Why I Still Love Hope/Crosby "Road" Pictures

The reasons why I still love Hope/Crosby "road" pictures definitely stem from my upbringing. The first of eventually seven "road" movies made by comedian Bob Hope and singer Bing Crosby came out in 1940. While not all were major hits, there was something about the Hope/Crosb shows that captured the imagination and the enthusiasm of movie goers in the '40's and '50's which included my parents. As a child in part of both of those decades I frequently heard my Dad singing, mostly to himself , " Oh, we're off on the road Morocco" whenever we would head off on a family road trip or adventure. It stuck and I became interested in learning more about the Hope/Crosby "road" pictures.

Once I had actually seen "On the Road to Morocco" I developed a huge appetite for seeing all the "road" movies and then seeing them all again and again. As a senior citizen I continue to take advantage of most opportunities that come up to see any of the "road" movies and become more and more sure with each viewing why I still love the Hope/Crosby "road" pictures and why I am not alone.

Any one who has even seen one Hope/Crosby "road" picture will guess right away that the allure of these films is not even vaguely related to the plot, if you can in fact discover the plot. As the years have gone by I have discovered the vagaries of the plot development form part of the endearing charm of the "road" movies. Precisely because the plot lines wander all over kingdom come, viewers may find themselves delightfully relieved of the need to concern themselves with plot and just go on to enjoy the moment. Certainly a wonderful change from some of the highly convoluted plots of today. Which suggests the first reason why I still love Hope/Crosby "road" pictures. When you watch them you can relax.

Relieved of the need to concentrate on plot lines, I find that I can really enjoy the stars and what they bring to the screen. The second reason why I still love Hope/Crosby "road" pictures is the wonderful voice of Bing Crosby. Like Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, or possibly Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby strikes a chord with me no matter how rinky dink the song may be. Crosby is a crooner in the best sense of the word. But it's not just his mellow voice that I enjoy, it's the fact that in his voice he intones a different time. The Crosby voice was heard well into the '70's but if you listen closely you can hear the sound of the '40's coming across the decades and surrounding you with a certain melancholy for those other, bygone days.

Before I can get too caught up in the "simpler times" phenomenon, the pace of the movie draws me along to see what is going on with Bob Hope's character. Nothing heavy or serious that's for sure. Bob Hope gave multiple generations of Americans something to smile about. Just seeing him appear in the film lightens the mood and puts viewers on guard anticipating something silly, funny or down right ridiculous to happen. And Hope doesn't disappoint. What is fun to see in the road pictures and one of the reasons why I still love the Hope/Crosby road pictures is the novel approaches that Hope uses in addition to his regular schtick . I wait for Hope to make an inside joke about Paramount Pictures, Crosby or Dorothy Lamour. And of course there are the quaint asides to the audience that break into the flow of the movie and are fun even after you have seen them time and time again. Hope became a movie star but at heart he was always a comic and a showman and both of these aptitudes are in full display for your entertainment in the "road" pictures.

As much as the individual talents of Crosby and Hope are enjoyable, so is the chemistry between the two of them that is stirred up by the presence of the less advertised but essential presence of Dorothy Lamour. Kind of funny that the movies are always referred to as the Hope/Crosby or Crosby/Hope "road" pictures and yet in all seven movies there is Dorothy Lamour creating the romantic interest for one or both of the stars. And she is great at what she does. Without Lamour or a Lamour replacement the dynamic of the "road" pictures disappears.

But finally when I really think about it, what makes me look forward to my next encounter with a Hope/Crosby "road" movie is the mood that they invariably create. In the midst of our fast paced, technically enhanced,
violent, explosive films, I frankly revel in road movies simply because they aim at having fun without any fuss or feathers. And they succeed.

sources: www.moviediva.com