Road to Zanzibar
Director: Victor Schertzinger
Year: 1941
Rating: 7.0
This
is the second of the Road movies with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.
Their previous film, Road to Singapore had been an accident as much as anything
but it was a big hit and Paramount not missing a beat put out this film.
Which only goes to show that so many of the successful films from that period
were luck as much as anything - pull some actors together, rip off a script
and sometimes there was magic. Casablanca was probably the best example of
this. But there was no genius who thought - Hope and Crosby and the sex appeal
of Lamour will be a smash. All three of them were just available at the time.
For this one Paramount had bought the rights to a book about explorers in
Africa and they had no idea what to do with it - and so turned it into a
comedy for these three. These films feel like they are covered with dust
but blow it off and you have some really enjoyable films with comedy, romance,
songs and mainly the chemistry between the actors. Hope and Crosby were linked
together for the rest of their careers.
Though they all play different characters
in all the films, they are basically the same characters with slightly different
plots. Hope and Crosby are off in some exotic locations (the Paramount back
lot), usually broke and scheming to get rich, playing off each other like
a fine duet, a lady comes into view and they both go after her and Crosby
gets her in the end. In between he sings a few songs, Lamour too and Hope
is most of the comic relief with the wise cracks and the butt of Crosby's
plots. But through thick and thin they remain friends. It is a simple enough
formula but it worked.
In this one they are in Africa working in
circuses with their act. Which always puts Hope in harms way. First as a
human cannonball (a con), an electronic light bulb and a flying bat. They
have saved up $5,000 and are ready to go home when Crosby is swindled out
of it by Eric Blore selling them a diamond mine. They in turn sell it for
$7,000 and go on the run. They run into another swindle, this time with big
brown eyes. Una Merkel pulls the old stunt - my friend is being sold in a
slave auction - her friend is Lamour - please buy her. One look at Lamour
and they are willing to hock their shoes. It is a 50/50 split between the
girls and the slave trader (Douglass Dumbrille).
There is more conning to go as the girls
get them to hire a safari to take them to Lamour's sick father - in fact
to the man she wants to marry. There are a few good bits here - Crosby and
Lamour on a canoe in the moonlight and they laugh about how silly it is in
movies when an orchestra will swell up and the characters sings - and of
course that happens. Their drum concerto that brings a native tribe that
can't decide if they are Gods or tomorrow's dinner, a nutty wrestling match
with an ape. But mainly it is full of Hope's quips - some good, some fall
flat but they never stop and the genial and pleasant mood of the film.
