The Road to Hong Kong
The Road to Hong Kong | |
---|---|
Directed by | Norman Panama |
Screenplay by | Norman Panama |
Story by | Melvin Frank |
Produced by | Melvin Frank |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Jack Hildyard |
Edited by | Alan Osbigton |
Music by | Robert Farnon |
Production company | Melnor Films |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $2 million[1] |
Box office | $2.6 million (US/Canada)[2] |
The Road to Hong Kong is a 1962 British semi-musical comedy film directed by
Plot
The story is told in flashback as Diane explains to American Intelligence how transmissions from passengers picked up from a missile to the moon are by Americans rather than Russians.
Harry Turner (Bing Crosby) and Chester Babcock (Bob Hope) are defrauding people in
At the airport, Chester mistakenly picks up a suitcase with a marking designed to be a point of contact between agents of a
In Tibet, the two make their way to the lamasery in
Returning to Calcutta, followed by Diane, Harry has Chester test the results of the memory herb by memorizing the rocket formula that Diane placed in Chester's coat. Not knowing what it is, Harry destroys it after Chester has successfully memorized it. Diane arrives too late, but after seeing Chester recite the formula, she offers them $25,000 to meet her in Hong Kong. On the way to Hong Kong, an agent of the High Lama replaces the stolen Tibetan herbs with a similar bottle containing ordinary tea leaves.
The Third Echelon is seeking the fuel for its own spacecraft with an underwater launching pad in Hong Kong. The goal is to be the first on the moon, where a base is to be established to launch nuclear weapons against Earth and to bring survivors under the agency's control.
With a Russian launch to the moon carrying two apes imminent, the Third Echelon, which was going to emulate the Soviet achievement, decides to gain respect at the United Nations by launching two human astronauts, Chester and Harry, instead of apes. The two are used as guinea pigs (and fed with bananas) to test the capabilities of the spacecraft and the effects of spaceflight upon humans. The mission is successful, with moonlight bringing back Chester's photographic memory.
Diane decides to leave the Third Echelon when she discovers that once her colleagues have extracted the final formula from Chester, they plan to dissect Chester and Harry to see the effects of space travel on their bodies. Diane helps the boys escape. They are pursued through Hong Kong, eventually leading Diane to the authorities. Chester and Harry happen to meet Dorothy Lamour at a nightclub where they are recaptured by the Third Echelon.
Chester, Harry and Diane all end up in a rocket bound for another planet. They think they're alone after landing, but they're not—Chester calls out, "The Italians!" as they are joined by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
Cast
- Bing Crosby as Harry Turner
- Bob Hope as Chester Babcock
- Joan Collins as Diane (3rd Echelon agent)
- Robert Morley as Leader of the 3rd Echelon
- Peter Sellers as Indian physician
- Walter Gotell as Dr. Zorbb (3rd Echelon scientist)
- Sir Felix Aylmer as Grand Lama
- Alan Gifford as American official
- Michele Mok as Mr. Ahso
- Katya Douglas as 3rd Echelon receptionist
- Roger Delgado as Jhinnah
- Robert Ayres as American official
- Peter Madden as Lama
- David Niven as Lady Chatterley's Lover lama
- Dave King as Restaurateur
- Mei Ling as Ming Toy
- Jacqueline Jones as Blonde at airport
- Yvonne Shima as Poon Soon
- Dorothy Lamour as Herself
- Bob Simmons as Third Echelon astronaut
- Nosher Powell as Third Echelon astronaut
Production
Filming in England at
The name of Hope's character, "Chester Babcock", is an
The plot of the film (released 22 May 1962) involves espionage and space rockets predating Dr. No (released 5 October 1962) and the spy craze of the 1960s. Hope and Crosby are up against a SPECTRE type organization 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" and Bob Simmons as an astronaut. The film's art director is another Bond film regular, Syd Cain.
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. Some critics felt that the 59-year-old Hope and Crosby couldn't pull off the part credibly at their age and that it was unfair for them to dump their old partner Lamour (with whom they had excellent screen chemistry) for the more youthful Collins. Others thought the decade-long gap since the last Road movie wrecked the momentum of the series and that Peter Sellers came off as more fresh and funny than the aging stars of the film.
In 1977,
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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (UA's sister studio) handles distribution and marketing on behalf of UA.
Reception
Critical
Variety provided a positive review as well, stating: "The seventh “Road” comedy, after a lapse of seven years, should cause a seven-year itch among tab buyers to get in at the laughs. For they come thick and fast in this genial piece of nonsense. Perhaps the old formula creaks occasionally, but not enough to cause any disappointment while the zany situations and razor-edge wisecracks keep the whole affair bubbling happily. . . . The result is an amiable comedy which should please nostalgic customers and entice those who haven’t seen any of the previous “Road” pix..."[9]
Box office
The film earned $2.3 million in
Films and Filming said it was the fifth most popular movie in Britain for the year ended 31 October 1962 after Navarone, Dr No, The Young Ones and Only Two Can Play.[11] According to Kinematograph Weekly the film was considered a "money maker" at the British box office in 1962.[12]
Songs
All songs were written by Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics) with the exception of "Personality".
- "Team Work" sung by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and again by Crosby, Hope and Joan Collins.
- "The Road to Hong Kong" sung by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.
- "Let's Not Be Sensible" sung by Bing Crosby and Joan Collins.
- "Personality" extract sung by Dorothy Lamour.
- "Warmer Than a Whisper" sung by Dorothy Lamour.
A soundtrack album was released by Liberty Records.
Home media
The Road to Hong Kong was released on Region 1 DVD by MGM Home Video on 1 April 2003 and on Region A Blu-ray by Olive Films on 17 February 2015.[13]
Cancelled sequel
In 1977, an eighth Road to... movie was planned, titled Road to the Fountain of Youth, but the film ultimately was cancelled due to Crosby's death that year.[14]
References
- ^ "Stars Golfing, Kids Growing". Variety. 20 September 1961. p. 5.
- ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1962". Variety. 9 January 1963. p. 13. Please note these are rentals and not gross figures
- ^ "The Road to Hong Kong (1961)". Film & TV Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ p.198 Lamour, Dorothy & McInnes My Side of the Road Prentice-Hall 1980
- ^ Shannon, Jeff (3 March 2009). "Bob, Bing, and the Case of the Traveling Matte". Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Giddins, Gary Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams: The Early Years, 1903–1940 Thorndike Press, 2001
- ^ p.165 Grudens, Richard Bing Crosby: Crooner of the Century Celebrity Profiles Publishing, 01/02/2003
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (28 June 1962). "Screen: 'Road to Hong Kong' Opens; Crosby and Hope Star In Revival of Series Dorothy Lamour Seen Briefly in the Film". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Variety". 4 April 1962.
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(help) - ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1962". Variety. 9 January 1963. p. 13.
- ^ British films are tops at box office Author: Douglas Marlborough Date: Monday, Dec. 10, 1962 Publication: Daily Mail p 3
- ^ Billings, Josh (13 December 1962). "Three British Films Head the General Releases". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "The Road to Hong Kong Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com.
- ^ "The 'Road...' Films of Hope, Crosby and Lamour". h2g2. 9 October 2004. Retrieved 25 October 2009.