Studio executives make major decisions all the time. Some are good, some not so good. A good decision was made by an executive, to pair Bing Crosby with Bob Hope. They were noticed when they were performing onstage together. Crosby appeared in movies and was a radio and recording star. Hope was beginning to start his career. Road to Singapore changes Crosby and Hope’s fortunes dramatically.
This was their first road picture. Bing Crosby and Bob Hope play Joshua (Josh) Mallon V, and Ace Lannigan. They are two playboys running from women. They head to Singapore. Here they meet Mima, (Dorothy Lamour). Ace and Josh fall hard for her. They take her away from her unhappy life as a target in a knife thrower’s act. The knife thrower, Caesar, is unhappy that his act is broken up by the guys. Anthony Quinn plays him in an early role. He appears briefly and lends for some comic relief.
Josh is the heir to a shipping empire, and his father isn’t happy that he has shirked his responsibilities. Joshua Mallon IV, (Charles Coburn), sends two men to find his son. They are Achilles Bombanassa, (Jerry Colonna) and Timothy Willow, (Johnny Arthur). Luckily for Josh and Ace, the two men are not formerly of Scotland Yard. They are more qualified to be searching for a circus clown car.
Road to Singapore isn’t terribly funny. It was written by Don Hartman, Frank Butler, Harry Hervey and Barney Dean. It was written for a certain audience, and most of the gag’s don’t work. There is one routine with Bob Hope and Jerry Colonna involving a sudsy cleaner that is humorous. Colonna was good friends with Hope and appeared on his radio show. He was also a talented musician, playing the trombone, and performing with big bands. Although lacking in comedy overall, it’s star Bing Crosby does what he did best. He sings very well. There aren’t a lot of people who appreciate his singing talent. One of the songs performed by Crosby, Captain Custard, was written by the director, Victor Schertzinger.
A movie like Road to Singapore has limited appeal today. Hope and Crosby appeared in many films. They did four more road pictures with Dorothy Lamour. Bob Hope had hit songs from his movies, one, Thanks for the Memories, became his signature song. Another song, Silver Bells, is a Christmas staple. Bing Crosby performed one of the most famous songs of all time in Holiday Inn. That was of course White Christmas. Several years later he starred in a movie version of the song. He then gave the world another Christmas song, Count Your Blessings. These familiar and ridiculously popular songs, earned Bing Crosby the title, Mr. Christmas. Although Road to Singapore isn’t high quality, the two leads are.