Road to Bali (1952)

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

Frank Butler (writer)
Hal Kanter (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

8 April 1953 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

TOGETHER AGAIN!...in the BEST and FUNNIEST "Road" Picture Yet!

Plot:

Having to leave Melbourne in a hurry to avoid various marriage proposals, two song-and-dance men sign on for work as divers...

Plot Keywords:

Crocodile | Monkey | Deep Sea Diver | Poison Dart | Bagpipe

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	George Cochran
Bob Hope	...	Harold Gridley
Dorothy Lamour	...	Princess Lala
Murvyn Vye	...	Ken Arok
Peter Coe	...	Gung
Ralph Moody	...	Bhoma Da
Leon Askin	...	Ramayana
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Ansara	...	Guard (uncredited)
Besmark Auelua	...	Lesser priest (uncredited)
Robert Cabal	...	Native (uncredited)
Herman Cantor	...	Priest (uncredited)
Sue Casey	...	Handmaiden (uncredited)
Larry Chance	...	Attendant (uncredited)
Leslie Charles	...	Handmaiden (uncredited)
Jack Claus	...	Specialty dancer (uncredited)
Jean Corbett	...	Handmaiden (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Verna's father (uncredited)
Bob Crosby	...	Himself, Cameo Appearance (uncredited)
Patricia Dane	...	Handmaiden (uncredited)
Devi Dja	...	(uncredited)
Shela Fritz	...	Chief's wife (uncredited)
Roy Gordon	...	Eunice's father (uncredited)
Bernie Gozier	...	Bo Kassar (uncredited)
Jerry Groves	...	Lesser priest (uncredited)
My Lee Haulani	...	Beautiful girl in basket (uncredited)
Carolyn Jones	...	Eunice (uncredited)
Mary Kanae	...	Old crone (uncredited)
Jan Kayne	...	Verna (uncredited)
Richard Keene	...	Conductor (uncredited)
Al Kikume	...	Warrior (uncredited)
Kukhie Kuhns	...	Fat woman in basket (uncredited)
Donald Lawton	...	Employment agent (uncredited)
Raymond Lee	...	Boy (uncredited)
Bunny Lewbel	...	Lala age seven (uncredited)
Jerry Lewis	...	Woman in Lala's dream (uncredited)
Sylvia Lewis	...	Temple dancer (uncredited)
Judith London	...	Handmaiden (uncredited)
Luukia Luana	...	Boy (uncredited)
Dean Martin	...	Man in Lala's dream (uncredited)
Charles Mauu	...	Warrior (uncredited)
Patti McKay	...	Handmaiden (uncredited)
Allan Nixon	...	Eunice's brother (uncredited)
Betty Onge	...	Handmaiden (uncredited)
Satini Pualoa	...	Warrior (uncredited)
Ethel K. Reiman	...	Chief's wife (uncredited)
Jane Russell	...	Cameo Appearance (uncredited)
Irene K. Silva	...	Chief's wife (uncredited)
Bhogwan Singh	...	Lesser priest (uncredited)
Chanan Singh Sohi	...	Lesser priest (uncredited)
Kuka Tuima	...	Warrior (uncredited)
Douglas Yorke	...	Verna's brother (uncredited)

Directed by
Hal Walker

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Frank Butler		writer
Hal Kanter		writer
William Morrow		writer
Harry Tugend		story

Produced by
Daniel Dare	....	producer
Harry Tugend	....	producer

Original Music by
Johnny Burke
Joseph J. Lilley

Cinematography by
George Barnes

Film Editing by
Archie Marshek

Art Direction by
J. McMillan Johnson
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ross Dowd

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist

Art Department
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator

Sound Department
John Cope	....	sound
Gene Merritt	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera: Technicolor
Loyal Griggs	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)

Music Department
Van Cleave	....	orchestrator
Gerard Carbonara	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Gus Levene	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
Van Cleave	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)

Other crew
Charles O'Curran	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Bing Crosby Productions
• Hope Enterprises
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• Platinum Disc Corporation (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Allumination Filmworks (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• BCI Eclipse (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Brentwood Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Brentwood Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Delta Expedition (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Passport International Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• UAV Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Front Row Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Greatest Sports Legends (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Koch Vision (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Marengo Films (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Brentwood Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Delta Expedition (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Passport International Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Westlake Entertainment Group (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• St. Clair Vision (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Unicorn Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Bridgestone Multimedia (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Peter Rodgers Organization (????) (worldwide) (TV)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bing Crosby Productions

Trivia:

In her 1980 autobiography, "My Side of the Road," (co-written with Dick McInnes), Dorothy Lamour relates how disappointed she was at not being asked to sing on the Decca album which re-created the film score. In Miss Lamour's place, the label recruited an artist under contract, Peggy Lee, to croon the sultry "Moonflowers" and then go upbeat with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and on "The Merry-Go-Runaround" (both songs having music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Johnny Burke).

Goofs:

Continuity: When George and Harold meet Lala, Harold's coat is held on his right shoulder. But, between shots, Harold appears holding the coat in front of himself.

Quotes:

Princess Lala: Do you always fight over girls?
Harold Gridley: Well, what else can we fight over? We've never had any money
[Looking straight into the camera]
Harold Gridley: That's for Washington!

Movie Connections:

References Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)

Soundtrack:

The Whiffenpoof Song

Ad-libbed

From the very first Road picture Hope and Crosby were known for their ad-libbing. In fact when they guested on each other's shows the two of them would take the script and insert some of their own lines to try and catch the other off-guard.

In this Road picture I will swear that the moment the boys and Dotty Lamour were washed ashore on the proverbial south sea island, the picture is one long ad-lib. I am sure the director said, here's the plot situation just make it up as you go. It's got that kind of spontaneity.

Look for 'guest' appearances by Jane Russell, Humphrey Bogart, Martin and Lewis and Bob Crosby in this wacky romp.

Says Dotty: "I love you Bob, I love you Bing, my heart's in a real wing ding." So do we all.