Rating: NR
Genre:
Comedy
Release Date: 03/05/2002
SubTitles: English/Espanol/French
Dubbed: English
Sound: 5.1/1
Run Time: 83 Minutes
Flags: Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Universal Studios
Having accidentally caused a merchant ship to blow up, stowaways
Bob Hope and
Bing Crosby are shipwrecked on the African coast. Commandeering a convenient camel (who takes time to ad-lib a spit in
Hope's eye!),
Bob and
Bing are off on the road to Morocco, an event they celebrate in song. With nary a penny in their pockets, the boys try various methods to scare up a meal. Old reliable
Bing shows up with the necessary funds; when
Bob asks where the money came from,
Bing calmly informs his pal that he's been sold into slavery.
Bob is dragged off to parts unknown; later,
Bing, his conscience bothering him, scours the town in search of his buddy. He stumbles into a luxurious palace, where
Bob is being treated like a rajah. Even more puzzling,
Bob is being kissed and cosseted by Moroccan-princess
Dorothy Lamour, who announces plans to marry him in a few days! Neither
Bing nor
Bob can figure this out, but the audience knows that
Dorothy has been advised by her astrologers that her first husband will suffer a violent death, and that her second marriage will be long and happy. Since
Dorothy is affianced to desert sheik
Anthony Quinn, ol' buddy
Bob is once more set up as a dead duck. But
Dorothy finds herself attracted to
Bing, and forgets all about her pre-arranged marriage to
Quinn (just as well, since
Quinn is the heavy of the piece). On the eve of the wedding, the astrologers find they've made a mistake, and that
Dorothy is now free to marry the man of her dreams-who, by this time, is
Bing.
Bob must console himself with handmaiden
Dona Drake, who's some looker herself. As the wedding procession proceeds,
Quinn comes riding into town, kidnaps
Dorothy, and leaves
Bob and
Bing trussed up in the desert. Freeing themselves,
Bob and
Bing make their way through the desert wastes ("This must be where they empty the old hourglasses") in search of
Quinn's camp. After an amusing series of mirages, the boys sneak into camp and attempt to rescue
Dorothy and
Dona. Imprisoned by
Quinn, the boys muff an opportunity to use a magic ring, but still manage to escape. Using exploding cigars and hotfoots, our heroes sabotage a peace conference between
Quinn and rival sheik
George Givot, prompting a talking camel to remark "This is the screwiest picture I've ever been in."
Bob,
Bing and the girls escape to New York, but not before
Crosby spoils
Hope's chances at getting an Academy Award by interrupting
Bob's "mad scene." Generally regarded as the best of the "Road" pictures,
Road to Morocco is as fresh and funny today as it was back in 1942; even in repeated viewings, the rapid-fire one liners and comic setpieces result in boffo bellylaughs. An Oscar was bestowed upon
Johnny Burke and
Jimmy Van Heusen's ballad
"Moonlight Becomes You".
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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