Road to Bali (1952)

Two unemployed show-biz pals accept treasure-diving work in Bali for a local princess and they find treasure, love and trouble.

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

Frank Butler (screenplay), Hal Kanter (screenplay)

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

Having to leave Melbourne in a hurry to avoid various marriage proposals, two song-and-dance men sign on for work as divers. This takes them to an idyllic island on the way to Bali where they vie with each other for the favours of Princess Lala. The hazardous dive produces a chest of priceless jewels which arouses the less romantic interest of some shady locals.

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Plot Keywords:

romantic triangle | volcano eruption | romantic rivalry | reference to cecil b. demille | reference to johnny ray | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

In her 1980 autobiography, "My Side of the Road," (co-written with Dick McInnes), Dorothy Lamour relates how disappointed she was at not being asked to sing on the Decca album, which re-created the film score in the recording studio. Her umbrage was largely in response to learning that it was Bing Crosby himself who recruited Peggy Lee to replace her.

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Goofs

A man throws a boomerang at Hope and Crosby, Hope catches it then it's seen in the man's hand again.

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Quotes

Princess Lala: Do you always fight over girls?
Harold Gridley: Well, what else can we fight over? We've never had any money
[Looking straight into the camera]
Harold Gridley: That's for Washington!

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Crazy Credits

In the end, Harold Gridley is trying to get rid of the "The End" text, but it wouldn't go away. When it faded to black it reads "Positively The End".

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Connections

Follows Road to Morocco (1942)

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Soundtracks

MOON FLOWERS
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics by Johnny Burke
Performed by Dorothy Lamour

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 1953 (France)

Also Known As:

The Road to Hollywood

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bing Crosby Productions, Hope Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1