''Road to Singapore'' is a 1940 American semi- musical

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Victor Schertzinger Victor L. Schertzinger (April 8, 1888 – October 26, 1941) was an American composer, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. His films include '' Paramount on Parade'' (co-director, 1930), ''Something to Sing About'' (1937) with James C ...

and starring Bing Crosby,

Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the '' Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing ...

and

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

. Based on a story by Harry Hervey, the film is about two playboys trying to forget previous romances in British Singapore, where they meet a beautiful woman. Distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film marked the debut of the long-running and popular "'' Road to ...''" series of pictures spotlighting the trio, seven in all. The supporting cast features

Charles Coburn Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American actor and theatrical producer. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award three times – in ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941), '' The More the M ...

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

, and Jerry Colonna.

Plot

Dorothy Lamour and Bing Crosby in Road to Singapore trailer

Josh Mallon ( Bing Crosby) and Ace Lannigan (

) are best friends and work aboard the same ship. As their ship returns to the US after a long voyage, they see all the other sailors being mistreated by their wives and girlfriends, and the two friends pledge never to get involved with women again. Unfortunately, this vow is tested almost immediately. First, Ace is confronted by the family of a former lover, Cherry, who insist he marry her. Then Josh, who is the son of rich shipping magnate (

), has to fend off his fiancée, Gloria ( Judith Barrett), and his father's wishes that he settle down and take over the family business. Things get worse when Josh and Ace get caught up fishing and turn up late for a party to celebrate Josh's engagement. Gloria's hostile drunken brother starts a fistfight and a news reporter takes photographs that cause a scandal. Josh and Ace flee to Hawaii and then head for Singapore. However, the pair only get as far as the island of Kaigoon before their money runs out. They rescue Mima (

), a local (but not native) woman, from her abusive dance-partner, Caesar (

), and she moves into their hut. Soon Mima is running the two men's lives, much to their chagrin. The trio try to make money in several different ways, including trying to sell a spot remover that is so bad it dissolves clothes. When Josh's father finally locates his wayward son, he and Gloria fly out to bring Josh back to face his responsibilities. The resentful Caesar leads them to where Ace, Josh and Mima are enjoying a local feast. By this point, both Josh and Ace have fallen in love with Mima. She is heartbroken to learn that Gloria is Josh's fiancée. Ace proposes to Mima, but before she can accept, Josh returns. The two friends almost come to blows over Mima, but then decide that she should choose between them. Mima picks Ace. Josh boards an ocean liner with Gloria and his father. Meanwhile, Caesar informs the local police that Ace is on the island illegally. Ace is arrested when he cannot produce a passport, but manages to escape. He and Mima flee aboard a ship, but Ace comes to realize that Mima really loves Josh. When Josh's ship docks at a tropical port, a passenger complains about a terrible spot remover that disintegrated his suit jacket. Josh realizes that Ace and Mima must be on the island. When he finds them, Ace tells his best friend that Mima really loves him.

Running gags

The "''

Road to … ''Road to ...'' is a series of seven comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. They are also often referred to as the "''Road''" pictures or the "''Road''" series. The movies were a combination of adventure, comedy, ...

''" series of films had several

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

s that appeared in nearly every movie. Most of these originated in ''Road to Singapore''. These include: *

Pat-a-cake "Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake, Baker’s Man", "Pat-a-Cake", "Patty-cake" or "Pattycake" is an English nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 6486. Verse :Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man. :Bake me a cake as fast as you can :R ...

– Ace and Josh play patty-cake as a distraction before starting a fistfight that allows them to escape * References to Bing's waistline (in this movie, Crosby himself pokes fun at his 'spare tire') * Confidence tricks – the two main characters are usually con-men, although in this movie it is not their starting profession

Cast

* Bing Crosby as Josh Mallon V *

as Mima *

as Ace Lannigan *

as Joshua Mallon IV * Judith Barrett as Gloria Wycott *

as Caesar * Jerry Colonna as Achilles Bombanassa *

Johnny Arthur Johnny Arthur (born John Lennox Arthur Williams; May 20, 1883 – December 31, 1951) was an American stage and motion picture actor. Early years Born in Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Arthur was a veteran of twenty-five years on stage before he made ...

as Timothy Willow * Pierre Watkin as Morgan Wycott * Gaylord Pendleton as Gordon Wycott *

Miles Mander Miles Mander (born Lionel Henry Mander; 14 May 1888 – 8 February 1946), was an English character actor of the early Hollywood cinema, also a film director and producer, and a playwright and novelist. He was sometimes credited as Luther Mile ...

as Sir Malcolm Drake * Pedro Regas as Zato *

Greta Granstedt Greta Granstedt (born Irene Louise Granstedt; July 13, 1907 – October 7, 1987) was an American film and television actress. Early life Irene "Greta" Granstedt was the second child of Theodore and Emma Granstedt, born in Scandia, Kansas. ...

as Babe *

Edward Gargan Edward Gargan (July 17, 1902 – February 19, 1964) was an American film and television actor. Career He was born of Irish parents in Brooklyn, New York. He was the elder brother of actor William Gargan. As soon as he had left college, he wen ...

as Bill * John Kelly as Sailor *

Kitty Kelly Kitty Kelly (born Sue O'Neil; April 27, 1902 – June 29, 1968), was an American stage and film character actress. Biography Born in New York City in 1902, Kelly was best known as a member of the Ziegfeld Follies and her radio hosting with C ...

as Sailor's wife * Roger Gray as Father * Monte Blue as High Priest * Harry C. Bradley as Secretary *

Cyril Ring Cyril Ring (December 5, 1892July 17, 1967) was an American film actor. He began his career in silent films in 1921. By the time of his final performance in 1951, he had appeared in over 350 films, nearly all of them in small and/or uncredited bit ...

as Ship's Officer *

Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticke ...

as Ship's Officer * Jack Pepper as Columnist * Arthur Q. Bryan as Bartender *

Robert Emmett O'Connor Robert Emmett O'Connor (March 18, 1885 – September 4, 1962) was an Irish-American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1919 and 1950. He is probably best remembered as the warmhearted bootlegger Paddy Ryan in '' The Public En ...

as Native Immigration Officer *

Belle Mitchell Belle Mitchell (September 24, 1889 – February 12, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1978. She was born in Croswell, Michigan and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Partia ...

as Native shopkeeper * Fred Malatesta as Native policeman *

Elvia Allman Elvia Beatrice Allman (September 19, 1904 – March 6, 1992) was an American actress in Hollywood films and television programs for over 50 years. She is best remembered for her semi-regular roles on ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' and ''Petticoat J ...

as Homely Girl *

Bobby Barber Bobby Barber (December 18, 1894 – May 24, 1976) was an American actor who appeared in over 100 films. Barber is notable for his work as a foil for Abbott and Costello on and off screen. Biography Barber was born Robert S. Barbera in New York. ...

as Man

Production

Bing Crosby in Road to Singapore trailer

According to Hope biographer Raymond Strait, the project which became ''Road to Singapore'' was first offered to Fred MacMurray and

Jack Oakie Jack Oakie (born Lewis Delaney Offield; November 12, 1903 – January 23, 1978) was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television. He portrayed Napaloni in Chaplin's ''The Great Dictator'' (194 ...

(under the working title of ''Road to Mandalay''), and after they declined, to

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

and

Gracie Allen Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen (July 26, 1895 – August 27, 1964) was an American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns, her straight man, ...

(as ''Beach of Dreams''), with a second male lead to be determined. They also declined. (Burns is quoted as saying that Gracie "thought the whole thing was silly.") At this point, Paramount decided to pair Crosby with Hope, taking advantage of their friendly feud on their radio shows, and to take advantage of the screen popularity of Lamour, who had already made several lucrative pictures with a "South Seas" theme. Crosby and Hope had recently appeared live together at

Del Mar Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "from the sea". It may refer to: Places in the United States * Del Mar, California * Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California * Del Mar racetrack, located in Del Mar, California * Del Mar Fai ...

