Product Details

• Actors: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony Quinn, Dona Drake
• Directors: David Butler, Hal Walker, Victor Schertzinger
• Writers: Arthur Phillips, Barney Dean, Don Hartman, Erik Charell, Frank Butler
• Format: Box set, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 4
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: January 29, 2002
• Run Time: 329 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302513375
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,628 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Road to Singapore
Here's 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 isn't as loose as some of the wacky subsequent entries in the series, but it already shows Crosby and Hope grooving to each other's 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 one's 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 there's a good chance they'll end up sitting in a cauldron while natives perform a cannibal dance around them. These stereotypes would be offensive if the movie wasn't 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 must've 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 Webster's 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 doesn't ultimately matter if half the jokes don't 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 can't 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 they've stolen the map to a gold mine, but which really belongs to Dorothy Lamour, but which... and you know it really doesn't matter anyway. The point is they've 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. They're in the Klondike this time around, which doesn't 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 wouldn't 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 "Couldn't B.U." You may not care where you're going, just as long as you're with them. Put it there, pal, put it there. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On the Road with Hope&Crosby, April 17, 2003

By 

Randy (Riverside, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bob Hope Tribute Collection - The Road Show Series (The Road to Morocco / The Road to Singapore / The Road to Utopia / The Road to Zanzibar) (DVD)

As Bob Hope reaches his 100th birthday Universal Studio's video unit will release 12 of his classic films on DVD. Among them this boxed set of classic "Road pictures. The set includes in release order, The Road to Singapore, The Road to Zanzibar, The Road to Morocco and The Road to Utopia. The Road to Singapore the first outing for Bob & Bing and Dorothy (Dorothy Lamour)was originally intended as a vehicle for George Burns and Gracie Allen. It was apparent from the beginning that three had an immediate chemistry with each other and their intended audiences. Although the classic Road formula had not been quite jelled in this early outing there are still plenty of ad-Libs, gags and fun for every fan. The Road to Zanzibar is next it includes one of the most politically incorrect patty-cake routines involving an African Tribe ever put on film. Thank goodness for political incorrectness because political correctness is the death of comedy. You'll laugh till you hurt. Then comes The Road to Morocco considered by most to be the beginning of the true Road formula pictures, includes the now classic "Moonlight Becomes You" sung by Bing and incredible interplay and ad-libing with Bob&Bing. It's a miracle Dorothy was able to get a word in edgewise. Look for an Arab character played by Anthony Quinn. Rumor has it that when this picture was made the writer was sitting in on some of the filming, during a scene Bob flippently said to the writer, "Call us if you hear one of your lines." This movie is a gem and worthy of any film collection. It is loaded with inside movie industry jokes aimed at Paramount Pictures and of course a there are a couple of talking Camels. The Road to Utopia is an Alaskan adventure with the trio caught up in a gold mine scheme. The departure for this picture is it has an intrusive narration by the famed humorist Robert Benchley. Robert Benchley's intrusions are often insulting but they do capture the irony of the situations he describes. It's sort of like a Road Picture's visual "Road Pictures for Dummies". Great music including Bob & Bing's duet on "Put It There Pal", talking fish and histerical banter. This entire collection gets not only my thumb up but all the other fingers as well!

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bob Hope-The Road Collection Box set, March 5, 2002

By 

jasperg55 (SALEM, OR United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bob Hope Tribute Collection - The Road Show Series (The Road to Morocco / The Road to Singapore / The Road to Utopia / The Road to Zanzibar) (DVD)

If you love the Hope/Crosby/Lamour road series, this new DVD box set of four of the best movies is a must. The prints are great, the packaging and extra features on the DVD's really nice. My only complaint is I wish they had also included Road to Rio & Bali in this set to make it the complete road series. Oh well, enjoy this fine DVD set!!!

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Missing Roads, April 29, 2003

By 

Leealike "Leealike" (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bob Hope Tribute Collection - The Road Show Series (The Road to Morocco / The Road to Singapore / The Road to Utopia / The Road to Zanzibar) (DVD)

Just for all the moaning minnies out there, there's a very simple answer to the question of the Road movies missing from this set.

The set comprises of all the Road movies produced by PARAMOUNT pictures - the others were produced by different studios, so couldn't be included. Nothing to do with good or bad sense, all down to rights.

Don't get too down hearted, they're all widely available anyway!