Road to Utopia **** (1946, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour) – Classic Movie Review 6974

Director Hal Walker’s 1946 Road to Utopia is the fourth comedy film in the seven film ‘Road to …’ series, starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, filmed in 1943 but not released until 1946,

Road to Utopia received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for writers Melvin Frank and Norman Panama In 1947.

Hope and Crosby play American vaudeville performers Chester Hooton and Duke Johnson at the turn of the twentieth century who go north to Alaska to try to make their fortune.

Soon they and Lamour (as Sal Van Hoydon) are involved with a bunch of killers in a hectic chase to find a secret Alaskan gold mine after they find a treasure map. This fourth film in the franchise is a very amusing, above par entry in the series.

The screenplay is chock-a-block with funny wisecracks, sight gags, insider jokes and ad libs, plus pleasing co-stars (Douglass Dumbrille, Hillary Brooke, Jack LaRue, Robert Barrat, Nestor Paiva, Will Wright), talking animals, jolly nice songs (especially Lamour’s ‘Personality’) and Robert Benchley’s dryly witty commentary. Alas, Benchley died several months before the film’s release.

All songs are written by Johnny Burke (lyrics) and Jimmy Van Heusen (music); Goodtime Charlie sung by Crosby and Hope, It’s Anybody’s Spring sung by Crosby and Hope, Personality by Lamour, Welcome to My Dream by Crosby, Put It There, Pal by Crosby and Hope and Would You? by Lamour.

Lamour’s Personality was the film’s hit. Crosby recorded four of the film’s songs for Decca Records, including Personality, which hit no 9 on the charts. Johnny Mercer had a no 1 hit with it and Dinah Shore’s version also charted.

It was the fifth most successful film at the British box office in 1946 after The Wicked Lady, The Bells of St Mary’s, Piccadilly Incident, and The Captive Heart.

Yes, 1946 was a vintage year.

Also in the cast are Jimmy Dundee, Jim Thorpe, William Benedict, Arthur Loft, Stanley Andrews, Alan Bridge, Gordon Jenning, Farciot Edouart, Edgar Dearing, Brandon Hurst and Frank Moran.

Road to Utopia is directed by Hal Walker, runs 89 minutes, is a Paramount release, is written by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, is shot in black and white by Lionel Lindon, is produced by Paul Jones, and is scored by Leigh Harline.

It is the only ‘Road to …’ film without a real place in its title and the only one not set in modern times, though it is bookended with the cast made up to look older and then flashbacking to the past.

Lamour later speculated that Paramount delayed the release of Road to Utopia to protect the public’s and Academy Awards committee’s acceptance of Crosby as Best Actor for playing a priest in Going My Way. It is thin but possible.

The series is: Road to Singapore (1940), Road to Zanzibar (1941), Road to Morocco (1942), Road to Utopia (1946), Road to Rio (1947), Road to Bali (1952) and The Road to Hong Kong (1962).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6974

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