''Road to ...'' is a series of seven comedy films starring
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
,
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
, and
Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the ''Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing C ...
. They are also often referred to as the "''Road''" pictures or the "''Road''" series. The movies were a combination of adventure, comedy, romance, and music. The minimal plot often took a back seat to gags, which appeared improvised but were usually scripted.
Films in the series
*''
Road to Singapore
''Road to Singapore'' is a 1940 American musical film, musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope. Based on a story by Harry Hervey, the film is about two playboys trying to avoid ...
'' (1940)
*''
Road to Zanzibar
''Road to Zanzibar'' is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, and marked the second of seven pictures in the popular "'' Road to ...''" series made by the trio. ...
'' (1941)
*''
Road to Morocco
''Road to Morocco'' is a 1942 American comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, and featuring Anthony Quinn and Dona Drake. Written by Frank Butler and Don Hartman and directed by David Butler, it’s the third of the " ...
'' (1942)
*''
Road to Utopia
''Road to Utopia'' is a 1946 American
musical comedy film directed by Hal Walker and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Filmed in 1943 but not released until 1946, ''Road to Utopia'' is the fourth film of the "'' Road to ...''" ...
'' (made in 1943, but not released until 1946)
*''
Road to Rio
''Road to Rio'' is a 1947 American musical film, musical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose (screenwriter), Jack Rose, the film is about two i ...
'' (1947)
*''
Road to Bali
''Road to Bali'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Hal Walker and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Released by Paramount Pictures on November 19, 1952, the film is the sixth of the seven ''Road to ...'' movies. It wa ...
'' (1952)
*''
The Road to Hong Kong
''The Road to Hong Kong'' is a 1962 British semi-musical comedy film directed by Norman Panama and starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, as well as Joan Collins, with an extended cameo featuring Dorothy Lamour in the setting of British Hong Kong, ...
'' (1962)
*''Road to the Fountain of Youth'' (cancelled)
Each film is not simply a comedy, but a satire of some of the popular film genres of the day, including jungle, Arabian nights, Alaskan adventure, and the high seas.
In 1977, an eighth ''Road to...'' movie was planned, titled ''Road to the
Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a mythical Spring (hydrology), spring which supposedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted around the world for thousands of years, appearing in t ...
'', but Crosby died that year of a heart attack.
In 1947,
Astor Pictures
Astor Pictures was a film distribution, motion picture distribution company in the United States from 1930 to 1963. It was founded by Robert M. Savini (29 August 1886 – 29 April 1956). Astor specialized in film re-releases. It later release ...
released a compilation film of several of Crosby's
Educational Pictures
Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational p ...
short subject
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...
s called ''
The Road to Hollywood'' to evoke the series. The
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
also commissioned Hope and Crosby to produce the 1945 short film ''Road to Home''.
Running gags
Beginning with ''
Road to Singapore
''Road to Singapore'' is a 1940 American musical film, musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope. Based on a story by Harry Hervey, the film is about two playboys trying to avoid ...
'' the films also included
in-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke with humour that is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest ...
references to other Hollywood actors and jabs at
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
, the studio that released all the films except for ''
The Road to Hong Kong
''The Road to Hong Kong'' is a 1962 British semi-musical comedy film directed by Norman Panama and starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, as well as Joan Collins, with an extended cameo featuring Dorothy Lamour in the setting of British Hong Kong, ...
''. There are also frequent instances in which Bob Hope breaks the
fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
to address the audience directly, such as in ''
Road to Bali
''Road to Bali'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Hal Walker and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Released by Paramount Pictures on November 19, 1952, the film is the sixth of the seven ''Road to ...'' movies. It wa ...
'', in which he says, "
rosbys gonna sing, folks. Now's the time to go out and get the popcorn."
Hope and Crosby would usually play some form of
confidence men trying to make a lot of money, with Bing coming up with the ideas and Bob usually doing most of the dirty work. Another common set-piece in the films is a monologue by Crosby "telling it like it is" to the Dorothy Lamour character, only to fall into traditional Crosby-singing-a-ballad; an example from ''The Road to Rio'' (1947) features the Crosby character analyzing the true love-encounters of a (fictional) film scene, followed by his singing "
But Beautiful" (
Jimmy Van Heusen
James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television, and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Award for Best Original Song, Academy Awards for ...
/
Johnny Burke).
When confronted by the villain, Hope and Crosby would use a "patty cake" routine before throwing punches, though this would sometimes not work, as in ''Road to Morocco'': "That gag sure gets around, huh?" "Yeah, right back to US!" The only film in the series in which the routine was not used was in ''Road to Utopia''.
Both characters would usually promise to not allow women to interfere with their plans, and both would immediately see a woman and forget that promise. Crosby would almost always end up with her, with the exceptions being in ''Road to Utopia'' and ''Road to Rio'' (although hypnosis was involved in the latter case).
Hope's character usually would have a nickname with which he would be referred to throughout the film, as in ''Road to Morocco'', when he was called "Turkey", and ''Road to Zanzibar'', in which he was called "Fearless".
Crosby credited writer Barney Dean with standing off-camera and continuously coming up with jokes.
