Customer Reviews

Road to Singapore

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

 

 

This is the first of seven road pictures (starring Bing and Bob) and it is a good one. I read where the movie was originally set to star George Burns and Gracie Allen in the two lead roles ... when it was then adapted for Bing and Bob.

Some good acting here. The later road pictures put the zany actics and funny gag lines way up front ... as they should ... for our enjoyment, but The Road to Singapore has more of a credible plot and better acting. Dorothy Lamour is an excellent actress. Her one scene near the end, on the ship deck with Bob, is pretty special.

My rank for this road picture (among the seven) is third or fourth. And it's just fun to see the boys at the beginning of what would become a great series of motion pictures.

While this first outing may not be the very best of the road pictures (I rate "Morocco" and "Utopia" as better), this is classic comedy, if not a classic film. Hope was new enough on the scene to get third billing (behind Crosby and Lamour), and it was amusing seeing an early Anthony Quinn and Jerry Colonna. The plot is better than some in the "Road" series (a bit of class warfare gets things started), and I always enjoy seeing Bing's "dad" in the film (Charles Coburn).

The rivalry between Hope and Crosby for Lamour's affection has an edge to it, but that makes it just about perfect.

In the extra features we learn that Hope and Lamour were not the first choices for the flick -- would you believe George Burns and Gracie Allen??? BTW, the extra features in all of the new Universal series of DVDs for the "Road" series are well done.

I hadn't seen this in years, and it is much better than my memory had it from years as cut up fodder on commercial television. This one is a keeper.

That's the title of the best-known tune which was introduced in this first entry in the immensely popular ROAD TO.... series. In this one, Josh Mallon, the scion of a straightlaced shipping magnate, and his free-spirited pal, Ace Lannigan, ridicule the institution of marriage. However, Josh's Dad is disgusted with his son's irresponsible antics & commits Josh to an office job and a marriage to socialite Gloria Wycott...The working title of this just-average first outing from the famed duo of Hope & Crosby was FOLLOW THE SUN. Other songs which are heard in the picture are: SWEET POTATO PIPER, KAIGOON, THE MOON AND THE WILLOW TREE & CAPTAIN CUSTARD (!). In 1940, the Ohio Censorship Board demanded that the studio (Paramount) make extensive cuts in the native dancing girl sequence.

"Road to Singapore" is the first of the "Road" pictures starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. They are all wonderful, crazy, silly and just plain fun films as Bing and Bob wreak havoc along everything they encounter. In this first film, plenty of that is done, probably more likely in any other 'Road" picture as they head for Singapore and rescue the fair Mima from a bullwhipper. Some of my favorite sequences are the "patty-cake, patty-cake" scenes in which it becomes a running gag in every "Road" film, especially this. Filled with crazy antics, hilarious crack-ups, exotic dance numbers and s omuch more to enjoy even though the film is quite underrated and a bit quirky.

I have all seven Road pictures and love then all except for number seven Road to Hong Kong. That lacks a bit because Joan Collins is such a poor actress

.....This movie is only interesting to me because I am a Dorothy Lamour fan and this was the first of the Road pictures. Beyond that it is simply silly with a lot of inside jokes, ad libbing and typical Hope/Crosby mugging for the camera.

.....I am not a big Bing Crosby fan and prefer Hope in movies like My Favorite Brunet, The Princess and the Pirate or Paleface. I can stand Hope as long as Crosby is not in the picture.

.....As for Lamour, any picture is worth watching as long as she is in it. I subtract one star for Bing. Lamour was an anomaly in Hollywood. A girl next door type with the looks of a movie star. The kind of girl every guy wanted to take home to meet mother. If you are a Lamour fan and want to learn more about this wonderful gal I suggest reading her book, "My Side of the Road.

I don't know why so many of the past reviewers put this film at the bottom of the list of "The Road to . . ." series. This is the film that started it all! It may lack some of the easy play and banter between Hope and Crosby as seen in the later films, but keep in mind this is the first time (1939-40) that Bing and Bob have been in a film together. As the years progressed, they were given more freedom to do what they liked given their bigger star status and the box-office successes of the earlier pictures. Despite what others may say, "Singapore" is an enjoyable film all the way through. It's embedded with gems like "Captain Custard" and "Sweet Potato Piper". The chemistry between Hope, Crosby, and Lamour is great -- you can tell they must have had a fun time making this movie :)I would definitely not leave this one out of my "Road" collection.

This was the first Road movie and also one of the worst. Bob and Bing had not yet patented their trademark rapid-fire style and there's actually more of Lamour than Hope in this film (a bad omen). Bob was still a sort of "juvenile" backup to Bing in this movie and isn't given much to do. It's tragic to see Hope wasted liked this, but in 1940, he was still known more as a radio star than a full-fledged equal to Bing Crosby.

If you want to sample some great road movies, get Morocco, Utopia or Rio, all of which are vastly superior to this rather average and dated film. The plot is leaden, the songs indifferent and the interplay between the incomparable Hope and Crosby team is lacking in most scenes.

Hope and Crosby go on the road for the first time and meet a very young Dorothy Lamour in her trademark sarong. The songs are entertaining, as are most of the jokes (especially those involving Jerry Colona), but the result isn't quite as much fun as some later entries in the series. Highlights include a major production number near the end in which South Sea islands sing in the language Esperanto!

I'm typing this as I'm watching the movie. The songs and dance were really good but the settings were very peculiar. I can't very well tell if they were in some mexican village or Singapore. Mexican cantina or spanish-sounding store owners were far from being realistic in Singapore in the 40s!

However, the movie itself is very entertaining if one can overlook the strange settings!