"From the green hills of Vermont to the verdant canyons of Arizona, people all over the country are beginning to realize it's nearly over. We have almost beaten COVID, and the best news of all? Things are finally getting back to normal. Infection rates are at an all-time low. New stronger vaccinations have ebbed the tide. And we humans are cleaning up the mess and finally getting on with our lives But as we start to get back to our jobs and schools, one question remains: What lingering effect will the pandemic have on our children?"

This has been a tough year for everyone. Productions all around the world have been uprooted because of the pandemic. I guess I thought there might have been one place on this planet that was safe. OK, I made that last part up. We always knew that South Park was going to have a field day with COVID. Let's be honest; the amount of material for the irreverent show is simply off the scales. There's nothing like a global catastrophe to bring out the sharp wit of Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The pandemic meant we saw the long-running animated series limited just like everyone else. So instead of a 10-episode run, the 24th season of South Park was made up of two double-length "Pandemic Specials", but just for whats and giggles, let's call it South Park The Complete 24th Season, and then there were two Post COVID specials, and that's what we have next, a look at it in Blu-ray.

I grew up hearing about Bob Hope and Lucille Ball. It was more about his television credits and hosting accomplishment. I’d say hosting the Academy Awards 19 times, which to my understanding is a record that still holds up to this day, is something to be proud of. Hell, his next closest competitor is Billy Crystal, who is still ten behind him. Then there is Lucille Ball, who is obviously most notable for her popular television series, I Love Lucy. I hear about these comedic icons all my life and now through Fancy Pants, the second of four films that these two collaborated on. I got to see them in action. And while there is much about the film’s brand of comedy that went over my head, it was easy to see the appeal of these two, as individuals and as a comedic pairing. Based on a musical by the name of Ruggles of Red Gap, Hope stars as Humphrey, real name Arthur Humphry, a struggling American actor masquerading as British to be part of a British acting troupe. When another British actor enlists the cast to pose as an aristocratic family in order to impress visiting Americans, Effie and Agatha Floud (Ball), Humphrey, pretending to be the family butler, finds himself in the employ of the visiting family, as he is tasked with refining both Effie’s husband and the tomboyish Agatha. While attempting to provide the two with a measure of culture, sparks begin to fly between Humphrey and Agatha, but their budding relationship may be threatened by his false identity. Meanwhile, a misunderstanding of Humphrey being a “gentleman’s gentleman,” leads the rural townsfolk to mistakenly believe him to be an aristocrat. Humphrey finds himself forced to maintain multiple deceptions: he has to pretend to be a British butler for the Floud family while also pretending to be a politically savvy Englishman for the townsfolk. All of which becomes further complicated by a visit from President Theodore Roosevelt.

The plot was a bit busy for me at times. However, I did enjoy watching Hope as he juggled what amounted to be three characters in one role. To his credit, I do believe he was convincing in each performance. As they were meant to be humorous and he was expected to struggle to maintain the lie, this worked to his benefit. Ball had it a bit easier, but even so her quick-wittedness carried the dialog for me. She is surly and sarcastic, which are traits that I hold in high esteem. My knowledge of Ball is limited only to the few I Love Lucy episodes that I’ve seen, but this role seemed to play right in her wheelhouse. The film is a bit campy at times, such as when Humphrey samples the punch which is so spiked that his breath made a portrait of the Leaning Tower of Pisa stand upright. This is a bit cheesy and over-the-top. Even so, it is in keeping with the film’s slapstick nature.