Hope would also break the fourth wall continuously to over-act, often with an upbraiding from Crosby. Hope would then blame his overacting on his attempt to win an
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
. In reality, Hope never won any Oscar for his work, although he did receive honorary Oscars. Later, when Hope was a regular Oscar host, he incorporated his "
Oscar bait
Oscar bait is a term used in the film community for movies that appear to have been produced for the sole purpose of earning nominations and/or winners for Academy Awards, or "Oscars", as they are commonly known. They are usually released just in a ...
" whines into his monologues there.
Reception
Homages and other influence
* The 1944
Famous Studios
Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was established as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contr ...
''
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.[The Danny Thomas Show
''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the sho ...](_blank)
'', titled "The Road to Lebanon," featured Bing Crosby scouting locations in Beirut for a new Road picture without Bob Hope.
* In the 1981 Mel Brooks film ''
History of the World, Part I
''History of the World, Part I'' is a 1981 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, ...
'', on escaping from the Romans, Brooks and co-star Gregory Hines parody the series' "We're off on the road to..." signature song by singing "We're off on the road to Judea, we certainly do get around..."
* The 1985 film ''
Spies Like Us
''Spies Like Us'' is a 1985 American spy comedy film directed by John Landis, and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon. The film presents the comic adventures of two novice intelligence agents sent to the Soviet ...
'', starring
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer.
Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Nigh ...
and
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1976), where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment b ...
, is an homage to the films; Hope makes a cameo as himself in one scene. The phrase "Road to
Dushanbe
Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...
" is uttered several times throughout the movie.
Dushanbe
Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...
is near the ultimate destination of the protagonists.
* The 1987 film ''
Ishtar
Inanna is the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akk ...
'' was envisioned by writer/director
Elaine May
Elaine Iva May (née Berlin; born April 21, 1932) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and director. She first gained fame in the 1950s for her improvisational comedy routines with Mike Nichols before transitioning her career, regularly b ...
as an homage to the "Road" series.
* The 1990
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...
song "Road Movie to Berlin" references the films in its title.
* The ''
TaleSpin
''TaleSpin'' is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It first aired in 1990 as a preview-run on The Disney Channel before beginning its main run in syndication later that year as part of the pro ...
'' episode "Road to Macadamia" pays tribute to the series, including spoofs on the songs.
* Three episodes of the 1991–1995 animated series ''
Taz-Mania
''Taz-Mania'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 1991 to 1995, broadcast in the United States on Fox Kids where it stars the Tasmanian Devil.
Similar to other Warner Bros. cartoons of its time, such as ''An ...
'' spoofed the ''Road to..'' movies, starring Hugh Tasmanian Devil, Taz's father and a Crosby parody. Taz's uncle Drew would later be introduced, naturally parodying Hope. They featured in the episodes "Road to Taz-Mania," "Return of the Road to Taz-Mania Strikes Back" and "Yet Another Road to Taz-Mania."
* The ''
Duckman
''Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man'', commonly known simply as ''Duckman'', is an American adult animated sitcom created and developed by Everett Peck, based on the characters he created in his 1990 one-shot comic book published by Dark Horse Com ...
'' episode "Road to Dendron" spoofs the series.
* The 2000 animated film ''
The Road to El Dorado
''The Road to El Dorado'' is a 2000 American animated musical adventure comedy film directed by Eric "Bibo" Bergeron and Don Paul, from a screenplay by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, as well as additional sequences directed by Will Finn and ...
'' is an homage to the Road movies and contains many popular beats, including creating a distraction before fighting an opponent.
* In the 2001–2003 Disney animated series ''
The Legend of Tarzan'', the characters Hugo and Hooft are loosely based on Hope and Crosby (though not in appearance).
* The animated TV series ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
'' has had eight "
Road to ..." episodes that
spoof the original Road pictures, starring
Brian
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...
and
Stewie Griffin
Stewart Gilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series ''Family Guy''. He is voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the ...
: "
Road to Rhode Island", "
Road to Europe", "
Road to Rupert", "
Road to Germany
"Road to Germany" is the third episode of the seventh season (and the fourth episode in the '' Road to...'' series) of the American animated television series ''Family Guy''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on Octob ...
", "
Road to the Multiverse", "
Road to the North Pole
"Road to the North Pole" is the seventh episode of the Family Guy season 9, ninth season of the animated cartoon, animated television comedy, comedy series ''Family Guy''. Directed by Greg Colton and co-written by Chris Sheridan (writer), Chri ...
", "
Roads to Vegas
"Roads to Vegas" is the twenty-first episode of the Family Guy season 11, eleventh season, and the 209th overall episode, of ''Family Guy''. It follows Brian Griffin, Brian and Stewie Griffin, Stewie as they head to Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas ...
", and "
Road to India". In addition, the series' 2009 episode "
Spies Reminiscent of Us" is an homage to ''Spies Like Us'', even guest starring Aykroyd and Chase, which in turn was based on the "Road" films.
* The television series ''
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' episode "
Road to Friendship" from September 1, 2018, was paying homage to these films with the episode title and a song by the same name.
* In the 1980s,
Eric Idle
Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke Co ...
wanted to make a film called ''
The Road to Mars
''The Road to Mars'' is a 1999 science fiction comedic novel by Eric Idle.
Plot summary
Told from the point of view of Professor Bill Reynolds, a scholar in the then-fictitious discipline of micropaleontology, this novel is set in the 24th an ...
'', but became so frustrated by executive meddling at Hollywood studios that he wrote it as a
novel
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
instead.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Road To...
Film series introduced in 1940
Comedy film series
Road to ... (film series)