Search - Road to Singapore on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Excellent For Children Movie Release: 1940 DVD Release: 03/05/2002 Format: DVD - Black and White Edition: Dual Layered,Special Collection Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 26 mins Studio: Universal Studios Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Comedy, Adventure Comedy, Buddy Film

The story goes that such stars as Fred MacMurray, Jack Oakie and Burns & Allen had turned down The Road to Singapore before the leading roles went to Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. More conventionally structured than future "Road" efforts, the film casts Crosby as Josh Mallon, the irresponsible son of shipping magnate Joshua Mallon IV (Charles Coburn). Though the elder Mallon wants his son to enter the family business and marry longtime fiancee Gloria Wycott (Judith Barrett), Josh would rather pal around with his carefree sailor buddy Ace Lannigan (Bob Hope). On the eve of his wedding, Josh escapes with Ace to Singapore, where the two of them cook up a get-rich-quick scheme involving a highly unreliable spot remover. The boys' friendship is strained when they both fall in love with cabaret dancer Mima (Dorothy Lamour), who is on the lam from her jealous partner Caesar (Anthony Quinn). Hiding out from the authorities, the three protagonists wind up in the midst of a native ceremony, where Ace and Mima rescue Josh from a hasty marriage to a local temptress. When Gloria shows up to drag Josh back to the altar, Mima nobly gives him up, pretending to be in love with Ace. Eventually, however, big-hearted Ace realizes that Mima belongs with Josh, and thus concocts another scheme to lure his pal back to the Far East. Though many of the earmarks of the "Road" series are evident in Road to Singapore (the "patty-cake" bit, the presence of such guest stars as Hope's radio stooge Jerry Colonna, etc.), the film lacks the spontaneous quality of the later Hope-Crosby-Lamour starrers. Even so, it's an awful lot of fun, especially when Bob and Bing team up on the novelty number "Captain Custard" and Dorothy croons her requisite "moon and stars" romantic ballads. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bing Crosby - Josh Mallon
Dorothy Lamour - Mima
Bob Hope - Ace Lannigan
Charles Coburn - Joshua Mallon IV
Judith Barrett - Gloria Wycott
Anthony Quinn - Caesar

The very first of the Hope and Crosby "Road" movies, Road to Singapore, comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. Spanish and French subtitles are accessible, and the soundtrack is closed-captioned. Supplemental materials include a still photo gallery, the theatrical trailer, production notes, a sing-along, and a pair of featurettes on Bob Hope. This is a solid presentation of a classic comedy from Universal. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide