Editing Road to Morocco

{{short description|1942 film by David Butler}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Road to Morocco
| image          = Road to Morocco (1942 poster).jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[David Butler (director)|David Butler]]
| producer       = [[Paul Jones (film producer)|Paul Jones]]
| writer         = [[Frank Butler (writer)|Frank Butler]]<br />[[Don Hartman]]
| starring       = [[Bing Crosby]]<br />[[Bob Hope]]<br />[[Dorothy Lamour]]
| music          = [[Victor Young]]<br />'''Songs:'''<br />[[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]] ''(lyrics)''<br />[[Jimmy Van Heusen]] ''(music)''
| cinematography = [[William C. Mellor]]
| editing        = [[Irene Morra]]
| studio         = 
| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1942|11|10|''US''}}
| runtime        = 82 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = $3.8 million (U.S. and Canada rentals)<ref name=AllTime>{{cite news|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=All-time Film Rental Champs|date=October 15, 1990|page=M162 to 166}}</ref>
}}

'''''Road to Morocco''''' is a 1942 American [[comedy film]] starring [[Bing Crosby]], [[Bob Hope]] and [[Dorothy Lamour]], and featuring [[Anthony Quinn]] and [[Dona Drake]]. Written by [[Frank Butler (writer)|Frank Butler]] and [[Don Hartman]] and directed by [[David Butler (director)|David Butler]], it’s the third of the "''[[Road to ...]]''" films. It was preceded by ''[[Road to Zanzibar]]'' (1941) and followed by ''[[Road to Utopia]]'' (1946). The story is about two fast-talking guys cast away on a desert shore and sold into slavery to a princess. In 1996, ''Road to Morocco'' was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

==Plot==
A freighter explodes off the coast of North Africa under mysterious circumstances. All hands are accounted for save for stowaways Jeff Peters and Orville 'Turkey' Jackson, the latter's smoking habit causing the explosion. Upon reaching land, Orville reminds Jeff of his promise to Aunt Lucy to take care of him, but Jeff says she died before he could agree to it. Conveniently, a camel appears, and they hitch a ride.

As Jeff and Orville make their way into the city, they are nearly run over by Arabs led by Sheik Mullay Kasim, who has come to propose to Princess Shalmar. Orville is approached by men carrying a mysterious woman in a veiled palanquin, and her hand takes his before they leave. While at a restaurant, Jeff and Orville plan to skip out on the bill, but a man takes Jeff aside and gives him some money. Jeff has sold Orville, and although he is initially angry, he eventually calms down after Jeff promises to buy him back. Two men then throw a hood over Orville and carry him off.

Jeff has a vision of Aunt Lucy, who shames him for selling Orville. He attempts to buy Orville back but discovers that he has been sold once again. Aunt Lucy then advises Jeff to find Orville and suggests that he sing his favorite song. Jeff walks and sings until a note and Orville's locket are thrown from the palace, warning him of danger. Jeff climbs over the palace wall and hears a woman singing. He sneaks in and finds Orville with Princess Shalmar and other beautiful girls.

Jeff storms into the palace but is caught by guards. Orville pretends not to know him, resulting in the princess dismissing everyone except Jeff. Orville then confesses to their engagement, but the princess reveals that she bought him and that her wise man advised her to marry him. The princess invites Jeff to stay, and Orville is waited on by girls, including Mihirmah, who confesses her love for him. Jeff confronts Orville, who then has him thrown out.

Later, Jeff sings and attracts the princess, and they go for a walk. Mihirmah tries to convince Orville to leave with her. Jeff tells the princess that he should be the one marrying her, but Orville threatens him with a sword. The following day, Kasim threatens to kill Orville, but the princess takes him to the wise man, who reveals a prophecy: the first husband will die a violent death within a week of marriage, and the second will have a long and happy life. The princess declares that Orville is the first husband, and Kasim finally understands.

Orville learns of the prophecy and runs off with Mihirmah, convincing Jeff that the princess actually loves him. That night, Aunt Lucy's spirit rebukes Orville. Princess Shalmar refuses to marry Jeff and sends Orville away to prepare for the wedding. Later, the wise man tells the princess and Jeff that he misread the stars and that the prophecy is incorrect. Jeff now understands why Orville wanted to avoid the marriage, and tells him that the princess has changed her mind. Meanwhile, Kasim learns of the news and rallies his men.

