Themes: Traitorous Spies/Double Agents, Finding a Way Back Home, Mistaken Identities
Main Cast: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Joan Collins, Dorothy Lamour, Walter Gotell, Robert Morley
Release Year: 1962
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 91 minutes
Plot
This was the last trip in the "road" comedies that Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and a bevy of female stars that featured Dorothy Lamour once made famous. In this road to Hong Kong and parts far beyond, Chester and Harry (Hope and Crosby) are a couple of failed vaudeville stars looking for a way to riches in the confidence game. Chester's memory goes kaputz, and the two end up involved with Diane (Joan Collins), a spy looking for a secret formula, and a bunch of hoodlums who plan on sending up a rocket to the moon with special equipment allowing them to rule the planet earth. The pair of heroes gets caught in the rocket instead of the originally intended monkeys, and the monkey business continues in outer space -- where it seems to be all along. In this mixed collage of events, several stars pop up in cameo roles: Peter Sellers, Dean Martin, David Niven, Frank Sinatra among them. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
Review
Although it's unfortunate that the "Road" series didn't go out on a higher note than that provided by The Road to Hong Kong, it would be wrong to just dismiss Hong Kong as a failure, as many have. It's true that it isn't on the same level as the best of the films in the series, but it's also true that it's just about as good as some of the lesser but more fondly regarded entries. Hong Kong's biggest sins are that it came 10 years too late and that it's a little tired. And, most importantly, that it thought that Joan Collins was a suitable substitute for Dorothy Lamour. Collins tries hard, but she simply doesn't have the appropriate chemistry with her co-stars -- and the 25-or-more years age difference between Collins and the men (no fault of hers) doesn't help matters. Melvin Frank and Norman Panama's screenplay is in the proper tradition, although there are too many misses among the gags, and the tone is a bit too self-referential (even for a "Road" movie.) Bob Hope and Bing Crosby have lost none of their vaunted chemistry, and they play off each other with an ease and camaraderie that is still inspiring. Even when the screenplay is letting them down (as it often does), they make the most of it. And Hong Kong does feature an inspired cameo by Peter Sellars that is nothing short of sensational. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Felix Aylmer - Grand Lama; Roger Delgado - Jhinnah; Alan Gifford - Official; Robert Ayres - American Official; Jacqueline Jones - Lady at Airport; Harry Baird - Nubian; Edwina Carroll; Jerry Colonna - Guest Star; Zsa Zsa Gabor - Guest star; Robin Hughes - American Official; Peter Madden - Lama; Bill Nagy - Agent; David Niven - Lama; Roy Patrick; Peter Sellers - Indian Doctor; Yvonne Shima; Michael Wynne - Leader's Man; Victor Brooks; Dave King - Chinaman; Frank Sinatra - Astronaut; Dean Martin - Astronaut; John Dearth; Julian Sherrier - Doctor; Katya Douglas - Receptionist; Sheree Winton; Irvin Allen - Nubian; John McCarthy - Messenger
Credit
Sidney Cain - Art Director, Bill Hutchinson - Art Director, Jack Baker - Choreography, Sheila Meyers - Choreography, Anthony Mendleson - Costume Designer, Norman Panama - Director, Alan Osbigton - Editor, John C. Smith - Editor, Robert Farnon - Composer (Music Score), Robert Farnon - Musical Direction/Supervision, Eric Allwright - Makeup, Dave Aylott - Makeup, Roger Furse - Production Designer, Jack Hildyard - Cinematographer, Melvin Frank - Producer, Maurice Fowler - Set Designer, Wally Veevers - Special Effects, Ted Samuels - Special Effects, Melvin Frank - Screenwriter, Norman Panama - Screenwriter
The Road to Hong Kong (1962) was the last in the long-running Road to... series and the only episode not produced by Paramount Pictures, though reference to the other films in the series are shown in Maurice Binder's opening title sequence.
In her autobiography, Dorothy Lamour said that Crosby had felt her too old to play a leading lady whilst Hope refused to do the film without her. Her extended cameo that featured her singing and having interplay with Hope and Crosby was a compromise.[2]
The plot involves espionage and space rockets, being reminiscent of Dr. No and hence is part of the spy craze of the 1960s. Hope and Crosby are up against a SPECTRE type organisation called "The Third Echelon" who have their own underwater secret headquarters and are led by Robert Morley with James Bond film regular Walter Gotell as "Dr. Zorbb". The film's art director is another Bond film regular, Syd Cain.
Hope, Crosby and Collins end up in a rocket bound for another planet where they meet the new comedy team of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
Although the movie features the same kind of antics and gags as previous episodes, with all characters trying their utmost to help each other, the film was not as well-received as its predecessors.
The famous transsexual April Ashley appeared in this film, but her credit was pulled after the press revealed that she had been born male.
Incidentally, this is the only "Road" film to have its rights retained by the original producer/distributor (where all the previous films are now at the hands of other companies), although today MGM (UA's sister studio) handles distribution and marketing on behalf of UA.
