Road to Utopia (1946)

Directed by Hal Walker. Starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Hillary Brooke, Jack LaRue, Douglass Dumbrille, Robert Benchley, Robert Barrat, Nestor Paiva.

Fourth Hope & Crosby Road to… outing is the usual variety show blend of one-liners, songs, slapstick, fourth wall-breaks, and interludes; hit-or-miss, as these kinds of things go, but only a few deadly stretches will cause interest to wander. Plot is so sketchy and inconsequential that narrator Benchley is on hand to interrupt on occasion in the corner of screen to keep things on track (and make the odd observation or comment); old friends/rivals Bob and Bing head for the Yukon to strike it rich on a gold mine, get entangled in a swapped-identities farce with a side of pallid romance. A few belly laughs, but mostly the sort of mild amusement where one can appreciate the effort (even when too much is exerted), yet it’s better described as “pleasant” rather than “riotous.” At least the musty “patty-cake” routine is given a breather. The only song that’s not immediately forgettable isn’t even crooned by Crosby: “Personality,” sung by Lamour, later a #1 hit in the hands (and pipes) of Johnny Mercer. Despite the title, no one in the film ever arrives at (or even tries to go to) “Utopia.” Filming was completed more than two years before its release; Benchley sadly passed away during the interim.

63/100