Road To Morocco (1942)

Director: David Butler David Butler

Overview

Having accidentally caused a merchant ship to blow up, stowaways Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are shipwrecked on the African coast in Road to Morocco. Commandeering a convenient camel (who takes time to ad-lib a spit in Hope's eye!), Bob and Bing are off on the road to Morocco, an event they celebrate in song. With nary a penny in their pockets, the boys try various methods to scare up a meal. Old reliable Bing shows up with the necessary funds; when Bob asks where the money came from, Bing calmly informs his pal that he's been sold into slavery. Bob is dragged off to parts unknown; later, Bing, his conscience bothering him, scours the town in search of his buddy. He stumbles into a luxurious palace, where Bob is being treated like a rajah. Even more puzzling, Bob is being kissed and cosseted by Moroccan-princess Dorothy Lamour, who announces plans to marry him in a few days! Neither Bing nor Bob can figure this out, but the audience knows that Dorothy has been advised by her astrologers that her first husband will suffer a violent death, and that her second marriage will be long and happy. Since Dorothy is affianced to desert sheik Anthony Quinn, ol' buddy Bob is once more set up as a dead duck. But Dorothy finds herself attracted to Bing, and forgets all about her pre-arranged marriage to Quinn (just as well, since Quinn is the heavy of the piece). On the eve of the wedding, the astrologers find they've made a mistake, and that Dorothy is now free to marry the man of her dreams-who, by this time, is Bing. Bob must console himself with handmaiden Dona Drake, who's some looker herself. As the wedding procession proceeds, Quinn comes riding into town, kidnaps Dorothy, and leaves Bob and Bing trussed up in the desert. Freeing themselves, Bob and Bing make their way through the desert wastes ("This must be where they empty the old hourglasses") in search of Quinn's camp. After an amusing series of mirages, the boys sneak into camp and attempt to rescue Dorothy and Dona. Imprisoned by Quinn, the boys muff an opportunity to use a magic ring, but still manage to escape. Using exploding cigars and hotfoots, our heroes sabotage a peace conference between Quinn and rival sheik George Givot, prompting a talking camel to remark "This is the screwiest picture I've ever been in." Bob, Bing and the girls escape to New York, but not before Crosby spoils Hope's chances at getting an Academy Award by interrupting Bob's "mad scene." Generally regarded as the best of the "Road" pictures, Road to Morocco is as fresh and funny today as it was back in 1942; even in repeated viewings, the rapid-fire one liners and comic setpieces result in boffo bellylaughs. An Oscar was bestowed upon Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen's ballad "Moonlight Becomes You."

Product Details

Release Date:	03/26/2019
UPC:	0738329236274
Original Release:	1942
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Presentation:	[B&W]

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bing Crosby	Jeff Peters
Bob Hope	Turkey Jackson
Dorothy Lamour	Princess Shalmar
Anthony Quinn	Mullay Kasim
Vladimir Sokoloff	Hyder Khan
Dona Drake	Mihirmah
Mikhail Rasumny	Ahmed Fey
Jamiel Hasson	Aide to Mullay Kasim
Monte Blue	Aide to Mullay Kasim
Louise LaPlanche	Handmaiden
Theo de Voe	Handmaiden
Brooke Evans	Handmaiden
Suzanne Ridgway	Handmaiden
Patsy Mace	Handmaiden
Yvonne De Carlo	Handmaiden
Poppy Wilde	Handmaiden
Ralph Penney	Arabian waiter
Dan Seymour	Arabian Buyer
Jerry Colonna	Actor
Victor Laplace	Handmaiden
Victor Groves	Actor
Sylvia Opert	Dancer
George Givot	Neb Jolla
Leon Belasco	Yusef
Sara Berner	Female Camel
Dick Botiller	Warrior
Rita Christiani	Specialty dancer
Harry Cording	Warrior
Edward Emerson	Bystander
Brandon Hurst	English Announcer
Cy Kendall	Fruit Stand Proprietor
George Lloyd	Guard
Richard Loo	Chinese announcer
Michael Mark	Arab Pottery Vendor
Leo Mostovoy	Russian announcer
Nestor Paiva	Arab Sausage Vendor
Stanley Price	Idiot
Kent Rogers	Male Camel
Sammy Stein	Guard
Andrew Tombes	Oso Bucco
Blue Washington	Nubian slave
Robert Barron	Gigantic Bearded Arab

Technical Credits

Frank R. Butler

Don Hartman

David Butler	Director
Frank R. Butler	Screenwriter
Hans Dreier	Art Director
Don Hartman	Screenwriter
Edith Head	Costumes/Costume Designer
Paul Jones	Producer
William C. Mellor	Cinematographer
Irene Morra	Editor
Paul Oscard	Choreography
Robert Usher	Art Director
Wally Westmore	Makeup
Victor Young	Score Composer,Musical Direction/Supervision

Editorial Reviews

The fact that the audience accepts a camel talking to them is proof that Road to Morocco achieves the same degree of priceless and inexplicable lunacy that can only be found in the best Warner Bros. cartoons. The third of the "Road" movies, Morocco is unarguably the highlight of this daffy, delightful series; the rapid-fire wisecracks, ridiculous situations, comic buffoonery of the stars, get-out-of-the-way-and-just-shoot direction of David Butler, and general air of zaniness come together in a way that makes Road to Morocco something very special. Although none of the individual participants have the innate, inspired zaniness that one associates with the Marx Brothers, somehow their talents coalesce in this picture into something very close to the organized chaos of which the brothers were masters. Even the songs are good (not always the case in the "Road" shows), with the title song featuring some felicitous lyrics, and the big ballad, "Moonlight Becomes You," is genuinely romantic. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are their usual selves, only deliriously more so, and Dorothy Lamour plays off of them with effortless skill. If there are weak links in the supporting cast (such as Anthony Quinn's one-note villain), it doesn't really matter. Road to Morocco is so "right" that its flaws don't matter.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler