Road to Morocco's biggest song hit was Bing Crosby's solo "Moonlight Becomes You." It was on the hit parade for 14 weeks, hitting the top spot twice. In addition to Crosby, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded it in the '40s. Later significant recordings featured Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald and John Pizzarelli. The song also turns up on the soundtrack of Star Trek: First Contact (1996).

In 1943, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby starred in a radio version of Road to Morocco on Lux Radio Theatre with big band singer Ginny Simms in Dorothy Lamour's role.

Road to Morocco was one of the three films Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton) was supposed to be seeing with suitor Norval Jones on the night she hit her head and married a G.I. in Preston Sturges' World War II comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944).

Road to Morocco was followed by four more Road Pictures: Road to Utopia (1946), Road to Rio (1947), Road to Bali (1952) and The Road to Hong Kong (1962). Since Dorothy Lamour was retired by the time the last film was made, she was given only a cameo role as herself. Bing Crosby wanted to cast Brigitte Bardot in the female lead, but eventually the role went to Joan Collins.

The Road Pictures' parodies of popular film genres inspired the films of Mel Brooks and the early works of Woody Allen. In addition, the films' self-referential comedy is a common element in many of Allen's films.

A poster for Road to Morocco can be seen in the background of one panel on page one of Alan Moore's cult favorite comic book mini-series V for Vendetta, which debuted in 1982.

Before Crosby's 1977 death, there was talk of another Road Picture, Road to the Fountain of Youth. After Crosby's sudden passing, Hope considered making the film with Red Skelton or George Burns in his place, but nothing came of it.

In Mel Brooks' 1981 History of the World, Part I, Brooks and Gregory Hines sing "Road to Judea" to the tune of "(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco."

More than anything else in Dorothy Lamour's career, the Road Pictures kept the actress's name in the public eye. She often referred to herself as "the happiest and highest-paid straight woman in the business." At Bob Hope's 90th birthday party she said, "I felt like a wonderful sandwich, a slice of white bread between two slices of ham."

The 2000 Family Guy episode "Road to Rhode Island" was inspired by Road to Morocco (Seth MacFarlane is a big fan of the Road Pictures) and includes a title tune set to the same music as the film's title number.

by Frank Miller

SOURCES:
People Weekly interview with Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour: 1914-1996 by Richard Severo