaglen as Captain Barrett aka The Hook
* Marc Lawrence as Pedro
* Hugo Haas as Proprietor (Bucket of Blood)
* Maude Eburne as Landlady
* Adia Kuznetzoff as Don José
* Brandon Hurst as Mr Pelly
* Tom Kennedy as Alonzo
* Stanley Andrews as Captain of *Mary Ann*
* Robert Warwick as The King
* Bing Crosby as Commoner on the King's ship
* Lupe Mayorga as Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)