(Crosby's racetrack) beforehand, amazing onlookers with how smoothly they worked together, but their audience didn't realize that they'd briefly performed together on the vaudeville stage years earlier, getting a few routines down pat. Although the ''Road to Singapore'' script was written by established screenwriters Frank Butler and Don Hartman and directed by

, some of the material was ad libbed by Hope and Crosby or surreptitiously contributed by their own writing staffs (including Sid Kuller and Ray Golden). Filming began in Hollywood on October 2, 1939 and continued until December. The jungle scenes were filmed at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. This was the only installment of the series in which Hope was billed third, under Dorothy Lamour. After this picture, the billing order remained Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour until ''

The Road to Hong Kong ''The Road to Hong Kong'' is a 1962 British semi-musical comedy film directed by Norman Panama and starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, as well as Joan Collins, with an extended cameo featuring Dorothy Lamour in the setting of Hong Kong under Br ...

'' more than two decades later, in which Lamour was replaced with

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

and relegated to a smaller role when Crosby insisted on a younger

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

. Hope fought to get her into the picture, albeit in a reduced capacity.

Reception

Charles Coburn in Road to Singapore trailer

''Road to Singapore'' premiered March 13, 1940, at the Paramount Theatre in New York City.

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

's orchestra (with Frank Sinatra) highlighted the accompanying stage show. The film was an immediate box office success, helped in large measure by good reviews and by Hope's promotion of it on his weekly

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

show. The film was placed at No. 17 in the list of 1940s top-grossing movies in the United States. A review in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote, "Much of the humor is whacky and nonsensical, but made palatable in the manner of presentation by the Crosby-Hope team and crackerjack direction of Victor Schertizinger." '' Harrison's Reports'' wrote that the story made "little sense", but that this "does not matter much, for the entertaining qualities of the picture are the gags, the songs, and the clowning on the part of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope", who were called "excellent as a team." '' Film Daily'' agreed, reporting that "Bing and Bob make up a swell team, with a resulting heavy bundle of laughs."

John Mosher John Mosher (1928–1998) was an American jazz bassist, classical bassist and composer who worked, recorded and toured with a wide range of primarily West Coast artists from the 1950s through the mid-1990s. Early years A native of Sioux City, I ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' found the film trivial but wrote that it "saunters along as easily as any of the collection" of comedies playing that week. Frank S. Nugent of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote a dissenting negative review, saying the film squandered its possibilities. He metaphorically called the road "cobbled with good intentions", but "altogether too uneven for regular use."

Soundtrack

Jerry Colonna in Road to Singapore trailer

* "Captain Custard" ( Johnny Burke and

) by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby * "The Moon and the Willow Tree" (Burke and Schertzinger) by Dorothy Lamour * "Sweet Potato Piper" (Burke and James V. Monaco) by Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Bob Hope * "Too Romantic" (Burke and Monaco) by Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour * "Kaigoon" (Burke and Monaco) by the chorus (with Esperanto lyrics) Bing Crosby recorded three of the songs for Decca Records. "Too Romantic" was a big hit reaching the No. 3 position in the charts during a 12-week stay. "Sweet Potato Piper" also reached the top 20. Crosby's songs were also included in the Bing's Hollywood series.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Strait, Raymond (2003). ''Bob Hope: A Tribute''. New York: Pinnacle Books, .

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Road To Singapore 1940 films 1940 romantic comedy films 1940 musical comedy films American adventure comedy films American buddy comedy films American musical comedy films American comedy road movies American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films American black-and-white films Films set in Singapore Films set in Oceania Films set on islands Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Victor Schertzinger Films scored by Victor Young 2000s comedy road movies Esperanto-language films Esperanto music 1940s English-language films 1940s American films