Road to Utopia (1945)

Two vaudeville flops pose as bad guys and join the Klondike gold rush with a saloon singer.

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

Norman Panama (original screenplay), Melvin Frank (original screenplay)

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bing Crosby	...	Duke Johnson
Bob Hope	...	Chester Hooton
Dorothy Lamour	...	Sal Van Hoyden
Hillary Brooke	...	Kate
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Ace Larson
Jack La Rue	...	LeBec (as Jack LaRue)
Robert Barrat	...	Sperry
Nestor Paiva	...	McGurk
Robert Benchley	...	Narrator

Storyline

At the turn of the century, Duke and Chester, two vaudeville performers, go to Alaska to make their fortune. On the ship to Skagway, they find a map to a secret gold mine, which had been stolen by McGurk and Sperry, a couple of thugs. They disguise themselves as McGurk and Sperry to get off the ship. Meanwhile, Sal Van Hoyden is in Alaska to try and recover the map; it had been her father's. She falls in with Ace Larson, who wants to steal the gold mine for himself. Duke and Chester, McGurk and Sperry, Ace and his henchmen, and Sal, chase each other all over the countryside, trying to get the map.

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Plot Keywords:

road movie | map | alaska | vaudeville | mistaken identity | 

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Taglines:

IT'S A SLEIGH RIDE OF HILARITY...WITH BING, BOB & DOTTY! (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Tower Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - September 6, 1946 - all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of Stanley Beebe's bear act was " Beebe's Hollywood Bears" and also worked with Mary Beth Hughes at "Twentieth Century-Fox Pictures."

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Goofs

When Crosby is playing cards at the start of the movie the number and position of the cards changes between shots.

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Quotes

Chester Hooton: What goes with the local peasantry?
Duke Johnson: One look at us and they run right out of the joint.
Chester Hooton: I feel like I'm back in vaudeville.

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Crazy Credits

Narrator Robert Benchley credits himself orally in a precredit sequence.

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Connections

Featured in Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues (1989)

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Soundtracks

Sunday, Monday or Always
(1943)
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics by Johnny Burke
Played on a radio and sung by Bing Crosby

User Reviews

Hope, Crosby and Lamour excel in one of the best of the "Road" series

Duke Johnson (Bing Crosby) and Chester Hooton (Bob Hope) are struggling entertainers down on their luck who travel to Alaska. Killers Sperry and McGurk steal a vital map showing the location of a gold mine. Our two heroes manage to obtain the map and decide to impersonate Sperry and McGurk which leads them into more trouble than they could ever have imagined. Along the way they meet saloon singer Sal Van Hoyden (Dorothy Lamour) and as usual both men compete for her charms. With Sperry and McGurk hot on their trail plus other assorted villains after them Hope and Crosby get into many tight corners but they still find time for some catchy songs along the way including "Put It There Pal" which is a typical Hope/Crosby kind of number and Dorothy Lamour puts over "Personality" with her usual flair.

Of all seven of the "Road" pictures there are four which to me are outstanding and superior to any other comedy films from that same period. The "Road" films have certainly stood the test of time over the years and not become dated. My four favourites are the Roads to "Morocco", "Utopia", "Rio" and "Bali". Hope and Crosby worked well together as a team and in "Road to Utopia" reached new comedy heights. The film is very fast moving with gag following gag, talking animals, many hilarious comedy routines and situations, and even has Robert Benchley occasionally interrupting the proceedings to give an entertaining commentary on the film. The film is told in "flashback" and has a brilliant pay-off line at the end (one of the best in the entire "Road" series).

Some favourite lines from the film:

Bob Hope (to Bing Crosby): "I didn't think there was one more way to get the cops after us but you found it!".

Hope (to Crosby): "Next time I'll bring Sinatra!". (When Crosby loses a talent contest on board ship).

Hope (to Crosby): "It may be a mountain to you but it's bread and butter to me".

Hope (to Douglass Dumbrille): "I'll take a lemonade .... in a dirty glass!".

Hope (to audience): "We adopted him!".

The "Road" films never won any Oscars but brought an enormous amount of pleasure to a lot of people during the 40's. Hope and Crosby were a great team and made seven "Road" films in total. They both had very successful careers separately in movies, television, radio and on the stage and were probably two of the biggest stars to come out of Hollywood in the thirties and forties. 10/10. Clive Roberts.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Road to Utopia

Filming Locations:

June Lake, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1