Road to Morocco

When the ocean liner carrying Jeff and Orville is sunk, they find themselves washed up and on the way to Morocco. In pay for food Jeff sells Orville to a man only to find that Orville has been sold on to Princess Shalmar and is now to marry her. However the princess is only marrying Orville as her first wed is cursed to die within a week – leaving her free to marry Mullay Kassim.

Like an old pair of shoes, the road to movies may not be fantastic but they're comfortable and safe. This is actually one of the better road movies, the plot, though silly, is quite focused and doesn't go off on flights of fancy like some others. The focus of the plot allows a safe environment for Hope and Crosby to do their double act within. The love interest is OK but really it slows the film down a bit.

Crosby is good as ever and gets to do his songs on a regular basis, but really the star is Hope. His Orville is cowardly, treacherous and selfish – but he manages to be sympathetic and funny. This is all down to Hope's wit, timing and deliver – he is a genuine showman. Stars in the shape of Lamour and Quinn are diverting – but this is a Crosby/Hope vehicle all the way.

One of the better Road movies this is funny in an old fashioned way.

Typical Hope and Crosby nonsense. More of a "big budget home movie" than anything else, but funny and enjoyable anyhow.

By the Time "Morocco" was created, the Road Pictures had been embraced and enjoyed and the formula was set in stone: An exotic locale, Dorothy Lamour, a couple of songs and go easy on the script because Bob and Bing are gonna "jab-lib" their way through it regardless. The result here is a slick and entertaining yarn about absolutely nothing. Don't let the current climate of "Islam/Arab/Terrorism" mindset disturb you about the on screen antics because this was filmed in a different era and has nothing to do with the goings on in our world today.

Bing gets a chance to croon the very lovely Moonlight Becomes You, which to this day is still one of the most touching love songs ever written; Bob gets to do his "screen persona schtick" and it is hilarious; Dorothy has a forgettable song and a funny reprise of Moonlight Becomes You, sung in the desert accompanied by the boys and it is extremely funny. Anthony Quinn (who was a Road Picture Regular) returns in a typical villain role in which he does his best.

A couple of notes. Early in the picture Bob and Bing get involved with a camel who licks them. At the end of this routine as they prepare to ride away on the beast it spits at Bob. This was NOT in the script. The camel ad-libbed and the reactions of both Hope and Crosby are genuine. The director liked the take so much he used it in the final cut. Secondly, it took forever for the boys to sing the theme song, The Road to Morocco. It seems that every time they got to the lyric " . . . like Webster's Dictionary we're Morocco bound. . . " they'd break up over that lyric and would have to re-shoot the song.

It's a breezy, light-weight, fun evening with Der Bingle and Old Slope Nose. Make yourself a bowl of popcorn, grab a large soda and laugh away for 82 minutes. It'll do you good!

You can't go into a viewing of any Hope and Crosby picture expecting a strong story or plot,nor should you expect the acting to be great.Bob Hope's true strength was stand up comedy,not acting,and I think he knew that.That's why we only saw him in roles where he could be pretty much rely on his stand up skills.Bing Crosby,on the other hand,had a knack for acting even though he was primarily a singer.In fact,his knack won him an Oscar two years after he did this film,so you know he took it seriously.Since Hope's acting skills were not strong,I thing that Bing saw these films they did together as a chance to relax and have a little fun,and to take a break from the seriousness of the acting profession.Despite their contrasting talents,there is no denying the great chemistry that existed between the pair,which makes Road to Morocco fun to watch.Also,if I may add,Dorothy Lamour and Dona Drake are also fun to watch,but for a different reason.I suppose that's just the typical male in me talking. ;-)

Talking camels that manifest falsehood in moments of battle. Best friend rivalry over a beautiful princess in another distant time, in another exotic setting. Unconvincing sets of desert and sea make viewing a bit of an eyesore for those wary of its artificial conception. However, the interiors are done with just the right touch incapable for MGM to create with over doing the sets entirely without a hint of Ziegfeld. Nor is anyone overdressed inappropriately.

Even better, "Morocco" has a hilarious and brilliant script directed by a Paramount director that obviously has an important asset essential for the trademark mix of these films, a sense of humour. Some of the most memorable scenes from any of the "Road" films occur in "Road to Morocco". And they certainly couldn't belong anywhere else.

Perhaps today the third film of the series is unjustly best remembered for some of the hit songs it spawned, "Moonlight Becomes You" and the title song. However, other songs featured in the score should not be forgotten, despite the loveliness and catchiness of the other two.

However, this film has something brilliant going for it that is sometimes missing in other screwball or highly comic films of the era. There is no Cary Grant, and no Carole Lombard. Yet all the actors manage successfully with zany screwball antics typically capable of the above at the highest of standards. The best thing the film has is Bing, Bob and Dottie and the teaming of the trio should not be forgotten as possibly one of the best in comedies.

What this film must have done to wartime morale is amazing in a solemn era difficult to forget post Depression era. Yet today it remains as fresh as ever and anything else featuring Crosby, Hope and Lamour should not be passed over. It was certainly an unexpected gem of a surprise, and probably one of the few movies where the same jokes can get away with working twice.

Whatever its flaws, "Morocco" is one of my twenty favourite films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and the fact it's got a short time is even a greater bonus.

Yet once the all too rare movie magic of the film sets in, you never want the road to end.

Rating: 10/10

Extremely funny third "Road" movie starring Hope, Crosby and Lamour, possibly the best in the series. In what is almost literally a laugh-a-minute, the two stars riff off each other to the manner born, their timing impeccable and seeming ad-libs spontaneous and hilarious.

The classic scenes are more and near between. My favourites include the nodding-heads scene when the boys are hiding from Anthony Quinn's gaze, Hope's hilarious exposition scene, (for the folk who only came in halfway through the movie) and his Oscar grabbing scene at end. There are loads of snappy one-liners too, the stars not too proud to send themselves up - Crosby makes a crack about Hope's nose while Hope spoofs Crosby's crooning. Dorothy Lamour looks suitably exotic and has no problem yet again convincing the viewer of her ability to bewitch her usual three men, Hope Crosby and Anthony Quinn, all as usual. While Bob, unsurprisingly loses Dorothy once again to Bing he surprisingly this time gets a girl of his own by the finish.

The songs are fine too ("Ho-Hum", "Constantly", "Moonlight Becomes You" and the jokey title song) and are much better woven into the flow of the film than on previous journeys.

All in all, one of the funniest comedies from Hollywood's Golden Age, it quite rightly cemented the reputation of the "Road" franchise and kept the threesome on their travels for a road or two yet.