The Road to Utopia, made in 1943 but not released until 1946, was the fourth in the successful 'Road To...' film series and the only film not to be named after a real location.
Told in the form of a flashback with the made-up to be elderly Hope, Crosby and Lamour featured at both beginning and end, the story tells of two vaudevillians joining forces with a damsel in distress as they are chased through Alaska by a gang of crooks and two desperate murderers as they all try and find a lost goldmine.
This entry seems to pick up where Road to Morocco left off, with the fourth wall well and truly pulled down as far as Hope was concerned, as he makes endless comments to the audience, lampooning his radio sponsors and the movie studio to which he was signed, and makes more than a couple of references to Mr. Crosby's falling popularity due to young usurper Sinatra.
In fact Hope is at his best in this movie managing to cram more one-liners and jokes into one minute of screen time than most comedians manage to cram into an entire career.
We are also faced with more talking animals, more anarchic mayhem and more wonderful songs.
Bing sings 'It's Everybody's Spring' and the wonderful, 'Welcome to my Dreams' and Lamour croons the rather racy and risqué for its day 'Personality' Hope and Crosby sing 'Good Time Charlie' and 'Put it There' perhaps the song that best sums up their great screen partnership and friendship, with the lyrics to both verse and chorus berating and insulting the other, through which the friendship still shines through. Brilliant.
However, how the ending got through the censor is beyond me, when the elderly Hope and Lamour introduce the elderly Crosby to their son. When the son turns out to be played by Bing himself and after a shifty and uncomfortable look from Lamour, Hope turns to camera and tells the audience in an equally shifty way, "We adopted him!" For 1946 that was proper raunch.
Great plot, Great gags, Great Songs and Great Fun.
Told in the form of a flashback with the made-up to be elderly Hope, Crosby and Lamour featured at both beginning and end, the story tells of two vaudevillians joining forces with a damsel in distress as they are chased through Alaska by a gang of crooks and two desperate murderers as they all try and find a lost goldmine.
This entry seems to pick up where Road to Morocco left off, with the fourth wall well and truly pulled down as far as Hope was concerned, as he makes endless comments to the audience, lampooning his radio sponsors and the movie studio to which he was signed, and makes more than a couple of references to Mr. Crosby's falling popularity due to young usurper Sinatra.
In fact Hope is at his best in this movie managing to cram more one-liners and jokes into one minute of screen time than most comedians manage to cram into an entire career.
We are also faced with more talking animals, more anarchic mayhem and more wonderful songs.
Bing sings 'It's Everybody's Spring' and the wonderful, 'Welcome to my Dreams' and Lamour croons the rather racy and risqué for its day 'Personality' Hope and Crosby sing 'Good Time Charlie' and 'Put it There' perhaps the song that best sums up their great screen partnership and friendship, with the lyrics to both verse and chorus berating and insulting the other, through which the friendship still shines through. Brilliant.
However, how the ending got through the censor is beyond me, when the elderly Hope and Lamour introduce the elderly Crosby to their son. When the son turns out to be played by Bing himself and after a shifty and uncomfortable look from Lamour, Hope turns to camera and tells the audience in an equally shifty way, "We adopted him!" For 1946 that was proper raunch.
Great plot, Great gags, Great Songs and Great Fun.