Road to Utopia [Blu-ray]

Overview

The first "Road" picture in three years (the last was The Road to Morocco), Road to Utopia is set during the Alaskan gold rush. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby play a pair of third-rate San Francisco entertainers, Chester Hooton and Duke Johnson, who are obliged to skip town in a hurry. They book passage on a ship to Alaska, where they run afoul of escaped murderers Sperry (Robert H. Barrat) and McGurk (Nestor Paiva). Through a fluke, Chester and Duke overpower the killers, then get off the ship in Skagway disguised as Sperry and McGurk so that they themselves can evade the authorities. The boys can't understand why everyone is so afraid of them, nor why saloon owner Ace Larson (Douglas Dumbrille) and Larson's moll Kate (Hillary Brooke) are so chummy. It turns out that Sperry and McGurk had stolen a deed to a valuable gold mine before escaping to Alaska. Sal Van Hoyden (Dorothy Lamour) is the rightful owner of that deed, thus she too shows up in Skagway, hoping to extract the document from Chester and Duke. Whenever the plot threatens to become too difficult to follow, narrator Robert Benchley shows up to explain things -- which of course only adds to the confusion. At any rate, the whole affair ends up with Chester, Duke, and Sal running through the snowy wastes, with the villains in hot pursuit. Duke nobly stays behind to fight off the bad guys himself, handing the deed to Chester and Sal and wishing them Godspeed. Flash-forward to 1945: Chester and Sal, both old and wealthy, are reunited with their equally aged pal Duke, who wasn't killed after all. Sal tells Duke that Chester has been a wonderful husband and father. Yes, father...and wait till you see who plays their child ("We adopted him!").

Product Details

Release Date:	03/26/2019
UPC:	0738329236281
Original Release:	1945
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	24,493

Special Features

Audio commentary by filmmaker Greg Ford and film & music historian Will Friedwald; Bob Hope and the road to success; Hollywood Victory Caravan; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bing Crosby	Duke Johnson / Junior Hooton
Bob Hope	Chester Hooton
Dorothy Lamour	Sal Van Hoyden
Hillary Brooke	Kate
Douglas Dumbrille	Ace Larson
Jack LaRue	LeBec
Robert Barrat	Sperry,Sperry
Nestor Paiva	McGurk
Robert Benchley	Narrator,Narrator
Will Wright	Mr. Latimer
Jimmie Dundee	Ringleader of Henchmen
Jim Thorpe	Passenger
Billy Benedict	Newsboy
Art Foster	Husky Sailor
Arthur Loft	Purser
Stanley Andrews	Official at Boat
Alan Bridge	Boat Captain,Boat captain
Lee Shumway	Policeman
Al Ferguson	Policeman
Romaine Callender	Top Hat
George Anderson	Townsman
Edgar Dearing	Official Cop
Charles Wilson	Official Cop
Brandon Hurst	Man at Zambini's
Donald Gallaher	Man at Zambini's
Bud Harrison	Man at Zambini's
Edward Emerson	Master of Ceremonies
Ronnie Rondell	Hotel Manager
Allen Pomeroy	Henchman
Jack Stoney	Henchman
Frank Moran	Bartender
Bobby Barber	Bartender
Pat West	Bartender
Larry Daniels	Ringleader
Ferdinand Munier	Santa Claus
Ethan Laidlaw	Saloon Extra
James Lono	Eskimo
Charles Gemora	Bear
Paul 'Tiny' Newlan	Tough Ship's Purser,Tough ship's purser
Claire James	Girl
Maxine Fife	Girl
Jack Rutherford	Man
Al Hill	Man
George McKay	Waiter
Donald Gallagher	Man at Zambini's
Jimmy Van Heusen	Composer
Johnny Burke	Composer
Leigh Harline	Composer

Technical Credits

Melvin Frank

Norman Panama

Farciot Edouart	Special Effects
Paul Jones	Producer
Hal Walker	Director
Melvin Frank	Screenwriter
Norman Panama	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

The fourth of the "Road" pictures, Road to Utopia is a zany and engaging entry in the series. Indeed, while the previous Road projects had certainly been wacky and loose, Utopia takes these qualities up to a new level. Robert Benchley's interrupting narrations, self-referential asides and gags, and a man wandering into the film merely because he is looking for the soundstage of a different film can all be found here; fans of deconstructionist comedy could have a field day with Utopia. But those just in the mood for a fast and furious "odd couple with gal pal" comedy will have an even better time. Sure, some of jokes fall flat and the plot gets too complicated (as Benchley points out), but the chemistry between Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour is what the Road pictures are all about, and that chemistry is top-notch here. Utopia also features the requisite musical numbers, with Lamour's smashing "Personality" a standout here. Director Hal Walker pretty much just gets out of the way of his trio of stars, but that's probably the best course he could have taken. It's quite silly, and in places quite dated, but Utopia is a lot of fun.