Princess Shalmar and Jeff decide to get married in the United States along with Orville and Mihirmah. However, Kasim intervenes and abducts the princess while giving Mihirmah to one of his men. Jeff and Orville attempt to use their 'patty-cake' routine on Kasim, but it fails, and they end up getting captured along with the girls.

Kasim leaves Jeff and Orville stranded in the desert and takes the women with him. While wandering in the desert, they discover an oasis near Kasim's camp. They try to sneak in but are caught. They then witness a clash between two sheiks and take advantage of the chaos to escape with the girls. The four board a boat back home. However, things take a dangerous turn when Orville causes an explosion while smoking in the powder room. Fortunately, they all survive by clinging onto a pile of wreckage near New York Harbor.

==Cast==
{{col-begin}}{{col-break}}
* [[Bing Crosby]] as Jeff Peters
* [[Bob Hope]] as Orville "Turkey" Jackson
* [[Dorothy Lamour]] as Princess Shalmar
* [[Anthony Quinn]] as Mullay Kasim
* [[Dona Drake]] as Mihirmah
* [[Vladimir Sokoloff]] as Hyder Khan
* [[Mikhail Rasumny]] as Ahmed Fey
* [[George Givot]] as Neb Jolla
* [[Leon Belasco]] as Yusef
{{col-break|gap=4em}}
* [[Monte Blue]] as Second aide to Mullay Kassim
* [[George Lloyd (actor)|George Lloyd]] as First guard
* [[Dan Seymour]] as Arabian buyer
* [[Stanley Price]] as Idiot
* [[Louise LaPlanche]] as handmaiden
* [[Yvonne De Carlo]] as handmaiden
* [[Brandon Hurst]] as English announcer
* [[Nestor Paiva]] as Arab sausage vendor
* [[Devi Dja]] as Dancer (uncredited)
* [[Cy Kendall]] as Fruit stall proprietor (uncredited)
* [[Kent Rogers]] as Male Camel (voice, uncredited)
{{col-end}}

==Reception==
The film was placed at No. 4 in the list of [[1942 in film|top-grossing movies]] for 1942 in the USA.

[[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' liked it: "Let us be thankful that Paramount is still blessed with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and that it has set its cameras to tailing these two irrepressible wags on another fantastic excursion, ''Road to Morocco'', which came to the Paramount yesterday. For the screen, under present circumstances, can hold no more diverting lure than the prospect of Hope and Crosby ambling, as they have done before, through an utterly slaphappy picture, picking up Dorothy Lamour along the way and tossing acid wisecracks at each other without a thought for reason or sense...The short of it is that ''Road to Morocco'' is a daffy, laugh-drafting film. And you’ll certainly agree with the camel which, at one point, offers the gratuitous remark, 'This is the screwiest picture I was ever in'."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Crowther|first1=Bosley|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/11/12/archives/road-to-morocco-with-bing-crosby-bob-hope-dorothy-lamour-at.html|title=' Road to Morocco,' With Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour at Paramount -- Other Films |journal=The New York Times|date=November 12, 1942|access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref>

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' commented: "Crosby, Hope and Lamour have done it again. Their click in ''Road to Singapore'' and ''Road to Zanzibar'' is eclipsed by ''Road to Morocco''... Crosby, of course, is still more or less straighting for Hope’s incessantly steaming gags. The two have never teamed better, nor have they, seemingly, romped with such abandon."<ref>{{cite journal|title=Road to Morocco|journal=Variety|date=October 7, 1942}}</ref>

==Songs==
* "[[(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco]]", sung by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope<ref name=pc1a>{{Pop Chronicles 40s|1|A |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633237/m1/#track/5 }}</ref>
* "Ain't Got a Dime to My Name", sung by Bing Crosby
* "Constantly", sung by Dorothy Lamour
* "[[Moonlight Becomes You (song)|Moonlight Becomes You]]", sung by Bing Crosby, and later by Lamour, Hope, and Crosby

All lyrics to all songs are by [[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]] to music by [[Jimmy Van Heusen]].

