Purely Joyful Movie!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It's called "The Road to Singapore" but I don't know why; Hope and Crosby wind up on the island of Kaigoon in the Southeast Asia Pacific. I guess it sounds a lot better than "Road to Kaigoon".Having seen a handful of later 'Road' pictures, I thought this film, the first in the series, would be a laugh riot but I was mistaken. Apparently the film makers as well as the principals hadn't fully fleshed out their strategy or their comic approach yet. You don't have the zany one-liners in abundance, and if the boys were winging it by going off script it's hard to tell. However the picture does introduce some of the staples to be found in future Road flicks - the patty-cake routine, Crosby's off-hand reference to his waistline, and the general persona of the boys as con men, though that's not quite as apparent here.In fact, a few times it seemed like the picture was trying too hard for it's share of laughs with routines like Spotto the Miracle Worker and Scrammo the cockroach repellent. The first bit involved madcap comic Jerry Colonna utilizing his his google-eyed, handlebar mustached character as an unwilling accomplice to Ace Lannigan's (Hope) hapless spot-cleaning invention. I never saw a huckster go from a buck a bottle down to a nickel as rapidly as Hope did.As for Dorothy Lamour, America's first and perhaps most prolific pin-up girl found a winning combination in this very first team up with the comedy duo who had already thrilled radio audiences with their slick banter and comedic put-downs. Wondering how she'd keep up with their dubious hi-jinks, she wound up following Crosby's advice to look for an opening and give it her best shot. It was good enough for six more Road shows.

Depending on what you want from Hope and Crosby, this may or may not be the best of the Road pictures. It was the first, but not the funniest. In fact, there are several rather dramatic scenes in the film (gasp!). But this film was not meant to be as zany as the subsequent Road pictures. It's right on the mark...a darned good movie! Here, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope are not confidence men, but rather are lazy drifters. Crosby is a rich boy, while Hope is not. Crosby's father -- shipping magnate Charles Coburn, wants Crosby to settle down and get married, but Crosby wants no part of it...or the upper crust visitors to his father's boat. There's a funny segment with "Captain Custard", which hints at just how wonderful the Hope and Crosby team will be. The boys flee to Singapore, where they meet -- who else -- Dorothy Lamour. Now, why exactly the exotic Lamour is working with an abusive Latin dance-partner in Southeast Asia, is anyone's guess, but Hope and Crosby save her from that dance partner -- a young Anthony Quinn. Hope, Crosby and Lamour begin living together...and falling in love. So who will Lamour marry? Hope? Of course not. Meanwhile Hope is deported...well, not quite...and ultimately the trio is reunited.The songs here are not Crosby's best. The cinematography is quite good. The laughs are many, though this is not as zany as future episodes of the story will be.Hope and Crosby are wonderful. Lamour is...well. Lamour. Anthony Quinn isn't seen too much throughout the film...but what a handsome guy back then! Charles Coburn is just right as the father.Oh, and why is Lamour singing about weeping willow trees in Southeast Asia?????This is a very good comedy, and a must for the DVD shelves of Hope or Crosby fans.

Avoiding arranged marriages, shipping heir Bing Crosby (as Joshua "Josh" Mallon) and carefree pal Bob Hope (as "Ace" Lannigan) run away to Singapore. They swear off work and women, and then find both in pretty native Dorothy Lamour (as Mima). Eventually, the men begin falling in love with Ms. Lamour, and she likes them both. They work out attractions while getting into local trouble. This was the first in an initially unplanned series of "Road to…" pictures starring Mr. Hope and Mr. Crosby, with Lamour adding the necessary sex appeal. Proving himself handy with a bull whip is handsome young Anthony Quinn (as Caesar). The pleasant soundtrack hit is Crosby's "I'm Too Romantic". An obvious screen chemistry multiplied the co-stars' individual appeal.***** Road to Singapore (3/14/40) Victor Schertzinger ~ Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony Quinn

Can you imagine The Road to Singapore with parts of Bing and Bob being played by Fred MacMurray and Jack Oakie? That was the original casting that Paramount originally had for this first of the Road pictures.You can tell that they did not have a series in mind because the billing was Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and then Bob Hope. When MacMurray and then Oakie became unavailable, someone had the bright idea of putting Crosby and Hope together. By this time a certain rivalry had developed on radio. Both had been guests on each other's shows, forever trying to top each other with unscheduled ad-libs in the script. So the casting changes were made.There's none of the surreal humor in this that characterized the later Road pictures because the formula wasn't there yet. But when you see Crosby and Hope trying to land a fish and later on singing the Captain Custard song, the chemistry is unmistakable.The rest of the score by Jimmy Monaco and Johnny Burke consists of one of Crosby's nicest ballads, Too Romantic and a novelty song for all three of the leads, Sweet Potato Piper. The director Victor Schertzinger who was also a composer of note and Johnny Burke did a South Sea Island ballad for Dottie, The Moon and the Willow Tree.So what would have been a routine film turned out to be a shakedown cruise for a lot of movie fun.