Road to Zanzibar (1941) is the second Crosby/Hope “road movie,” a jungle adventure from director Victor Schertzinger, who also helmed the first film featuring the bickering buddies. In this version, Crosby plays ‘Chuck’ and Hope is his pal ‘Fearless’.
Bing Crosby (1903-1977) and Bob Hope (1903-2003) would both claim more than 70 short or feature films during their long careers.
Together they formed one of the most famous couples in Hollywood movie history, teaming for seven Road pictures stretching from 1940 until 1962.
In 1940, when the first Road picture came out (Road to Singapore), both Crosby and Hope were 37 years old. Crosby was the more established star with some 24 feature films to his credit plus short features, all made within a 10-year period. He would make 50 more screen appearances until his death in 1977.
He won two Academy Awards for Best Actor: playing a sympathetic priest in The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), and an alcoholic actor in The Country Girl (1954).
Before 1940, Bob Hope had starred in a handful of movies, but he had not yet achieved the same status as Crosby. The Road pictures changed that, and he would appear in 57 more movies until his last film in 1972.
Acting awards eluded Hope, but he was a hugely popular entertainer throughout the 1970’s. He didn’t win an Academy Award unless it was honorary, but he did have a special relationship with the ceremony, hosting the annual broadcast a record 19 times.
In 1940, Crosby may have been the best known of the two men, but his career in Hollywood was at a crossroads. His partnership with Hope and the popularity of the Road movies changed that, introducing Crosby to a younger audience.
The pair had known each other for many years, first performing on stage in 1932 when Hope emceed a show that featured Crosby as the main attraction. During the performance they combined their joint knowledge of old vaudeville routines, and the chemistry between the two was instantaneous.
The formula was simple. The Road movies were parodies of other Hollywood productions, in particular adventure films, and of Hollywood itself. Bing was always laid back and Hope was always trying to catch up. Usually, there was a girl: Dorothy Lamour in six out of the seven Road pictures. Usually, Hope did not get the girl.
The plots may seem predictable, but the movies themselves were invigorated thanks to a barrage of wisecracks, jokes and insults delivered at a non-stop pace. Best of all, the audience is in on the gags. You never knew when Hope would break the so called “fourth wall” of cinema, speaking directly to the fans. This effect – adding a new level of commentary to the traditional three-act structure – created a sophistication to the Road pictures that other competitors – Abbott and Costello come to mind – never achieved.
It was a revolutionary technique in film making and it would be copied later by such diverse artists as Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles) and Woody Allen (Annie Hall).
There were seven Road movies and plans for an eighth in 1977 to be named “The Road to the Fountain of Youth.” Bing Crosby would die of a heart attack in October of that year, scuttling those plans.
Bob Hope lived almost 27 years longer, dying in 2003 at the age of 100.
The seven “road films” listed chronologically: Road to Singapore (1940); Road to Zanzibar (1941); Road to Morocco (1942); Road to Utopia (1946); Road to Rio (1947); Road to Bali (1952); and Road to Hong Kong (1962)