Bing Crosby recorded several of the songs for [[Decca Records]].<ref>{{cite web|title=A Bing Crosby Discography|url=http://www.bingmagazine.co.uk/bingmagazine/crosby1bDecca.html|website=A Bing Crosby Discography|access-date=January 19, 2016}}</ref> "Moonlight Becomes You" topped the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' charts for two weeks during a 17-week stay in the lists. "Constantly" and "(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco" also charted briefly.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Whitburn|first1=Joel|title=Pop Memories 1890-1954|date=1986|publisher=Record Research Inc|location=Wisconsin, USA|isbn=0-89820-083-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/109 109–110]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/109}}</ref> Crosby's songs were also included in the [[Bing's Hollywood vols.1-15#Holiday Inn|Bing's Hollywood]] series.

== Awards and honors ==
The picture received [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound Recording]] ([[Loren L. Ryder]]) and [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Writing, Original Screenplay]].<ref name="Oscars1943">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1943 |title=The 15th Academy Awards (1943) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-08-14|work=oscars.org}}</ref> In 1996, ''Road to Morocco'' was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-05-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last1=Stern|first1=Christopher|date=1996-12-03|title=National Film Registry taps 25 more pix|url=https://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/national-film-registry-taps-25-more-pix-1117466310/|access-date=2020-08-07|website=Variety|language=en}}</ref>

The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
* 1998: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies]] – Nominated<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/movies400.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150548/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/movies400.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |access-date=2016-08-21 |website=AFI}}</ref>
* 2000: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs]] – #78<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/laughs100.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150533/https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/laughs100.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |access-date=2016-08-21 |website=AFI}}</ref>
* 2004: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]]:
** "[[(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco]]" – #95<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs100.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313151657/https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs100.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |access-date=2016-08-21 |website=[[American Film Institute]]}}</ref>
** "[[Moonlight Becomes You (song)|Moonlight Becomes You]]" – Nominated<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs400.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313152313/https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs400.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |access-date=2016-08-21 |website=[[American Film Institute]]}}</ref>
* 2007: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]] – Nominated<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees (10th Anniversary Edition) |url=https://www.filmsite.org/afi400films.html |access-date=February 21, 2023 |website=Film Site}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
In an [[National Public Radio|NPR]] interview, Middle East expert Dr. [[Jack Shaheen]] of [[Southern Illinois University]] cites ''Road to Morocco'' as "one of the most stereotypical films ever to come out of Hollywood."<ref>{{cite web |title='Sex And The City' Cast Abu Dhabi As The City? Really? |website=[[NPR]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615133650/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127054238 |archive-date=2021-06-15 |url-status=live |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127054238}}</ref> The films themselves were spoofing the popular adventure movies of the time, however.

== History  ==
''Road to Morocco'' featured the first affectionate interracial kiss (between Bob Hope and Dona Drake) in film.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} Previously in 1934, the movie ''[[Java Head (1934 film)|Java Head]]'' had a quick kiss between married characters Anna Mae Wong and Gerrit Ammidon.

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
*[https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/road_morocco.pdf ''Road to Morocco'' essay] by [[Richard Zoglin]] at [[National Film Registry]]
*{{IMDb title|0035262}}
* {{TCMDb title|88420}}
* {{AFI film|id=27436|title=Road to Morocco}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC ''Road to Morocco'' essay] by Daniel Eagan in ''America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry.'' A&C Black. 2010. {{ISBN|0826429777}}. pp.&nbsp;355–356.

{{RoadTo}}

{{David Butler}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Road To Morocco}}
[[Category:1942 films]]
[[Category:1940s adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:1942 musical comedy films]]
[[Category:1942 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:American adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:American musical comedy films]]
[[Category:American comedy road movies]]
[[Category:American romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:American romantic musical films]]
[[Category:1940s buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:Road to ... (film series)]]
[[Category:Films scored by Victor Young]]
[[Category:Films directed by David Butler]]
[[Category:Films set in Morocco]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:American self-reflexive films]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:1940s American films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language musical comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language buddy comedy films]]