Musical Monday: Road to Bali (1952)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Road to Bali (1952) – Musical #157

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Hal Walker

Starring:
Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Murvyn Vye, Peter Coe, Ralph Moody, Leon Askin, Patricia Dane (uncredited), Michael Jeffers (uncredited), Carolyn Jones (uncredited), Bhogwan Singh (uncredited), Chanan Singh Sohi (uncredited), 
Cameo: Humphrey Bogart (from archival footage), Bob Crosby, Jane Russell, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin

Plot:
Two vaudeville performers, George Cochran (Crosby) and Harold Gridley (Hope), are in Australia. They (yet again) have to duck out of town when the fathers of two women are looking for the performers after they proposed marriage to their daughters. To get out of town, they accept jobs from Ken Arok (Vye) to dive for treasure in Bali, Indonesia. Little do they know that their boss doesn’t plan on staying alive to accept their pay. Ken Arok is related to Princess Lala (Lamour), who knows of his nefarious ways and tries to keep Harold and George alive. Though she succeeds, the trio has to flee to stay out of reach of Ken Arok.

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Musical Monday: Road to Rio (1947)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Road to Rio (1947) – Musical #813

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Norman Z. McLeod

Starring:
Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Gale Sondergaard, Frank Faylen, George Meeker,
Frank Puglia, Robert Barrat, Nestor Paiva, Stanley Andrews, Harry Woods
Themselves: The Andrews Sisters, The Wiere Brothers, Jerry Colonna

Plot:
Vaudeville performers Scat Sweeney (Crosby) and Hot Lips Barton (Hope) travel the United States, and are frequently chased out of states after Scat woos women in each area. In one area, the duo’s act burns down an entire carnival. Fleeing the scene of their crime, Scat and Hot Lips stowaway on a ship to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they meet wealthy Lucia Maria de Andrade (Lamour). Lucia’s finances and future nuptials are being controlled by her nefarious guardian, Catherine Vail (Sondergaard).

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Musical Monday: Road to Morocco (1942)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Road to Morocco – Musical #147

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
David Butler

Starring:
Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony Quinn, Dona Drake, Vladimir Sokoloff, Mikhail Rasumny, Yvonne De Carlo (uncredited), Vivian Dandridge (uncredited), Richard Loo (uncredited)

Plot:
Jeff Peters (Crosby) and Orville “Turkey” Jackson (Hope) are adrift on a raft after their boat blows up (thanks to Turkey). When they find land, they find themselves in a desert and ride a camel towards town. They find themselves in an “Arabian Nights”-like setting. In need of money, Jeff sells Turkey. When Turkey sends Jeff a note saying he’s being tortured but to flee, Jeff sets out to save him. The note is a ruse, as Turkey is in the lap of luxury and cuddled up to Princess Shalmar (Lamour), who believes the stars have dictated that they should be married. Problems arise when Princess Shalmar falls in love with Jeff, and also is betrothed to Mullay Kasim (Anthony Quinn).

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Musical Monday: Road to Zanzibar (1941)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Road to Zanzibar (1941) – Musical No. 416

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Victor Schertzinger

Starring:
Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Una Merkel, Eric Blore, Douglass Dumbrille, Iris Adrian, Lionel Royce, Buck Woods, Leigh Whipper, Ernest Whitman, Noble Johnson, Joan Marsh, Luis Alberni, Ruby Dandridge (uncredited)

Plot:
Chuck (Crosby) and Fearless (Hope) are carnival performers traveling through Africa. Chuck always has a gimmick that is at the expense of Fearless’s health and safety, from being shot out of a cannon to wrestling an octopus. One of their antics causes them to go on the lamb when they burn down the carnival and the police are looking for them. They continue to get into more trouble when they meet Charles Kimble (Blore), who sells them a diamond mine. After paying Kimble all of their money, they learn Kimble is eccentric and the mine is a fake. They then run into two women in distress – Donna Latour (Lamour) and Julia Quimby (Merkel) – who may not need as much help as they think. The four then travel through the jungle in search of Donna’s sick father, or so they say.

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Musical Monday: Road to Singapore (1940)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Road to Singapore (1940) – Musical No. 156

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Victor Schertzinger

Starring:
Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Bob Hope, Charles Coburn, Judith Barrett, Anthony Quinn, Jerry Colonna, Edward Gargan (uncredited), Cyril Ring (uncredited), Steve Pendleton (uncredited)

Plot:
Josh Mallon V (Crosby) is in the Navy, but his wealthy father (Coburn) wants him to settle down and work at the shipping business and marry wealthy Gloria Wycott (Barrett). Josh brings his pal, Ace (Hope), to his and Gloria’s engagement party. At the party, I fight breaks out when Gloria’s brother (Pendleton) makes snide remarks. Josh and Ace then run away to Singapore. There, they meet beautiful Mima (Lamour). The two fight over Mima, while Josh’s family searches for him to bring him back to the United States.

