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Road to... refers to a series of seven comedy films starring Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an United States popular singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death.One of the first multimedia stars, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby held a nearly unrivaled command of record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses....
, Bob Hope
Bob Hope

Bob Hope, Order of the British Empire, Order of St. Gregory the Great , was an British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway theatre, and in radio, television and movies....
, and Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour

Dorothy Lamour was an United States film actor. She is probably best-remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies co-starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby....
. They are also often referred to as "Road pictures." The movies were a combination of adventure, comedy, romance, and music. The minimal plot often took a back seat to gags, many of them ad-libbed by Crosby and Hope during filming.

The movies contain many in-joke
In-joke

An in-joke is a joke whose humor is clear only to those people who are "inside" a social group or occupation; an esoteric joke. They may be colloquially referred to as "You had to be there" moments, as in "You had to have been there when it happened to think it's funny"....
 references to other Hollywood actors and jabs at Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
, the studio that released all the films except for The Road to Hong Kong
The Road to Hong Kong

The Road to Hong Kong was the last in the long-running Road to... series and the only episode not Film production by Paramount Pictures, though reference to the other films in the series are shown in Maurice Binder's opening title sequence....
.






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Road to... refers to a series of seven comedy films starring Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an United States popular singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death.One of the first multimedia stars, from 1934 to 1954 Bing Crosby held a nearly unrivaled command of record sales, radio ratings and motion picture grosses....
, Bob Hope
Bob Hope

Bob Hope, Order of the British Empire, Order of St. Gregory the Great , was an British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway theatre, and in radio, television and movies....
, and Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour

Dorothy Lamour was an United States film actor. She is probably best-remembered for appearing in the Road to... movies, a series of successful comedies co-starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby....
. They are also often referred to as "Road pictures." The movies were a combination of adventure, comedy, romance, and music. The minimal plot often took a back seat to gags, many of them ad-libbed by Crosby and Hope during filming.

The movies contain many in-joke
In-joke

An in-joke is a joke whose humor is clear only to those people who are "inside" a social group or occupation; an esoteric joke. They may be colloquially referred to as "You had to be there" moments, as in "You had to have been there when it happened to think it's funny"....
 references to other Hollywood actors and jabs at Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
, the studio that released all the films except for The Road to Hong Kong
The Road to Hong Kong

The Road to Hong Kong was the last in the long-running Road to... series and the only episode not Film production by Paramount Pictures, though reference to the other films in the series are shown in Maurice Binder's opening title sequence....
. There are also frequent instances where Bob Hope breaks the "fourth wall
Fourth wall

The fourth wall is an element of fiction. Originally, the term referred to the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a proscenium theater, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the Play ....
" to make side comments to the audience such as, in the Road to Bali
Road to Bali

Road to Bali is a 1952 in film comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. It was released by Paramount Pictures and is the sixth of the seven Road to... movies....
, "[Crosby]'s gonna sing, folks. Now's the time to go out and get the popcorn."

Films in the series

The films have a complex ownership history. Singapore through Utopia were owned by Paramount but later sold to Universal. Rio and Bali were made jointly by Hope and Crosby and released through Paramount. Road to Hong Kong was released through United Artists. Balis copyright has lapsed, but the others' are intact.

  • Road to Singapore
    Road to Singapore

    Road to Singapore is a 1940 in film Paramount Pictures film starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Bob Hope, which marked the debut of the long-running and popular "Road to..." series of pictures starring the trio....
     (1940)
  • Road to Zanzibar
    Road to Zanzibar

    Road to Zanzibar is a 1941 in film Paramount Pictures comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour, and marked the second picture in the popular "Road to..." series made by the trio....
     (1941)
  • Road to Morocco
    Road to Morocco

    Road to Morocco is a 1942 Academy Award nominated comedy film which tells the story of two fast-talking guys who find themselves tossed up on a desert shore and sold into slavery to a beautiful princess....
     (1942)
  • Road to Utopia
    Road to Utopia

    Road to Utopia, filmed in 1943 but not released until 1946 in film, is the fourth film of the road series....
     (1946)
  • Road to Rio
    Road to Rio

