‘ROAD TO SINGAPORE’

Evening Star, Issue 23745, 28 November 1940, Page 15

‘ROAD TO SINGAPORE’

BING CROSBY AND DOROTHY LAMOUR Commencing to-morrow at the Empire, three of the foremost celebrities of both screen and radio —Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Bob Hope—make their initial appearance together, as the stars of ‘ Road to Singapore,’ Paramount’s tropic comedy with song. ‘ Road to Singapore ’ finds Bing and Bob singing their merry way to the South Seas to get away from the girls. Existence in Kaigoon is idyllic until they run into Dorothy Lamour being abused by her dancing partner, Anthony Quinn. The boys take care of. him, and she decides to take care of them as far as the housekeeping goes. Although they resent it at first, they decide they like having her around, and both of them fall in love with her. Meanwhile, however, Professor Colonna, a rival of Crosby’s father in the steamship business, has been accosted by the boys in one of their efforts to get money. He tells Bing’s father, where Bing is, and the former comes to the island. When he arrives the lads and Dorothy are at a feast, and Bing is being pursued by a marriage-bent native lass. Finally, he has to decide to leave, but his heart belongs to Dorothy and vice versa,'and it takes a lot of scheming to get them back together again. The five hit songs woven into the picture by Victor Schertzinger, the director, include ’ Too Romantic,’ ‘ The Moon and the Willow Tree,’ and * Kaigoon.’ Bing and Miss Lamour sing them, and there is much dancing by native girls. There are other amusing scenes when the runaway son’s millionaire father and his fiancee .arrive in a luxury yacht, and after many adventures the course of true love is at last smoothed out. There are several catchy new songs in the picture, and the scenes of native customs, especially the annual feast and marriage dance, are excellently done.