Starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, and Murvyn Vye
Directed by Hal Walker
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke
It took almost five years for Hope, Crosby, and Lamour to come together again for another jaunt down the Road. Once again, Crosby and Hope financed it through their own companies. A lot of things had changed since 1947, though. Newer comedy teams with faster, hipper acts were coming into films, and there was also the looming specter of television. Paramount upped their ante with color, bigger numbers, and cameos by major stars of the era. How does all this work with the story of two American singers in Australia who help a South Seas princess look for treasure and save her from head hunters? Let's begin with a travelogue of Australia as it describes some of it's most famous treasures...including those two American singers, who are currently performing in Melbourne...and find out...
The Story: Harold Gridley (Hope) and George Cochran (Crosby) barely escape Melbourne ahead of several farmers who want shotgun marriages. After they flee the train, they're hired in Darwin on the coast by the Prince Ken Arok (Vye) who wants them to uncover a long-lost underwater treasure. He takes them to his kingdom not far from Bali, Indonesia. There, they compete for the favors of the lovely Princess Lala McTavish (Lamour).
Turns out that the treasure Arok wants them to dive into the coral for is guarded by a legendarily monstrous squid. Even after they manage to escape the squid and Arok with the treasure, they accidentally wreck the ship and end up on another remote island. If encountering tigers, traps, and an amorous female gorilla wasn't bad enough, they also have to contend with Arok and the chief of a group of head hunters who wants to marry Lala and get them out of the picture...and the movie, too.
The Song and Dance: Along with the lush Technicolor cinematography, the gags are the best thing about this. This one features some of the funniest fourth-wall breaking wisecracks in the entire series and some amusing gags revolving around Hope and a flute he plays that can bring up beautiful women from a basket. Lamour has slightly more to do than usual, including the trio's second and last number together. Look for cameos from Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (Paramount's major comedy team of the time), Humphrey Bogart in a clip from The African Queen, Bing's younger brother Bob Crosby, and in the finale, Jane Russell.
Favorite Number: The boys' vaudeville hat-and-cane number in the opening here is "Chicago-Style," which is disrupted by two Australian farmers who think the guys want to marry their pretty daughters. Lamour's languid ballad "Moonflowers" is heard twice. She's introduced singing it to her handmaidens as they weave a Scottish tartan that is definitely out of place in Indonesia. After they've been shipwrecked, she sings it again while floating around in a crystal-clear pool of water. The boys watch in delight...but Paramount knows better than to let two lusty middle-aged men join her, even after the branch they lean on breaks.
We get a strange dance routine with many-armed golden Indonesian statues at the party for Harry and George on the island that perform a stiff, waving instrumental number. The princess and her court prefer this spectacle over Harry and George's Scottish spoof "Hoots Man," with them in kilts, playing bagpipes, and trading bad Scotsman jokes. My personal favorite comic number from any of the road movies is "The Merry Go Run-Around." Lala admits that yes, she does love both guys but can't decide in a hilarious trio that ends with them swinging around on vines. It sums up the entire series and Lamour's role in it more than any words could.
Trivia: There were to have been two more numbers, a large-scale routine for Crosby, Hope, Lamour, and the chorus to the title song, along with an extended Indonesian ballet. The numbers was ultimately cut. The title song can only be heard in the opening credits and on a soundtrack album featuring Crosby and Peggy Lee.
Currently owned by Sony Pictures via Fremantle, but it's generally considered to be in the public domain.
What I Don't Like: Even more than most of the Road movies, it helps to know something about the early 50's in Hollywood and Australian and American pop culture at the time to get a lot of the jokes. Those who aren't up on their history of the mid-20th century may be a little confused or wonder what all the fuss is about. Other than "Merry Go-Run-Around," the songs aren't nearly as memorable as some of the earlier entries in the series. After the bizarre wedding with Lala almost marrying both guys and them nearly getting killed by the head hunters, the ending is weird and more than a little anti-climatic.
The Big Finale: Opinions on this one seem to be divided online. Some think it's one of the funniest Road movies; others lament the silly story and the dated references. For me, it's my second-favorite Road movie after Morocco. Highly recommended for fans of the series (though I still say you should start with the earlier Morocco or Zanzibar before before coming here).
Home Media: Thanks to it being in the public domain, it's easy to find anywhere, often for under $10. Look for the Kino-Lorber Blu-Ray and streaming copies.
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