    Road to Rio is a 1947 comedy film, film director by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bing Crosby as Scat Sweeney, Bob Hope as "Hot Lips" Barton, and Dorothy Lamour as Lucia Maria de Andrade....
     (1947)
  • Road to Bali
    Road to Bali

    Road to Bali is a 1952 in film comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. It was released by Paramount Pictures and is the sixth of the seven Road to... movies....
     (1952)
  • The Road to Hong Kong
    The Road to Hong Kong

    The Road to Hong Kong was the last in the long-running Road to... series and the only episode not Film production by Paramount Pictures, though reference to the other films in the series are shown in Maurice Binder's opening title sequence....
     (1962)


...The Fountain of Youth

In 1977, an eighth Road to... movie was planned titled Road to the Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Florida is often said to be its location, and stories of the fountain are some of the most persistent associated with the state....
; however, Crosby died that year of a heart attack. Two years later, Hope announced the possibility of doing the film with George Burns
George Burns

George Burns was an United States comedy, actor, and comedy writer.His career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen....
, but the film was never made.

Spoofs

The Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
 animated TV series, Family Guy
Family Guy

Family Guy is an animated cartoon Television in the United States Situation comedy created by Seth MacFarlane that airs on Fox Broadcasting Company and regularly on other television networks in syndication....
, has had four "Road to..." episodes that spoof
Spoof

Spoof, spooves, spoofer or spoofing can refer to:*Parody by imitation*Forgery of goods or documents*Spoofing attack, a computer security term...
 the original Road pictures. They star Brian
Brian Griffin

Brian Griffin is a Character from the List of animated television series Family Guy, and is voiced by show creator Seth MacFarlane. He is a white Labrador Retriever who stands bipedally....
 and Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin

Stewart Gilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a Character in the list of animated television series Family Guy. Stewie is obsessed with world domination and matricide, and has an ambiguous sexual orientation....
, and the episodes are "Road to Rhode Island
Road to Rhode Island

"Road to Rhode Island" is an episode from the second season of the Fox Broadcasting Company list of animated television series Family Guy. It is the 20th episode of Family Guy to be aired....
", "Road to Europe
Road to Europe

"Road to Europe" is an episode of the Fox Broadcasting Company list of animated television series Family Guy. It is the 20th episode from the third season of Family Guy and it guest-stars Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss and Andy Dick as himself....
", "Road to Rupert
Road to Rupert

"Road to Rupert" is the ninth episode of season five of Family Guy. It was written by Patrick Meighan and directed by Dan Povenmire. Brian Griffin inadvertently sells Stewie Griffin's teddy bear, Rupert, during a garage sale....
" ,and "Road to Germany
Road to Germany

"Road to Germany" is an episode of the Fox Broadcasting Company list of animated television series Family Guy which aired on October 19, 2008....
".

Spies Like Us
Spies Like Us

Spies Like Us is the name of a 1985 in film comedy film directed by John Landis, starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest , and Donna Dixon....
 is a homage to the films; Hope makes a cameo as himself in one scene.

The 2000
2000 in film

The year 2000 in film involved some significant events....
 animated Dreamworks
DreamWorks

DreamWorks, LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG or DreamWorks Studios, is a major film studios United States film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games, and television programming....
 film, The Road to El Dorado
The Road to El Dorado

The Road to El Dorado is a 2000 in film animated comedy film by DreamWorks SKG. The soundtrack features songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, music team from The Lion King....
, is an homage to the films.

Three episodes of Taz-Mania
Taz-Mania

Taz-Mania is a 1991-93 cartoon show, produced by Art Vitello broadcast in the United States on FOX Broadcasting Company and elsewhere around the world....
 spoofed the Road To.. movies, starring Hugh Tasmanian Devil (Taz's father, who was a Crosby parody in any case) and his brother Drew Tasmanian Devil (parodying Hope). The episodes were "Road To Tasmania", "Return Of The Road To Tasmania Strikes Back" and "Yet Another Road To Tasmania".

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