{"id":16029,"date":"2011-03-04T11:50:56","date_gmt":"2011-03-04T18:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16029"},"modified":"2021-01-14T22:55:49","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T05:55:49","slug":"road-to-zanzibar-1941","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16029","title":{"rendered":"Road to Zanzibar (1941)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;If he&#8217;s a god, <em>I&#8217;M<\/em> Mickey Mouse!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Poster-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16036\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Poster-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA pair of con-artists (Bob Hope and Bing Crosby) flee to Zanzibar, where they are duped into buying a worthless deed for a diamond mine, romance an American con-girl (Dorothy Lamour), and are held captive by a tribe of natives.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Africa<\/li>\n<li>Bing Crosby Films<\/li>\n<li>Bob Hope Films<\/li>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Con-Artists<\/li>\n<li>Dorothy Lamour Films<\/li>\n<li>Fugitives<\/li>\n<li>Love Triangle<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Rivalry<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis second entry in the wildly successful <em>Road To&#8230;<\/em> Hope\/Crosby adventure comedy series bumped the films up into the realm of pure silliness, and introduced their trademark self-referential humor. Much like the same year&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11967\"><em>Hellzapoppin&#8217;<\/em> (1941)<\/a>, the actors in <em>&#8230; Zanzibar<\/em> brazenly break the &#8220;fourth wall&#8221; of cinema by commenting on the conventions of filmmaking itself &#8212; most memorably in the boat ride scene between Lamour and Crosby. Hope and Crosby continue to develop their snappy comedic rapport together, and are surrounded by a fine supporting cast. Eric Blore has a fun supporting role early on as the giddily unreliable seller of the bum deed, while Lamour is provided with a juicier, less submissive role this time around, and is ably supported by comedic sidekick Una Merkel. The storyline itself &#8212; essentially a satire of jungle flicks &#8212; is far too ridiculous to spend time analyzing; either you&#8217;ll give in and enjoy the silliness or you won&#8217;t. I&#8217;m recommending it as must-see for all film fanatics given that it&#8217;s a representative early example of this infamously zany series. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fun rapport between Crosby and Hope<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Crosby-Hope3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Crosby-Hope3-1024x785.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"491\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Crosby-Hope3-1024x785.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Crosby-Hope3-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Crosby-Hope3-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Crosby-Hope3-768x589.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Crosby-Hope3-352x270.png 352w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Crosby-Hope3.png 1327w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Amusing &#8220;meta-cinematic&#8221; references<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanibar-Rowing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanibar-Rowing-1024x731.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"457\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanibar-Rowing-1024x731.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanibar-Rowing-300x214.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanibar-Rowing-128x91.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanibar-Rowing-768x548.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanibar-Rowing-378x270.png 378w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanibar-Rowing.png 1371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine supporting performances by Dorothy Lamour and Una Merkel<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Lamour.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Lamour-1024x799.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"499\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63383\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Lamour-1024x799.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Lamour-300x234.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Lamour-128x100.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Lamour-768x600.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Lamour-346x270.png 346w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Lamour.png 1313w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Merkel.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Merkel-1024x789.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"493\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-63382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Merkel-1024x789.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Merkel-300x231.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Merkel-128x99.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Merkel-768x591.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Merkel-351x270.png 351w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Road-to-Zanzibar-Merkel.png 1331w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of the best films in the <em>Road To&#8230;<\/em> series &#8212; and the first to really reveal the series&#8217; comedic potential. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Representative Film<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0034116\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1941\/04\/10\/archives\/bing-crosby-bob-hope-in-road-to-zanzibar-at-paramount-the-penalty.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/fantasticmoviemusings.com\/2016\/12\/18\/road-to-zanzibar-1941\/\">SciFilm Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/88434\/road-to-zanzibar\/#articles-reviews?articleId=79900\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;If he&#8217;s a god, I&#8217;M Mickey Mouse!&#8221; Synopsis: A pair of con-artists (Bob Hope and Bing Crosby) flee to Zanzibar, where they are duped into buying a worthless deed for a diamond mine, romance an American con-girl (Dorothy Lamour), and are held captive by a tribe of natives. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Africa Bing Crosby Films Bob Hope Films Comedy Con-Artists Dorothy Lamour Films Fugitives Love Triangle Musicals Rivalry Review: This second entry in the wildly successful Road To&#8230;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16029\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16029"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63385,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16029\/revisions\/63385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}