ROAD TO UTOPIA (DVD) FULL FRAME 1.33:1/DOLBY DIGIT DVD

Road to Utopia
The first "Road" picture in three years (the last was The Road to Morocco), Road to Utopia is set during the Alaskan gold rush. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby play a pair of third-rate San Francisco entertainers, Chester Hooton and Duke Johnson, who are obliged to skip town in a hurry. They book passage on a ship to Alaska, where they run afoul of escaped murderers Sperry (Robert H. Barrat) and McGurk (Nestor Paiva). Through a fluke, Chester and Duke overpower the killers, then get off the ship in Skagway disguised as Sperry and McGurk so that they themselves can evade the authorities. The boys can't understand why everyone is so afraid of them, nor why saloon owner Ace Larson (Douglas Dumbrille) and Larson's moll Kate (Hillary Brooke) are so chummy. It turns out that Sperry and McGurk had stolen a deed to a valuable gold mine before escaping to Alaska. Sal Van Hoyden (Dorothy Lamour) is the rightful owner of that deed, thus she too shows up in Skagway, hoping to extract the document from Chester and Duke. Whenever the plot threatens to become too difficult to follow, narrator Robert Benchley shows up to explain things -- which of course only adds to the confusion. At any rate, the whole affair ends up with Chester, Duke, and Sal running through the snowy wastes, with the villains in hot pursuit. Duke nobly stays behind to fight off the bad guys himself, handing the deed to Chester and Sal and wishing them Godspeed. Flash-forward to 1945: Chester and Sal, both old and wealthy, are reunited with their equally aged pal Duke, who wasn't killed after all. Sal tells Duke that Chester has been a wonderful husband and father. Yes, father...and wait till you see who plays their child ("We adopted him!"). Road to Utopia is the usual melange of ad-libbed chatter, snappy songs, talking animals, and "patty cake, patty cake." You'll love it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Bing Crosby as Duke Johnson Bob Hope as Chester Hooton Dorothy Lamour as Sal Van Hoyden Robert Benchley as Narrator Hillary Brooke as Kate Jack LaRue as Le Bec Douglas Dumbrille as Ace Larson Nestor Paiva as McGurk

Crew Roland Anderson - Art Director Hans Dreier - Art Director Jerry Fairbanks - Animator Daniel Dare - Choreography Edith Head - Costume Designer Hal Walker - Director Stuart Gilmore - Editor Jimmy Van Heusen - Composer (Music Score) Leigh Harline - Composer (Music Score) Johnny Burke - Composer (Music Score) Robert Emmett Dolan - Musical Direction/Supervision Johnny Burke - Songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen - Songwriter Lionel Lindon - Cinematographer Paul Jones - Producer George Sawley - Set Designer Farciot Edouart - Special Effects Norman Panama - Screenwriter Melvin Frank - Screenwriter

Road to Utopia
The fourth of the "Road" pictures, Road to Utopia is a zany and engaging entry in the series. Indeed, while the previous Road projects had certainly been wacky and loose, Utopia takes these qualities up to a new level. Robert Benchley's interrupting narrations, self-referential asides and gags, and a man wandering into the film merely because he is looking for the soundstage of a different film can all be found here; fans of deconstructionist comedy could have a field day with Utopia. But those just in the mood for a fast and furious "odd couple with gal pal" comedy will have an even better time. Sure, some of jokes fall flat and the plot gets too complicated (as Benchley points out), but the chemistry between Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour is what the Road pictures are all about, and that chemistry is top-notch here. Utopia also features the requisite musical numbers, with Lamour's smashing "Personality" a standout here. Director Hal Walker pretty much just gets out of the way of his trio of stars, but that's probably the best course he could have taken. It's quite silly, and in places quite dated, but Utopia is a lot of fun. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
 

Melvin Frank: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Original Screenplay (nominated) Norman Panama: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Original Screenplay (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, Spanish Subtitle Options: English, French Sound Processing: 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects 1: PCM mono Additional Features: Bob Hope and the Road to Success Hollywood Victory Caravan Photograph gallery Theatrical trailer Production notes Cast and filmmakers DVD-ROM features DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 90 min Part of Series: Bob Hope - The Tribute Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scenes 1. Main Titles [:22] 2. Old Friends [1:56] 3. Flashback [3:20] 4. Ghost-O [1:41] 5. Dockside [8:01] 6. The Map [1:38] 7. The Golden Rail [9:04] 8. Sperry [3:43] 9. McGurk [4:45] 10. Double Date [4:47] 11. Women and Fishin' [3:22] 12. Night Action [2:08] 13. The Morning After [2:11] 14. Above It All [2:29] 15. Mistakes Happen [6:16] 16. The Perils of Sal [5:48] 17. Dogsled Racing [2:05] 18. Back to the Present [5:58]