A misdiagnosis of only a month to live sends millionaire hypochondriac Bob Hope (The Ghost Breakers) into the arms of Martha Raye (Hellzapoppin’) and on a madcap matrimonial romp through a Swiss spa in this side-splitting screwball comedy. A deadly widow (Gale Sondergaard, The Spider Woman Strikes Back) tries to trap bean king Mr. Kidley (Hope) into a hasty wedding, but Kidley runs to the altar with oil heiress Mickey (Raye), who is dodging an arranged marriage to a pompous prince. Now the jilted ex-fiancés are chasing the newlyweds in one hilarious honeymoon that includes Mickey’s beau from back home (Andy Devine, Canyon Passage), a daring duel at dawn and non-stop comic mayhem from frequent Hope helmer Elliott Nugent (The Cat and the Canary, My Favorite Brunette) and the great screenwriters Don Hartman (Road to Singapore), Frank Butler (Road to Morocco) and Preston Sturges (The Great McGinty).

For thoughts on Never Say Die (1939), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/ryBLRvEkLeE?t=1454]

Video Quality

Never Say Die makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p transfer from a 2K scan of the 35mm Fine Grain which holds up quite nicely. This film is over 80 years old, but this presentation proves its worth despite a few hiccups remaining after the remastering process. The fetching black-and-white photography shot by Leo Tover shines in high definition with natural grain intact and resolved well. Black levels are pretty decent with no major occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined with only momentary instances of flicker and density fluctuation in the print.

The new transfer exhibits a lovely amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. The exteriors feel vast despite understanding that the cast was not actually shooting on location. There is a great amount of detail present with textures on the clothing and within the environment. Occasional stray lines and minor specks of damage remain, but most fans will be pleased with how much this has been cleaned up. Kino Classics has provided a swell presentation for this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a nice DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie well considering the age of the material. Dialogue and background elements are balanced with all competing elements that make this world feel alive. Even during the more hectic moments, the dialogue is able to be heard quite easily. The track can sound the slightest bit thin when it comes to the music, which likely can be attributed to the vintage of the source elements. The music does not overshadow the dialogue or other important information. Viewers will observe a minor amount of age related wear and tear and some faint hissing, but it is not a major issue throughout. Kino Classics has matched up the audio with the quality of the video. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historians Paul Anthony Nelson and Lee Zachariah deliver a really entertaining commentary track in which they talk about this film as an adaptation, where this fits in the career of Bob Hope, the background of the ensemble players, the music in the picture, the connection to Disney and many other topics. This is a lively and well-researched track that is worth checking out.

Trailers: There is a minute-long trailer provided for Never Say Die. This disc also provides trailers for Thanks For The Memory, The Cat and The Canary, Road To Singapore, The Ghost Breakers, Road To Zanzibar, Caught In The Drift, Nothing But The Truth, My Favorite Blonde, Road To Morocco, Road To Utopia, Where There’s Life, The Paleface, Sorrowful Jones, Fancy Pants, Alias Jesse James and a KLSC Bob Hope Promo.

Final Thoughts

Never Say Die is a very early effort from the prolific Bob Hope, and it stands as one of the best that we have seen so far. Hope is not leaning heavily into a more sleazy archetype he would fulfill later in his output, and he is complemented by a scene partner with a vivacious personality in Martha Raye. There is madcap fun and clever jokes throughout, and the movie moves at a really welcome pace that leaves little room for boredom to occur. This is a great zany throwback comedy. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a very nice A/V presentation and an informative commentary track. If you are a fan of the performers, be sure to seek this one out. Recommended

Never Say Die is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.