Customer Reviews

Road to Morocco/Road to Singapore [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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!!!

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!

"Bake A Cake as Fast As You Can...."...because you will not want to miss one second of the first four entries in The Road Series flicks with Bob,Bing and Dorothy!

This attractively boxed "Tribute Collection" is a must have for fans of these guys. The films, all from the early fourties,all Black and White, are beautifully restored and transfered on Dual layer discs. Although each has the special feature "Bob Hope and the Road to Success", the rest of the bonus material is different on each one. There are fun "Sing-Alongs","Entertaining the Troops", "Command Performances", photo galleries, DVD ROM and more.

The films themselves, are classic laugh out loud stuff, as in each story we follow our guys on their misadventures around the world. They never get old, each "road" brings new laughs and new plots.Always on the run from the bad guys, always some new money making scheme, and of course there's always the girl..the beautiful Dorothy Lamour. Will their "patty-cake" routine help them get away, will they become rich..will Bob EVER get the girl??? It's a pleasure watching on these DVDs.

Adding to all the laughs, are the wonderful song and dance routines, the exquiste costume design and the fabulous scenery. There are also always some terrific guest stars. Keep a look-out for these famous faces..Jerry Colonna, Una Merkel, Charles Coburn, Yvonne DeCarlo and the great Anthony Quinn.

So travel The Roads to Singapore,Zanzibar,Morocco and Utopia,with this famous trio. You'll be glad you did!

One note on "The Road to Utopia"..for some reason my DVD player was sensitive to this one, and would not load it, but I tried it on another player and it played perfectly...go figure!

Go for it while the price is right!(It has already gone up a little since my purchase) Enjoy!...And...Thanks Universal for bringing us this classic piece of Hollywood in this great set!.........Laurie

more fun stuff:
Romancing the Stone / Jewel of the Nile

The Over the Hill Gang - AND - The Over the Hill Gang Rides Again

This DVD of three Hope-Crosby road movies is of exceptional quality. I've seen these movies dozens of times and have never seen them so crisp, clean and unblemished. The sound quality is also superb. I felt as if I was sitting in a movie theatre in the 40's because the presentation of the films seemed so new. Each DVD contains the original trailer for the three films as well as some trivia and bloopers.

As for the Hope-Crosby teaming, it is a mystery to me why they remain so under-appreciated by critics and fans alike. Bob Hope was a comic master who possessed impeccable timing and was simply hilarious. His character in the road films was always an immature Casanova wannabe who was slick with the one-liners. It's a loveable, irreplaceable part of Americana. Bing was an unconventional yet brilliant straight man. I say "unconventional" because he got almost as many laughs as Hope. Their screen chemistry remains dynamic and undated. Dorothy Lamour adds glamour and some humor as well, but the main reason to cherish these movies is because of Bing and Bob.

This set comprises the three best road films, with Road to Utopia being my favorite. The characters of Sperry and McGirk are absolute classics and their swaggering scenes in the Alaskan saloon are the apex of Bing and Bob comedy. Watch for the ending which somehow escaped the odious Hayes office. It's way before its time and a total delight. Enjoy these three great movies and appreciate anew the tremendous talent, timing and comedic excellence from Hope and Crosby.

ROAD TO MOROCCO is a joke in your face comedy when shipwrecked stowaways Hope and Crosby land on the beach where they soon stumble upon the road sign, "Road to Morocco." Their predictable and unpredictable jokes keep you chuckling from that point. Small problem that they are travelling through sinister Arabian countryside; they break out singing that, "Hey audience, we are on the Road to Morocco, we're liable to meet Dorothy Lamour, and if there's danger don't worry, Paramount will protect us because we're signed for five more years." Ultimately they reach the City. That's where the Palace is located; where Princess Lamour searches for a husband. Crosby sells Hope to pay a dinner check and a few hundred Kolaks for himself. Hope ends up in the Palace as Lamour's intended consort. Crosby has a change of heart about double-crossing Hope and sets off to find and rescue him. He finds Hope in the Palace entertained by Arab dancing girls who are dead ringers for Arabian clad UCLA cheerleaders. Lamour, of course, is smitten by Crosby, but has agreed to marry Hope because the Royal Oracle has predicted that her first husband [Hope in this case] would die in a week after the marriage, but the second husband would live a long life. Through a series of twists Hope learns of the Oracle, gives the job of Groom to Crosby, the Oracle learns that he oracled wrong [there were bugs on his telescope], Lamour jumps at the chance to marry Crosby and travel to the USA for the wedding, Desert Chief Anthony Quinn arrives with his entourage of cutthroats, he steals Lamour and the servant girl who is now infatuated with Hope, Hope and Crosby are banished to the desert, they eventually find Quinn's camp and . . . well, you must see the movie because the plot at this point is too complicated. I would have to explain that Hope and Crosby find a solution to rescue the girls as they wisecrack, give hot-foots, and use pyrotechnic hi-jinks to end the film. This movie is Comedy Heritage. I wish Paramount was still making the very funny, very entertaining Road movies.

The "Road to..." movies by Hope and Crosby (and of course Dorothy Lamour) were and are absolutely hilarious. This collection provides four of the movies at a very reasonable price. I only wish it included ALL of the Road movies.

The Roads to Utopia, Singapore, Zanzibar & Morocco, done in Hope & Crosby's classic style. Fun movies to keep you laughing if you're 6 or 96.

My sister saw the 1st one then started begging to see the next one. These two comrades bring a hilarious act into the show with the police after them giant squids and more. Always fighting over a girl, but usually stickin together unlike the time one of them sold the other as a slave to pay 4 dinner. I am telling you this is a great movie collection 4 kids u can cuddle up on the couch and watch one each night. I loved it and wish there were more but it dosen't matter cause we are already watching them over again!!

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!!!