When it comes to comedy teams you have to rank this duo high on the list despite not exactly being a team in the sense of Laurel and Hardy, Bud and Lou or even Martin and Lewis for their first few years in show business.
The great thing with these two is that they successfully managed a solo career in comedy, musicals, drama and stage yet would work together in seven road pictures. Still there was more with TV and the frequent cameo’s from Bing in Bob’s films. How about the continuing cheap shots at each other in film when the other wasn’t even making appearance.
A perfect example is Bing starring solo in 1947’s Welcome Stranger. When Bing hears that the local picture house is playing a Bob Hope movie on Tuesday night he’s quick to respond, “I’ll wait ’til a week from Tuesday.” to catch the next show.
Then there is the added attraction of Dorothy Lamour turning up in the Road adventures and in a number of other titles with either actor playing solo like My Favorite Brunette with Bob and Dixie with Bing.
1940 saw their first road trip.
Over to Zanzibar and a slight change in billing.
Moving it over to Morocco.
Bob : “A fine thing. First, you sell me for two hundred bucks. Then I’m gonna marry the Princess; then you cut in on me. Then we’re carried off by a desert sheik. Now, we’re gonna have our heads chopped off. ”
Bing : “I know all that.”
Bob : “Yeah, but the people who came in the middle of the picture don’t. ”
Bing : “You mean they missed my song?”
Off to Utopia.
Bob : “Am I dead?”
Bing : “I can’t tell, you always look that way. ”
Trekking the road to Rio in 1947.
Into the fifties and moving the road show to Bali by way of the backlot.
Bob’s warning to the viewer. “He’s gonna sing, folks. Now’s the time to go out and get the popcorn. ”
The final trip over to Hong Kong in 1962..
Bing :”Don’t I always get you the best medical attention available? ”
Bob : “Yeah, like that doctor you got me in Bombay last month.”
Bing : ” How was I going to know he was an elephant doctor? ”
Bob : “You should have known by the size of his thermometer.”
Bing : “Yes, was a bit large.”
Bob : ” When he shook it, I was still on it. ”
Hope and Crosby have rarely disappointed me and as a team I have generally found them to be dynamite. Discover them for yourself or like me revisit them as often as you can for laughter is a great way to enhance your day.
Mike's Take On the Movies 