The Road to Hong Kong (1962)

Mistaken identity and the acquisition of a rare Tibetan herb put two buffoonish con men on the wrong side of a secret organization geared toward world domination.

Director:

Norman Panama

Writers:

Melvin Frank, Norman Panama

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Joan Collins

Cast

Cast overview:
Bing Crosby	...	Harry Turner
Bob Hope	...	Chester Babcock
Joan Collins	...	Diane
Robert Morley	...	Leader of the 3rd Echelon
Walter Gotell	...	Dr. Zorbb
Felix Aylmer	...	Grand Lama
Alan Gifford	...	American Official
Michel Mok	...	Undetermined Role (as Michele Mok)
Katya Douglas	...	3rd Echelon Receptionist
Roger Delgado	...	Jhinnah
Robert Ayres	...	American Official
Mei Ling	...	Ming Toy
Jacqueline Jones	...	Blonde at Airport
Yvonne Shima	...	Poon Soon
Dorothy Lamour	...	Dorothy Lamour

Storyline

Bob Hope and Bing Crosby return as con men Chester Babcock and Harry Turner, in the last of their road movies. When Chester accidentally memorizes and destroys the only copy of a secret Russian formula for a new and improved rocket fuel, they are thrust into international intrigue, trying to stay alive while keeping the formula out of enemy hands.

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Plot Keywords:

herbs | rocket | tibet | megalomaniac | lama | 

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Taglines:

The last of the red hot Lamas!

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

A caminho de Hong Kong

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melnor Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In joke: Peter Sellers sings a few bars of "Thanks for the memory", Bob Hope's theme song.

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Goofs

As Chester Babcock is lifting off in his flying suit, the propeller behind him has stopped moving as the motor driving it has clearly stopped, yet the sound effect is of a small motor revving up.

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Quotes

Chester Babcock: [cracks open a fortune cookie and reads] "You are under grave suspicion. Your partner suspects you of dishonesty."
Chester Babcock: [passing it to Harry] Here, it's for you.

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Connections

Referenced in The Jack Benny Program: The Bob Hope Show (1962)

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Soundtracks

Teamwork
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Performed by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby
Also performed by Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Joan Collins

User Reviews

OK - but the other "Road to" films were better

Chester and Harry are con-men working their way around Asia. When an accident puts Chester in hospital with memory loss, the two contact a doctor who advises them of a ancient herb that will bring back all his memories. The herb also gives him the ability to memorise anything he reads.

A mix-up at the airport with an agent of a cult puts Chester in possession of formulae for a space rocket which the cult plan to use to put weapons on the moon and take control of the earth. The cult pursue the two leading to a range of crazy situations on earth.......and beyond!

That's the plot and, to quote Dorothy Lamor in this film "That's the plot so far? I'd better hide you.....from the critics!". The plot is, as always, a flimsy excuse for banter between Hope and Crosby. However in other "Road to...." movies the plot has been a little less silly. Here it's daft and too complicated to be totally forgotten about. And unfortunately the banter feels a little tired between the two, the other road movies felt fresher.

And it feels like they know it too - there's lots of tired routines, "special effects!" for one, and they have too many self-deprecating jokes. They're quite funny but after a while you realise that they're just saying it before anyone else does. However there still is much to like here - Hope and Crosby are still funny in a bad movie and some of their banter is still great, although the situations that give them the dialogue are daft.

Hope and Crosby play their characters with well rehearsed ease. A young Joan Collins is OK but comes over as a little over earnest. The larger-than-life Robert Morley plays the cult leader with seriousness and Peter Sellers wins the film with his Indian doctor cameo. There are a range of small cameos, some funny some not - Dorothy Lamor returns to the Road series, David Niven turns up for a few silent seconds and Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra take a gentle swipe at their rivals (although it's not very funny -"special effects!").

Overall this is a gentle comedy that you'll enjoy because of Hope and Crosby. The ridiculous plot takes away from it a lot (did they have to make it quite so silly?), and the musical numbers slow it down a bit. But to be honest, there's much better movies in the road series that this one.