A COMIC FEUD

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A comic feud

Two great stars put on an act to thrill their fans

The first film that I saw in the popular `Road Series' was "Road to Utopia". It featured two of the greatest stars of Hollywood, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and also the glamour girl, Dorothy Lamour. Later I managed to see all the other Road pictures. They were delightful films full of wit, fun and music.

Bing Crosby was one of the greatest singers of all time. His rich baritone enthralled several generations of listeners. His discs sold over 300 million copies or more in the 1940's. And one of them, "White Christmas", was the biggest seller of the twentieth century. Soldiers encamped far away from home during Christmas, listened to Crosby's soulful masterpiece with nostalgia and high emotion. Crosby was also a good actor, and won two Oscars. He was atop of the popularity polls for over a couple of decades.

Bob Hope was a comedian noted for his deadpan delivery of lines. He was also a compere of shows like the Oscar Awards ceremony. He entertained the troops during World War II, and the wars in Korea and Vietnam.

The road pictures

Both these actors were under contract to Paramount Pictures, and the studio decided to pair them in a series. And thus came about the Road Series. The films in this series had a simple formula - the pursuit of Dorothy Lamour by our two heroes. This happened on trips to faraway places like Hong Kong, Zanzibar, Singapore and so on. Both the men tried to hoodwink each other and win the heart of Lamour.

And there were witty exchanges and songs with funny lines. In "Road to Morocco" there is a song that goes: "Like Webster's Dictionary we are morocco bound". Both the stars also had their own starring films, which were big hits too.

Most of the Road films were good clean fun, though occasionally some scenes bordered on the risqué. In "Road to Utopia" the three are travelling in the snow for days together. Bob Hope pursues Dorothy Lamour romantically while Lamour pursues Bing Crosby with equal fervour. There is a snow drift and suddenly a deep chasm forms, with Hope and Lamour on one side and Crosby on the other. Since the chasm cannot be crossed, they decide to go their ways and meet some time in the future. Sure enough Crosby as an old man visits the old couple Hope and Lamour. After some pleasant reminiscing Crosby asks them whether they have any children, and they tell him they have a son. Lamour calls her son, who comes down the stairs. And surprise! It is a young Bing Crosby.

A battle of wits

The rivalry between the two characters in the Road films gave them the idea of feuding in real life. This was of course a mock feud, which tickled their fans no end. Actually the two were good friends.

Both were ardent golfers, and owned large golf courses. In Bing Crosby's golf course a huge board was put up at the entrance - "Abandon HOPE all ye who enter here."

Occasionally Paramount Pictures lent their stars out to other producers. Samuel Goldwyn borrowed Bob Hope for his film, "The Princess and the Pirate". In the last scene, the princess comes cooing towards Bob Hope who stands waiting for her with a smirk on his face.

But she goes past him, and a man from the crowd steps out, and she flies into his arms. The man is Bing Crosby in an unannounced single shot guest appearance. Hope gives the audience an aggrieved look. "She has thrown me over for a bit player from Paramount" he says ruefully.

Bing Crosby passed away in 1977 at the age of 74. Bob Hope continued to win many honours including a knighthood. He completed his hundredth year in 2003. He died a few months after grandly celebrating his centenary.

J.VASANTHAN

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