Bob Hope Tribute Collection - The
Road Show Series (The Road to
Morocco / The Road to Singapore /
The Road to Utopia / The Road to
Zanzibar) starring Bing Crosby, Bob
Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony
Quinn, Dona Drake
Fine Family Vewing
Road to Singapore
Heres the first trip in what would become one of Paramount Pictures most
profitable film series of the 40s. When this comedy was released in 1940,
Bing Crosby and Bob Hope had separately achieved stardom, though
Crosby was an established power and Hope still a hot comedian new to
movies. In fact, Hope is billed third in Road to Singapore, below Der Bingle

and Dorothy Lamour. The script establishes what would be a constant in
the Road series: a ramshackle plot, a handful of songs, and plenty of
irreverent banter between the two boys. Crosby plays Josh Mallon, scion
of a wealthy family, who prefers the vagabond life to his stuffy family; his
pal Ace Lannigan (Hope) is only too happy to escape. They end up sharing
a waterfront shack in Singapore and vying for the affections of a sarong-
clad local (Lamour), amidst stabs at conning the natives with a dubious
elixir variously known as Spot-O (stain remover) and Scram-O (cockroach
killer). Singapore isnt as loose as some of the wacky subsequent entries in
the series, but it already shows Crosby and Hope grooving to each others
perfectly timed burlesque rhythms in scenes that clearly depart from the
script. They specialized in muttered asides, show-biz in-jokes, and
gratuitous insults--and this ones got a song and dance number with an
ocarina. No wonder it became a franchise. --Robert Horton Road to
Zanzibar
The second Road movie from Paramount Pictures finds barnstorming con
artists Chuck Reardon (Bing Crosby) and Hubert Fearless Frazier (Bob
Hope) at liberty after their act goes haywire. (In these movies, Crosby
generally lures the suckers into the tent, while Hope is always stuck getting
shot out of the cannon.) A phony map to a diamond mine brings our boys
into the middle of Africa, which means theres a good chance theyll end up
sitting in a cauldron while natives perform a cannibal dance around them.
These stereotypes would be offensive if the movie wasnt actively
parodying the kind of jungle movie popular in 1941 (just as Road to
Morocco would satirize the Arabian nights picture). Dorothy Lamour is
along for the ride, of course, and her scene in a tight clinch with Hope
established a tradition of steamy comic exchanges through the series (as
she croons a love song to him, he checks to see if his wallet is still in his
pocket). This is the first Road movie to actively wink at the audience; in
one scene, Lamour mocks the way movies always have characters break
out into song in the middle of nowhere with a full orchestra backing--which
is exactly what happens next. The chatter between Crosby and Hope
already feels improvised, and it should be noted that the secret of their
chemistry is not a sentimental friendship but a cheerfully hostile rivalry
between the two characters, a cheeky approach that mustve delighted
audiences used to the Andy Hardy niceness of most Hollywood movies of
that era. Oh, and they do their patty-cake routine, too. --Robert Horton
Road to Morocco
Road to Morocco, number three in the series of breezy comedies teaming
Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, may be the funniest of the bunch. Bing and
Bob find themselves Morocco-bound (like Websters dictionary), caught in
an elaborately faked-up world of harems, palm trees, and other Arabian
Nights bric-a-brac. Naturally, Dorothy Lamour is also there, as she was the
customary target of male rivalry in the Road scenarios. There is something
so loose and ingratiating about the patter between Hope and Crosby that it
doesnt ultimately matter if half the jokes dont land; these guys had their
own comfortable rhythm, fueled by cheerful one-upmanship. Their sense of

spontaneity broke the fourth wall between movie and audience in a way
only the Marx Brothers had really accomplished before, and audiences--
feeling in on the joke--ate it up. Songs (including Moonlight Becomes You),
topical references, and ancient vaudeville routines fill out the program.
--Robert Horton Road to Utopia
I feel sorry for people who cant appreciate Hope and Crosby Road
pictures. This is the fourth in the series, and has the boys masquerading
as the killers Sperry and McGurk, from whom theyve stolen the map to a
gold mine, but which really belongs to Dorothy Lamour, but which... and
you know it really doesnt matter anyway. The point is theyve got this thin
plot on which to hang a series of hit-and-miss jokes, coming fast enough to
make it just all right and a certain amount of time to see who gets Dorothy
Lamour, while maintaining their fierce and friendly and wisecracking rivalry.
Theyre in the Klondike this time around, which doesnt stop the film from
working in a glimpse of Dorothy in her sarong. Along the way, animals talk,
including the humorist Robert Benchley, whose thoroughly dispensable
introduction and running commentary I wouldnt dispense with for anything.
This is arguably the goofiest of the road pictures. My favorite joke is when
Bob is bested in fishing with Bing. Bob remarks, My worm must have B.O.
Bing comes back with Couldnt B.U. You may not care where youre going,
just as long as youre with them. Put it there, pal, put it there. --Jim Gay
Personal Review: Bob Hope Tribute Collection - The Road Show
Series (The Road to Morocco / The Road to Singapore / The
Road to Utopia / The Road to Zanzibar) starring Bing Crosby,
Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony Quinn, Dona Drake
What to say. As a younger viewer, 18, of the road to series, mostly Bing
Crosby, I can only tell you that this is not only funny and sweet. It's a
movie for all ages, without the needed worrying of partial nudity or
inappropriate language for younger viewers, or mature viewers. Bing and
Bob, Hope and Crosby : ), have excellent chemistry, they ad-lib mostly
because of the fact that they work so well together. This has great picture
quality, and humor for all times. I recommend this set and all others that
follow. The only drawback of the pack, is that it only contains the first four,
(Road to Singapore, Zanzibar, Morocco, and Utopia), it is missing the
hilarious other 3, (Road to Rio, Bali, and Hong Kong), and the title being
attributed to Bob Hope. I love them both, but Bing steals the scenes. For
Hope and Crosby fans alike. GREEAAAAAAAAAAT!!!
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