After teaming up for their first film together - Road to Singapore (1940) - and parlaying that success into a sequel, Road to Zanzibar (1941), the musical-comedy team of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby settled into a winning formula for Road to Morocco (1942), the third and often considered the best of their "Road" pictures by Hope-Crosby connoisseurs. A freewheeling spoof of the Arabian Nights genre, this entry finds our boys, Jeff (Crosby) and Turkey (Hope), shipwrecked off the African Coast. As they make their way toward Morocco, Jeff finds a way to make some quick money by selling off Turkey as a slave. A change of heart, however, motivates Jeff to rescue his friend, only to find him comfortably installed in a luxurious palace, betrothed to a beautiful princess (Dorothy Lamour). It's all part of a grand master plan, foretold by the court astrologer, and fated to end badly for Turkey, courtesy of Mullay Kasim (Anthony Quinn), the princess's jealous suitor. By the time Hope and Crosby made Road to Morocco, their easy-going on-screen chemistry and comic rivalry were well established; Crosby's unscrupulous, self-promoting wise guy coupled with Hope's delusionary vain but unheroic bumbler. Equally distinctive was the loose, improvisational style of the film which often broke down the wall between the screen and the viewer whenever characters would directly address the audience. Hollywood in-jokes and a sense of self-parody were a key to the series' success and Road to Morocco doesn't waste any time poking fun at its own formulaic qualities in the opening musical number when the boys sing "I'll lay you eight to five we meet Dorothy Lamour" and "For any villains we may meet we haven't any fears; Paramount will protect us because we've signed for five more years." Part of the film's goofy charm can be attributed to director David Butler who would work with Hope in several other comedies.