Starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, and Gale Sondergaard
Directed by Norman McLeod
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke
After they hit the frozen Yukon in Utopia, Paramount brought their Road travelers back to warmer climes for their fifth film, one Bing and Bob financed themselves. This time, it was such a hit, it wound up being the biggest film of 1948. Is it still hilarious today, or should it be left onboard? Let's start with Scat Sweeney (Crosby) and Hot Lips Barton (Hope) getting chased literally across the US map, and find out...
The Story: Scat and Hot Lips stow away on an ocean liner bound for Rio De Janeiro, Brazil after accidentally starting a fire at a circus. Once onboard, they swear they'll never get involved with women again...until Scat discovers Lucia de Andrade (Lamour) about to commit suicide. He talks her down and learns that she's returning to Brazil to marry her fiancee, the brother of her guardian Catherine Vail (Sondergaard). They don't know what to think when she turns them in, only to get them jobs as musicians on the ship minutes later.
They finally sneak her off the ship when they arrive in Brazil. Corralling three local musicians (The Wiere Brothers), they pass themselves off as a band in a night club with Lucia as their singer. Once again, the moment Catherine finds her, she gives them away. They learn from an agent (Robert Barrat) that Vail wants to control Lucia and her vast fortune via certain papers locked away in Lucia's home. Turns out Catherine's hypnotizing her into doing her bidding. She tries it on Scat and Hot Lips, too, but they manage to snap out of it. Now they have to find those papers and stop the wedding, before Catherine tries any more of her tricks.
The Song and Dance: Sondergaard gets high marks here as probably the best - or at least, the most unique - villain from the Road series. Her creepy wiles scare even Bing and Bob and lend a slightly eerie vibe to the crazy goings-on. In fact, this has one of the more intriguing plots in the series, with Lucia's back-and-forth and the race for the papers in the second half. The Wiere Brothers have some funny moments during the nightclub segment in the middle of the film when Scat teaches them hipster argot, and it's the only English they know.
Favorite Number: Scat and Hot Lips open at the circus with their big vaudeville duet on the wonders of "Apalachicola, Fla." Bing explains why "But Beautiful" is just a song when he describes what's really going on in a scene from a movie musical showing on board to Lucia. Bing joins The Andrews Sisters on the ship as they insist "You Don't Have to Know the Language" to understand the language of love. "Experience" is Lucia's number at the nightclub as she laments that said "experience" keeps her from love. "Batuque No Morro" is the big number at the wedding. The Wiere Brothers sing and clown to the genuine South American number, to the delight of the crowd. Scat and Hot Lips do their idea of a tempestuous tango, Hot Lips as Carmen Miranda in drag.
Trivia: Look for Jerry Colonna in the end as the head of the cavalry that never makes it to Lucia's wedding.
What I Don't Like: This one is a tad less freewheeling than some of the other Road movies. Few stereotypes, but also not as many wacky gags or talking animals. The middle drags a little despite the gags with the Wiere Brothers, and really doesn't have much to do with the rest of the movie. The plot is stronger than usual, but ultimately doesn't make much sense. The papers suddenly appear half-way through the film and disappear when they've served their purpose in the end.
The Big Finale: Probably not the best Road movie to start with for newcomers, but fans will enjoy Bing, Bob, and Dorothy's antics in South America.
Home Media: On Blu-Ray from Kino-Lorber International.
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