SYNOPSIS

Jeff Peters and Turkey Jackson, a pair of con artists, are marooned in the Arabian desert after a shipwreck. Short of cash, Jeff sells Turkey into slavery, but when a bout of conscience inspires him to rescue his friend, he discovers that Turkey is now the romantic consort of the beautiful princess Shalmar. Their rivalry over her doesn't last long for evil sheik Mullay Kasim decides he wants her for himself. Despite a court astrologer's dire prediction for their future, the duo decide to risk it all and rescue the princess.

Director: David Butler
Producer: Paul Jones
Screenplay: Frank Butler, Don Hartman
Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Editing: Irene Morra
Art Direction: Hans Dreier, Robert Usher
Music: Victor Young
Cast: Bing Crosby (Jeff Peters), Bob Hope (Turkey Jackson), Dorothy Lamour (Princess Shalmar), Anthony Quinn (Mullay Kasim) Dona Drake (Mihirmah), Mikhail Rasumny (Ahmed Fey), Vladimir Sokoloff (Hyder Khan), Monte Blue (Aide to Mullay Kasim), Yvonne De Carlo (Handmaiden), Dan Seymour (Arabian Buyer), Richard Loo (Chinese Announcer), Nestor Paiva (Arab Sausage Vendor), Kent Rogers (Camel).
BW-83m. Closed Captioning.

Why THE ROAD TO MOROCCO is Essential

The third of the Road pictures starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, Road to Morocco is widely considered the best entry in the most popular comedy series in Hollywood history. With non-stop wise-cracks, a nonsensical adventure plot and a wisecracking camel, it's also one of the funniest movies ever made.

After two films reshaped from screenplays written for other actors, this was the first totally original Road picture, written specifically to showcase the three stars.

Hope and Crosby were the top comedy team of the '40s. From 1941 through 1943, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello ranked ahead of at least one of them at the box office, but by 1944, Hope and Crosby had pushed that team to number nine, after which Abbott and Costello fell out of the top ten.

In addition to spoofing such popular genres as the jungle adventure or, in this case, a costume drama in the Arabian Nights vein, the "Road Pictures" were the height of Hollywood self-parody, filled with in-jokes about the series' stars and the movies in general. As such they stand as some of the most comical send-ups of the studio industry and its mass-produced entertainments. Their only rivals in that area were the studio's cartoons, which regularly spoofed popular films and celebrities. As with the best parodies, one important element of their lasting popularity is the fact that the best of the Road Pictures are funny even without detailed knowledge of the genres or the industry they spoofed.

The Road films were among the most prominent examples of the career synergy in which both Hope and Crosby pioneered, using film appearances, radio shows and (in Crosby's case) recordings to cross-promote each other. This franchise drew on the comic feud they had created on their respective radio shows, with each guesting on the other's show to swap insults (and build the listening audience). Similarly, the films are filled with bickering and insults, often based on the actors' distinguishing physical characteristics (e.g., Crosby's ears, Hope's nose) and talents.

by Frank Miller