The Road to Hong Kong

"The last of the red hot Lamas!"

1962 1h 31m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 34

ComedyAdventureMusicScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Chester accidentally memorises and destroys the only copy of a secret Russian formula for a new and improved rocket fuel, he and Harry are thrust into international intrigue, trying to stay alive while keeping the formula out of enemy hands.

“The last of the red hot Lamas!”

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Cast

Bing Crosby
Harry Turner
Bob Hope
Chester Babcock
Joan Collins
Diane
Robert Morley
Leader of the 3rd Echelon
Walter Gotell
Dr. Zorbb
Felix Aylmer
Grand Lama
Alan Gifford
American Official
Michel Mok
Undetermined Role (as Michele Mok)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Norman Panama
Writers: Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
Languages: English
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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

64 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Norman Panama, shot by Jack Hildyard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and Joan Collins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The last of the red hot Lamas!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Norman Panama directs. Jack Hildyard behind the camera. Robert Farnon scores. Alan Osbiston cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
264 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Road to... Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Norman Panama, shot by Jack Hildyard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Robert Farnon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Alan Osbiston shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and Joan Collins carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The last of the red hot Lamas!".
9IMDB entry: tt0056417 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 34 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "musical", "hong kong", "black and white", "buddy comedy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack Hildyard
Original score: Robert Farnon
Editing: Alan Osbiston
Production design: Roger K. Furse
Costume design: Anthony Mendleson
Makeup / hair: David Aylott
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,000,000
Box office: $5,200,000
Return: 260% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Road to Hong Kong (1962)

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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Norman Panama

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What people are saying

John Chard2019-07-28
★ 7/10
The Seventh Voyage of Bing and Bob. The Road to Hong Kong is the seventh and final film in the "Road To" series of films starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. It's directed by Norman Panama and Panama co-writes the screenplay with Melvin Frank. Music is by Robert Farnon and cinematography is by Jack Hildyard. Plot pitches Hope and Crosby in the middle of a mistaken identity scenario and thus mixed up with an organisation intent on world domination via the moon! There had been a ten year gap since The Road to Bali was released in 1952, but such was the success and popularity of the series the boys were once again trundled out for one last "Road To" hurrah. Behind the scenes squabbles and stipulations tainted it some what, most notably the shunting out of the way of the series' previously leading lady Dorothy Lamour (who ends up making an extended cameo), who was replaced by a youthful Joan Collins. So with some scratchy back history and a word of mouth reputation as the worst of the series, with claims of the dynamic duo being too old and long past their best, The Road to Hong Kong must be a stinker then? Right? Actually no. Sure it lacks some of the energised nuttiness of previous instalments, but this definitely isn't a stinker. Yes the boys are a bit long in the tooth, and Collins, whilst no Lamour in screen presence and chemistry value with the duo, is sexy, spunky and grounds some of the more older frayed edges. The sci-fi plot is delightfully bonkers, very much capturing the space age zeitgeist of the 60s, and there's a whole bunch of great gags as usual (my favourite is about an elephant thermometer). Not all the intended humourous scenes work, but most do, while there's even a quite surreal one involving banana feeding machines! Bonus sees a cameo from the great Peter Sellers as his patented Indian Doctor, a scene where you can see Bing and Bob looking on and thinking the torch is being passed, while a strong support cast includes Robert Morley, Walter Gotell and Felix Aylmer. Funky opening credit sequences as well! Worst in the series? Well that's a harsh statement, more like it's a lesser light than the rest it is probably more fairer to say, but it's a fun film that adds weight to what fine entertainment value Bing and Bob were. 6.5/10

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