Road to Singapore (1940)

My Review

The famous “Road” pictures starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby started in 1940 with “Road to Singapore.” The story always features the pair getting into jams accompanied by co-star Dorothy Lamour. In this one, they depict two playboys who try to forget previous romances in Singapore – until they meet a beautiful dancer.

Much of the screenplay by Frank Butler and Don Hartman probably went out the window as Hope and Crosby adlibbed much of the film’s dialogue. Director Victor Schertzinger (“Something to Sing About” 1937) surely had a fun job, along with co-stars Charles Coburn, Anthony Quinn, Jerry Colonna, and Judith Barrett. “Road to Singapore” was a huge sensation at the box office for producer Harlan Thompson and Paramount Pictures. It was filmed around Southern California, especially at Paramount’s sound stages in Hollywood.