Road to Singapore

"Ready For Fun . . Fight . . or a South Seas Romance . . . ! They find them all on the . . ."

1940 1h 25m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 49

ComedyMusicRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two playboys try to forget previous romances in Singapore – until they meet a beautiful dancer.

“Ready For Fun . . Fight . . or a South Seas Romance . . . ! They find them all on the . . .”

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Cast

Bing Crosby
Josh Mallon
Dorothy Lamour
Mima
Bob Hope
Ace Lannigan
Charles Coburn
Joshua Mallon IV
Judith Barrett
Gloria Wycott
Anthony Quinn
Caesar
Jerry Colonna
Achilles Bombanassa
Elvia Allman
Homely Girl (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Victor Schertzinger
Writers: Don Hartman, Frank Butler, Barney Dean
Languages: English, Esperanto
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

86 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Esperanto.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Road to... Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Victor Schertzinger, shot by William C. Mellor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Victor Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Paul Weatherwax shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Victor Schertzinger directs. William C. Mellor behind the camera. Victor Young scores. Paul Weatherwax cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Esperanto.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
286 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Esperanto.
4Part of the "Road to... Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Victor Schertzinger, shot by William C. Mellor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Victor Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Paul Weatherwax shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour and Bob Hope carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Ready For Fun . . Fight . . or a South Seas Romance . . . ! They find them all on the . . .".
10IMDB entry: tt0032993 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 49 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Original score: Victor Young
Editing: Paul Weatherwax
Costume design: Edith Head
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $3,200,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Road to Singapore (1940)

Part of

Road to... Collection

Road to ... refers to 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, romance, and music. The minimal plot often took a back seat to gags, many of them supposedly ad-libed by Crosby and Hope during filming.

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Victor Schertzinger

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-02-04
So it begins. Bob Hope & Bing Crosby team up here for what was the start of a musical comedy franchise that would yield seven movies in total. Six of which would also feature Dorothy Lamour as the leading lady. This first outing finds the boys and Dorothy on the island of Kaigoon, where the lads are escaping from scandal and romantic entanglements and she tied to an abusive partner played by Anthony Quinn. With no money and trouble coming thick and fast, the three of them will do well to survive the week together, especially since love is once again in the air. It's probably (in a good way) the simplicity of the plotting's that made it such a popular franchise. For the "Road" movies are in truth simple frameworks on which to hang the charming comedy contrasts of Hope & Crosby. Though Crosby is not the straight man as such, he's the more reserved part of the duo, his mannered delivery of the lines and his casual approach to the scrapes they get in blends delightfully with Hope's more crash bang characterisations. And of course they are aided by Lamour who acts as not just as a catalyst for some play off shenanigans, but also as the rose between two spiky hormonal thorns. Road To Singapore is far from the best of the series and far from being the worst, but it holds up very well and harks back to a time when harmless innuendo, breezy pacing and a willingness to let the actors ad lib situations made for good wholesome comedy. Good songs dot themselves throughout the piece too, with the stand out being "Too Romantic" performed by Crosby & Lamour. A lovely little piece that serves as a foundation for a much loved series. 6.5/10

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