Road to Singapore (1940)

Director:

Victor Schertzinger

Writers:

Don Hartman (screen play) and
Frank Butler (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 March 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Ready For Fun . . Fight . . or a South Seas Romance . . . ! They find them all on the . . .

Plot:

Bing Crosby an Bob Hope star in the first of the 'Road to' movies as two playboys trying to forget previous romances in Singapore...

Plot Keywords:

Playboy | Pattycake Game | Feast | Engagement | Fistfight

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Joshua 'Josh' Mallon V
Dorothy Lamour	...	Mima
Bob Hope	...	Ace Lannigan
Charles Coburn	...	Joshua Mallon IV
Judith Barrett	...	Gloria Wycott
Anthony Quinn	...	Caesar
Jerry Colonna	...	Achilles Bombanassa
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Elvia Allman	...	Homely Girl (uncredited)
Johnny Arthur	...	Timothy Willow (uncredited)
Bobby Barber	...	Man Hit with Soap Suds (uncredited)
Monte Blue	...	High Priest (uncredited)
Harry C. Bradley	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Don Brodie	...	Fred (uncredited)
Arthur Q. Bryan	...	Bartender (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Yacht Party Guest (uncredited)
Carmen D'Antonio	...	Native Girl (uncredited)
Paula DeCardo	...	Native Dancing Girl (uncredited)
James Dime	...	Sailor in Saloon (uncredited)
Devi Dja	...	Native Girl (uncredited)
Gloria Franklin	...	Ninky Poo (uncredited)
Edward Gargan	...	Bill - Sailor (uncredited)
Greta Granstedt	...	Babe (uncredited)
Roger Gray	...	Cherry's Father (uncredited)
Grace Hayle	...	Chaperone on Yacht (uncredited)
Benny Inocencio	...	Native Boy (uncredited)
Claire James	...	Girl at Party (uncredited)
Dorothy Jarnac	...	Native Girl (uncredited)
Payne B. Johnson	...	Boy (uncredited)
Richard Keene	...	Cameraman (uncredited)
John Kelly	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Kitty Kelly	...	Sailor's Wife (uncredited)
Laura Knight	...	Native Girl (uncredited)
Helen Lynd	...	Society Girl (uncredited)
Fred Malatesta	...	Native Policeman (uncredited)
Miles Mander	...	Sir Malcolm Drake (uncredited)
Louis Mercier	...	Man with Ruined Suit (uncredited)
Belle Mitchell	...	Native Shopkeeper (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Chaperone's Companion (uncredited)
Henry Norton	...	Yacht Party Guest (uncredited)
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Immigration Officer (uncredited)
Marguerita Padula	...	Proprietress (uncredited)
Steve Pendleton	...	Gordon Wycott (uncredited)
Jack Pepper	...	Newspaper Columnist (uncredited)
Esther Pressman	...	Native Girl (uncredited)
Pedro Regas	...	Zato - Policeman (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Ship's Officer (uncredited)
Ronald R. Rondell	...	Yacht Party Guest (uncredited)
Robert St. Angelo	...	Native Policeman (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Man at Yacht Party (uncredited)
Jack Stoney	...	Tough Guy (uncredited)
Richard Tucker	...	Officer on Ship (uncredited)
Fred Walburn	...	Boy (uncredited)
Pierre Watkin	...	Morgan Wycott (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Schertzinger

Writing credits
Don Hartman		(screen play) and
Frank Butler		(screen play)
Harry Hervey		(based on a story by)
Barney Dean		uncredited
Ray Golden		special sequences (uncredited)
Sid Kuller		special sequences (uncredited)

Produced by
Harlan Thompson	....	producer
William LeBaron	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Victor Young		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
William C. Mellor		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Paul Weatherwax

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier
Robert Odell

Costume Design by
Edith Head		(costumes)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Templeton	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
A.E. Freudeman	....	interior decorator

Sound Department
John Cope	....	sound recordist
Earl S. Hayman	....	sound recordist (as Earl Hayman)

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography

Music Department
Victor Young	....	musical director

Other crew
LeRoy Prinz	....	dances stager (as Le Roy Prinz)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents) (as Paramount)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1940) (USA) (theatrical) (as A Paramount Picture)
• Les Films Paramount (1950) (France) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• M.P.E.A. (1948) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Paramount Films of Italy Inc. (????) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1947) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1993) (USA) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Esperanto

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #5839) | France:U | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In the climactic dance number, the natives of Kaigoon sing in Esperanto: "Behold, the new moon shines only love. A woman delights a man according to nature. So choose someone now and dance with him. A true heart beats indeed in each of us, ready and able and willing for you. Don't just stand there, come here."

Goofs:

Continuity: During the first fight involving Ace and Josh, Ace's hat falls off his head. He then crashes through the ship's door. When he stands up, his hat is back on his head.

Quotes:

Ace Lannigan:I just want you to stand there and admire me for a while. I just got an idea that's gonna make us a fortune. I don't know how I do it.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man: Duckman and Cornfed in 'Haunted Society Plumbers' (#4.14)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Too Romantic

Road to Riches

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