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Musical Monday: What’s Cookin’ (1942)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
What’s Cookin’? (1942) – Musical #812

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Edward F. Cline

Starring:
Gloria Jean, Leo Carrillo, Jane Frazee, Robert Paige, Charles Butterworth, Billie Burke, Donald O’Connor, Peggy Ryan, Grace MacDonald, Susan Levin, Franklin Pangborn, Charles Lane, Esther dale (uncredited)
Themselves: The Andrew Sisters, Woody Herman and His Orchestra, The Jivin’ Jacks and Jills (Donald O’Connor, Peggy Ryan, Grace MacDonald, Tommy Rall, Roland Dupree, Bobby Scheerer, Dottie Babb, Dolores Mitchell, Jack McGee, Grace MacDonald, Jane McNab, Jane McNab, David Holt, and Corky Geil)

Plot:
A group of young dancers (The Jivin’ Jacks and Jills) have no more money left to pay rent. As they are sneaking out of their boarding house, they meet another performer who is down on his luck, magician Marvo the Great (Carrillo).
At the same time they are getting kicked out of their boarding house, nightclub and radio singer Anne Payne (Frazee) moves to a large estate and feels lonely in the giant home, where she lives alone. Marvo and Anne used to work together and cross paths, and she expresses her loneliness. He fixes this by inviting the group of young dancers to live in her home.
Anne’s wealthy neighbor, Sue Courtney (Jean) overhears the young performers singing and dancing and comes over one day. Hearing that they are trying to get a gig, she tries to work her influence to get them onto a radio program sponsored by her wealthy aunt (Burke) and uncle (Butterworth).

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Musical Monday: Sweet Surrender (1935)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Sweet Surrender (1935) – Musical #811

Studio:
Distributed by Universal Pictures

Director:
Monte Brice

Starring:
Frank Parker, Tamara, Helen Lynd, Russ Brown, Arthur Pierson, Otis Sheridan
Themselves: Jack Dempsey, Abe Lyman

Plot:
When radio singer Danny O’Day (Parker) loses his job and dancer Delphine Marshall (Tamara) needs a rest, they both end up on a sea voyage to Paris. Delphine travels in disguise as a mousy woman named Martha so she isn’t bothered by fans. So thief Maize Marshall (Tamara) takes the opportunity to pose as Delphine in order to rob people. Meanwhile, Danny, who is smitten with Delphine, is trying to romance the wrong woman.

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Musical Monday: The Sun Comes Up (1949)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
The Sun Comes Up (1949) – Musical #810

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Richard Thorpe

Starring:
Jeanette MacDonald, Pal the Dog, Claude Jarman Jr., Lloyd Nolan, Percy Kilbride, Margaret Hamilton, Lewis Stone, Nicholas Joy, Dwayne Hickman (uncredited)

Plot:
After experiencing tragedy in her household, singer Helen Winter (MacDonald) takes a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to be alone. She begrudgingly takes the family dog Lassie (Pal), though she blames the dog for the accident. While she spends time like a recluse, she is softened by a young boy Jerry (Jarman), who helps her around the rented house.

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Musical Monday: The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) – Musical #73

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Charles Walters

Starring:
Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Oscar Levant, Billie Burke, Gale Robbins, Jacques François, George Zucco, Clinton Sundberg, Inez Cooper, Carol Brewster, Wilson Wood, Hans Conried (uncredited), Dee Turnell (uncredited)

Plot:
Husband-and-wife performers Josh (Astaire) and Dinah Barkley (Rogers) are successful Broadway musicals stars. Dinah becomes restless with lighter musical theater and is convinced by producer Jacques Pierre Barredout (François) that she should try her hand at dramatic theater. The decision breaks up the Barkley marriage. However, while Dinah struggles with the new play, Josh watches from afar and finds a way to help.

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Musical Monday: The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936) – Musical #526

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Mitchell Leisen

Starring:
Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross, Frank Forrest, Don Hulbert, Virginia Weidler (uncredited)
Themselves: Leopold Stokowski, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, Benny Fields

Plot:
Jack Carson (Benny) produces a radio show and is working to get Mr. and Mrs. Platt (Burns and Allen) to sponsor the show with their golf ball product. In the midst of signing their sponsorship, Jack discovers radio deejay Gwen Holmes (Ross), who sings along to his star singer, Frank Rossman (Forrest), and ribs his singing. Jack is not too pleased, and hires Gwen to keep her off of the radio, and publicity man, Bob Miller (Milland), woos her. However, they find that Gwen actually is a great singer and she quickly rises to fame.

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