Road to Bali (1952)

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

Frank Butler (writer)
Hal Kanter (writer)

Release Date:

8 April 1953 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

TOGETHER AGAIN!...in the BEST and FUNNIEST "Road" Picture Yet!

Plot:

Having to leave Melbourne in a hurry to avoid various marriage proposals, two song-and-dance men sign on for work as divers...

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Sequel | Beautiful Woman | Flute | Love Triangle

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	George Cochran
Bob Hope	...	Harold Gridley
Dorothy Lamour	...	Princess Lala
Murvyn Vye	...	Ken Arok
Peter Coe	...	Gung
Ralph Moody	...	Bhoma Da
Leon Askin	...	King Ramayana

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1953) | Finland:K-8 (1965) | Australia:G | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bing Crosby Productions

Trivia:

The sixth of the seven Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour "Road" films.

Goofs:

Continuity: When George and Harold meet Lala, Harold's coat is held on his right shoulder. But, between shots, Harold appears holding the coat in front of himself.

Quotes:

[George and Harold are surrounded by beautiful native women. Offstage voice shrieks "A-ough! Oh no!"]
George Cochran: What's that?
Harold Gridley: Oh, that's Errol Flynn. He can't stand it.

Movie Connections:

References Rain (1932)

Soundtrack:

MOON FLOWERS

The Bob and Bing Show

In this very lighthearted comedy, Bob and Bing ham it up in the South Pacific, in search of women and adventure. The plot, which involves deep-sea diving for sunken treasure, is super shallow ... so to speak. But of course the film is just an excuse to highlight the talents of the comic and the crooner. And talent they had. But here, neither the jokes nor the songs are memorable. Fortunately, Dorothy Lamour is on hand to spice things up. The sets are mildly interesting, in a tacky sort of way.

For me, the real value of the "road" movies is the perspective they bring to cinema viewing. My ... how movies have changed in fifty years, and not necessarily for the better. "Road To Bali" wouldn't fly today ... or float, for that matter. But for fans of Hope and Crosby, the film is a pleasant, harmless diversion, a reminder of a more innocent, bygone era in film-making.