En route vers Bali

In this very lighthearted comedy, Bob and Bing ham it up in the South Pacific, in search of women and adventure. The plot, which involves deep-sea diving for sunken treasure, is super shallow ... so to speak. But of course the film is just an excuse to highlight the talents of the comic and the crooner. And talent they had. But here, neither the jokes nor the songs are memorable. Fortunately, Dorothy Lamour is on hand to spice things up. The sets are mildly interesting, in a tacky sort of way.

For me, the real value of the "road" movies is the perspective they bring to cinema viewing. My ... how movies have changed in fifty years, and not necessarily for the better. "Road To Bali" wouldn't fly today ... or float, for that matter. But for fans of Hope and Crosby, the film is a pleasant, harmless diversion, a reminder of a more innocent, bygone era in film-making.

On a scale of one to a million this rates about a 999,999 on the silly scale. In colour and with beautiful production values ROAD TO BALI made in 1952 contains as many up to date movie and social references as an encyclopedia written by Ludwig Von Drake. In a huge theatre these ROAD films must have lifted the roof with laughter, and as a DVD diversion in 2006 any of them can be a generous and loony mood lifter. There is actually many laugh out loud moments still to be had even if you weren't born or aware of life in the early 50s. THE ROAD TO BALI (pronounced "Bally" by Americans; "Barley" by the rest of us) is basically flat-out hilarious with quips and ad libs galore. Even if you cringe at Bing Crosby as I do, there is enough genuinely funny lines and situations and terrible gags to overwhelm you...much like THE PRODUCERS released this year insists we find it relentlessly dementedly funny. To me Bob Hope has always been Daffy Duck (Groucho Marx was Bugs Bunny) and it is his vaudeville lunacy that carries Crosby inbetween squabbling over Lamour and pushing through all parts of the set. This film has some excellent special effects, very admirable for '52. A hilarious cameo from Jane Russell is the cherry on the icing. Some big dance scenes are an added bonus. Fun fun and demented fun. What a year 1952 was for hilarious films (look 'em up).

From the very first Road picture Hope and Crosby were known for their ad-libbing. In fact when they guested on each other's shows the two of them would take the script and insert some of their own lines to try and catch the other off-guard.

In this Road picture I will swear that the moment the boys and Dotty Lamour were washed ashore on the proverbial south sea island, the picture is one long ad-lib. I am sure the director said, here's the plot situation just make it up as you go. It's got that kind of spontaneity.

Look for 'guest' appearances by Jane Russell, Humphrey Bogart, Martin and Lewis and Bob Crosby in this wacky romp.

Says Dotty: "I love you Bob, I love you Bing, my heart's in a real wing ding." So do we all.

I have to admit this was the first "road" movie I've seen, and I'd like to see some of the earlier ones to see if they are better, but I wasn't too blown away by this one. The humor was OK, basically the type you'd expect from a Broadway show in the 30s or 40s but not an especially good one -- you know, bad puns and sight gags mostly. I do think that Hope and Crosby have very good energy on screen together and they play off each other well. I also enjoyed the "tiki" atmosphere of the sets, which were top of the line for Paramount.

The plot barely exists. Basically Hope and Crosby are guys on the lam from marriage proposals who become involved with a beautiful "native" princess who employs them to dig for treasure. When they find the treasure all their lives are in danger and they must escape to another exotic island.

A fun film, suitable for children, but basically it made me chuckle but no belly laughs if you know what I mean.

This movie introduced me to the entire "Road to" series. This movie shows how movie chemistry never dies. In their sixth film together, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour show the fun and happiness of making films could be. They were friends and the audience can surely see that. Being the only movie in color makes the elaborate scenery come to life. The jokes are similar to the earlier films, but they are still funny. Do yourself a favor and buy this movie, it's worth it.