tavm With this-the sixth in the Road movies-it's the first (and only) time an entry is presented in Technicolor. It's also the first one I saw as a child at my local library though I've either only saw the beginning or come in the middle the couple of times I did that so now I've seen the thing in its entirety. I didn't remember it being too funny then but now that I get many of the inside jokes, it's a bit more funny now though I have to admit it seemed a bit longer than necessary when the plot comes into play. Still, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour are always fun to watch and there are some funny cameos from various stars including a clip of Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen which leads to some Oscar references of which Bob always likes to joke about never getting (in truth, he got several special ones over the years). While Bob and Bing would make one more Road feature, Ms. Lamour ended up just making a glorified cameo in that one as this movie turned out to be her last as a leading lady. So on that note, Road to Bali was another worthy entry in the series. Next up, The Road to Hong Kong.

Scaramouche2004 In 1952 Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour reunited after five years to make another one of their famous and brilliantly funny Road pictures.This time around the cameras were destined to role in colour for the first (and only) time in the series, but they were determined to return to the old formula of a Road movie which had been altered slightly for their last outing to Rio.Bing and Bob, are once again two vaudeville entertainers are fleeing Australia and a shotgun wedding apiece, and in their desperation take a last resort job as deep sea divers for a tribe of Balineese treasure hunters.On the island they meet a beautiful Princess played by Lamour whose sensual charm and beauty finally persuades our two cowards to recover her fathers lost treasure from the giant squid infested depths.However when the Princess' cousin turns traitor and mobilises the entire island against them, they are forced to re-steal the treasure and flee for their lives.However when the threesome are shipwrecked on a supposedly deserted island the fun really starts as the natives are restless, in cahoots with the princess' cousin and determined to marry Bob and Bing off.....to each other!The full on zaniness returns in this sixth movie, with Bob and Bing's supposed ad-libs reaching fever pitch and Bobs irreverent cracks to the audience and the real world showing no signs of abating.We also have cameos from Bob Crosby (one time big band leader and brother of Leading man Bing) Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and Humphrey Bogart in the form of stock footage from The African Queen as he drags his boat through the weeds giving Bob the classic one-liner of, "Boy, is he lost!" Songs here are good too, with Lamour singing the exotic "Moonflowers" and the catchy number "Merry Go Runaround" sung by the trio round a makeshift campfire whilst swinging from trees.This is one of the best entries in the series and a thoroughly enjoyable movie.

wes-connors I thought Mr. Crosby had a great voice. He should have had more singing time in the film. Mr. Hope seemed a bit hapless - perhaps he and Crosby were not ready for the film. They seemed very unrehearsed, especially during the "song and dance" bit.The movie is very dated. My grandmother says this "comedy" wasn't even funny, to her, back then. I believe these "native/road" movies sent a coded message that there would be a lot of "skin" time shown... well, this doesn't work, today. The players don't show all that much skin; perhaps, at that time, it was enough? The "clever" jokes (Sadie Thompson was the hooker in "Rain") seem not to move the characters along. Many of the scenes look disjointed, and cheap. The ending is a mild pick-up. Despite the obvious "come ons", the film is sexless. *** Road to Bali (11/19/52) Hal Walker ~ Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Murvyn Vye

blanche-2 1952's ROAD TO BALI is my first "road" picture, and I don't think it's the one I should have started with - after all, by 1952, this shtick had to be getting pretty old. I admit to being a fan of Bob Hope, especially in his '40s films; I'm not a particular fan of Bing Crosby as an actor. I'm more a fan of his incredible singing in the early '30s. But having heard a lot about these "road" movies, I wanted to see one.ROAD TO BALI isn't as highly rated as some of the others. The premise has to do with Bob and Bing, two vaudevillians who escape from Australia to avoid the father of the woman they're both engaged to for some reason. They eventually meet Dorothy Lamour, Bob dives for treasure and is almost killed by a giant squid, and then the three of them plus the treasure head for Bali. Along the way, there's music, corny jokes and beautiful women. The scene where a widowed ape decides Bob is her next mate is very funny ("Why am I always attracted to young widows?" he asks), and there are a few more laughs along the way. Just not enough.Dorothy Lamour is lovely and has a great figure. Many years ago, a friend of mine was in a revue where Lamour was scheduled to appear. Everyone looked for her, ignoring the old lady in the corner, who turned out to be Lamour. When costumes and makeup got through with her, she looked exactly as she did in the Road pictures. Good for her. I look forward earlier installments of this series.