There was a rapport crooner Bing Crosby and stand-up and radio comedian Bob Hope had shown between them that some thought would make a good comedy team. Paramount Pictures gave them a chance by pairing them up in March 1940 "Road of Singapore." The movie was such a box office hit the two would appear in seven more 'Road to...' pictures spanning 22 years, making them one of cinema's more successful comedy acts. Crosby and Hope's inaugural 'Road to...' film established the pattern the others would follow.
"In an era of staid and somewhat formulaic romantic comedies," wrote film critic Lou Marrelli, "Hope and Crosby broke that tedium by inundating their audience a barrage of wisecracks, joke and insults delivered in rapid-fire succession."
In "Road to Singapore," Hope and Crosby play globe trotting vagabonds whose journey to the South Pacific results in crossing paths-and falling in love with-Dorothy Lamour's character, islander Mima. Lamour starred in every 'Road to...' film except for the final one. Facing the two friends who previously vowed to never fall in love with a woman, Mima instantly melts their hearts, just as she does in all the "Road to..." features. Every 'Road to...' movie has the friends invent get-rich-quick schemes. In "Road to Singapore" they come up with a spot remover which unbeknownst to them is so strong it dissolves clothing. One of their famous trademarks introduced in the first film is when they get into a jam, they break out into their 'patti-cake' routine before slugging their adversaries, allowing them to scram.
Crosby and Hope met on the stage eight years earlier in 1932 in the same vaudeville show at the Capitol Theatre on Broadway. Hope was the emcee introducing Crosby, already a popular singer and movie actor. The two traded quips during the show, displaying a certain natural chemistry. Later, they hosted each other on their own radio show, jokingly ribbing one another on the air. When Hope relocated to Los Angeles from New York City, a 1937 charity show performance at the Del Mar Racetrack solidified their on-stage comfort level. Studio executives attending the benefit never forgot their smooth stage banter.
The original script of "Road to Singapore" was presented to Fred MacMurray and Jackie Oakie, titled 'Road to Mandalay,' but they passed on it. A rewrite, 'Beach of Dreams,' was handed to George Burns and Gracie Allen with another male co-star, but Gracie thought "the whole thing was silly." That's when Crosby, Hope and Lamour entered the picture. The working title morphed into "Road to Singapore" even though the three don't get anywhere near the British territory.
Hope and Crosby didn't exactly envelop Frank Butler's script. They changed the dialogue to fit their personalities. Early in the filming, Butler was standing in the wings of the set when Hope quipped to the screenwriter, "Hey Frank! If you hear anything that sounds like one of your lines, just yell 'Bingo!" Lamour, who previously starred in a number of exotic island location films and was an ideal siren for the 'Road to..." foreign settings, was equally confused by her male counterparts' unscripted lines. Her best preparation, she confessed, was "What I really needed was a good night's sleep to be ready for the next morning's ad-libs. This method provided some very interesting results on screen. In fact, I used to ask to see the finished rushes to see what the movie was all about." Victor Schertzinger, music composer-turned-film director, would sit back and just enjoy the show, simply directing his cameraman to "Go!" and "Stop."
"The Road to Singapore" established an entirely new form of comedy for the screen. Film critic Lou Marrelli described their humor as setting "a new standard for the buddy picture and all comedy duos that would follow."
"In an era of staid and somewhat formulaic romantic comedies," wrote film critic Lou Marrelli, "Hope and Crosby broke that tedium by inundating their audience a barrage of wisecracks, joke and insults delivered in rapid-fire succession."
In "Road to Singapore," Hope and Crosby play globe trotting vagabonds whose journey to the South Pacific results in crossing paths-and falling in love with-Dorothy Lamour's character, islander Mima. Lamour starred in every 'Road to...' film except for the final one. Facing the two friends who previously vowed to never fall in love with a woman, Mima instantly melts their hearts, just as she does in all the "Road to..." features. Every 'Road to...' movie has the friends invent get-rich-quick schemes. In "Road to Singapore" they come up with a spot remover which unbeknownst to them is so strong it dissolves clothing. One of their famous trademarks introduced in the first film is when they get into a jam, they break out into their 'patti-cake' routine before slugging their adversaries, allowing them to scram.
Crosby and Hope met on the stage eight years earlier in 1932 in the same vaudeville show at the Capitol Theatre on Broadway. Hope was the emcee introducing Crosby, already a popular singer and movie actor. The two traded quips during the show, displaying a certain natural chemistry. Later, they hosted each other on their own radio show, jokingly ribbing one another on the air. When Hope relocated to Los Angeles from New York City, a 1937 charity show performance at the Del Mar Racetrack solidified their on-stage comfort level. Studio executives attending the benefit never forgot their smooth stage banter.
The original script of "Road to Singapore" was presented to Fred MacMurray and Jackie Oakie, titled 'Road to Mandalay,' but they passed on it. A rewrite, 'Beach of Dreams,' was handed to George Burns and Gracie Allen with another male co-star, but Gracie thought "the whole thing was silly." That's when Crosby, Hope and Lamour entered the picture. The working title morphed into "Road to Singapore" even though the three don't get anywhere near the British territory.
Hope and Crosby didn't exactly envelop Frank Butler's script. They changed the dialogue to fit their personalities. Early in the filming, Butler was standing in the wings of the set when Hope quipped to the screenwriter, "Hey Frank! If you hear anything that sounds like one of your lines, just yell 'Bingo!" Lamour, who previously starred in a number of exotic island location films and was an ideal siren for the 'Road to..." foreign settings, was equally confused by her male counterparts' unscripted lines. Her best preparation, she confessed, was "What I really needed was a good night's sleep to be ready for the next morning's ad-libs. This method provided some very interesting results on screen. In fact, I used to ask to see the finished rushes to see what the movie was all about." Victor Schertzinger, music composer-turned-film director, would sit back and just enjoy the show, simply directing his cameraman to "Go!" and "Stop."
"The Road to Singapore" established an entirely new form of comedy for the screen. Film critic Lou Marrelli described their humor as setting "a new standard for the buddy picture and all comedy duos that would follow."