On the third stop in the Road series of pictures we find Bing Crosby and Bob Hope playing their usual sharpie and schnook. Crosby's schemes have a little more bite to them in this film, he sells Hope into slavery. Ah, but the catch is: Dorothy Lamour bought him to be her husband and is Bing put out about that. No worry there however, he sings a patented Crosby love ballad and Dottie the princess is his.
Musically, Road pictures seem to break down into the usual choice of songs for the film. That ballad Crosby sang to woo Princess Dottie is Moonlight Becomes You, probably the biggest song hit ever to come from a Road picture. There's a song for Dottie, in this case entitled Constantly, performed in the sultry Lamour manner. You have a philosophical number Ain't Got A Dime To My Name for Bing which is his own genre. And finally the title tune which is one for Hope and Crosby to perform with their usual ad-libbing and banter.
When Decca released an album of 78s for the Road to Morocco, Bing recorded all the numbers solo including the duet with Hope in the title tune. When they later did Road to Utopia, Crosby and Hope recorded Put It There Pal and then the flip side of that 78 included a duet version of Road to Morocco. Since it was a duet in the movie, the duet version of Road to Morocco became the only one after that. Bing's solo version of Road to Morocco disappeared into the Decca vaults, never to be heard again. It's one of his rarest items now, so if you have it, it's worth something providing it's in good condition.
One thing about writing reviews for Road pictures is that there is no plot worth mentioning, just a frame to hang a lot of gags on. No worry of spoilers here. In this journey we have hotfoots, whoopee cushions, talking camels, mirages, dribble glasses and Bob and Bing kissing each other. Is that enough nonsense?
One gag wasn't planned. At the beginning when Crosby and Hope are washed ashore on the Moroccan desert they find a camel. Without any warning the camel spits in Hope's eye. Director David Butler thought it so hilarious, he left it in the film.
Musically, Road pictures seem to break down into the usual choice of songs for the film. That ballad Crosby sang to woo Princess Dottie is Moonlight Becomes You, probably the biggest song hit ever to come from a Road picture. There's a song for Dottie, in this case entitled Constantly, performed in the sultry Lamour manner. You have a philosophical number Ain't Got A Dime To My Name for Bing which is his own genre. And finally the title tune which is one for Hope and Crosby to perform with their usual ad-libbing and banter.
When Decca released an album of 78s for the Road to Morocco, Bing recorded all the numbers solo including the duet with Hope in the title tune. When they later did Road to Utopia, Crosby and Hope recorded Put It There Pal and then the flip side of that 78 included a duet version of Road to Morocco. Since it was a duet in the movie, the duet version of Road to Morocco became the only one after that. Bing's solo version of Road to Morocco disappeared into the Decca vaults, never to be heard again. It's one of his rarest items now, so if you have it, it's worth something providing it's in good condition.
One thing about writing reviews for Road pictures is that there is no plot worth mentioning, just a frame to hang a lot of gags on. No worry of spoilers here. In this journey we have hotfoots, whoopee cushions, talking camels, mirages, dribble glasses and Bob and Bing kissing each other. Is that enough nonsense?
One gag wasn't planned. At the beginning when Crosby and Hope are washed ashore on the Moroccan desert they find a camel. Without any warning the camel spits in Hope's eye. Director David Butler thought it so hilarious, he left it in the film.