The early '70s have come to be regarded as a golden age of experimentation and risk-taking in Hollywood. But the era still found Bob Hope stuck somewhere in the utopian affability of the Eisenhower years, despite the plethora of timely references to Martha Mitchell, Raquel Welch, Dick Cavett, and Rona Barrett that dot his last starring vehicle, 1972's Cancel My Reservation. Cast against type as a quip-slinging, self-deprecating comedian and television personality, Hope begins the film mired in a profound crisis that causes him to communicate solely via caustic one-liners. Driven to desperation by wife Eva Marie Saint's insistence on co-hosting his show, Hope heads out to a cabin in Arizona for a brief vacation. His sojourn hits a snag, however, when a busty Native American clad in a traditional, ceremonial miniskirt turns up dead, first in his cabin and later in his car. Caught in a series of comically compromising positions, first with the body and later with foxy rich girl Anne Archer, Hope is charged with murder, but he's smart enough to avoid any unnecessary foolishness, like, say, consulting a lawyer or exercising his legal rights. Concerned about her husband's welfare, Saint flies to Arizona, and when Hope is released from jail, the two decide to solve the murder themselves. They receive help from Chief Dan George, a cryptic, 110-year-old clairvoyant prone to such profound, mystical proclamations as, "Wow, that chick is out of sight!" But the couple's amateur sleuthing soon catches the eye of corrupt, wheelchair-bound town boss Ralph Bellamy, whose henchmen, when looking for a patsy to take the fall for their crimes, wisely ignore the town's large community of impoverished, desperate Native Americans and instead set their sights on a wealthy, beloved celebrity. Hope is framed for a second murder, but Saint springs him from jail, and together they uncover the truth about the crimes, clear Hope's name, patch up their marriage, and strike a blow for unjustly persecuted geriatric funnymen the world over.
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