(89 min) Released 1937-03-23
Director: Frank Tuttle
Stars: Bing Crosby, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross
LeRoy Prinz ... choreographer, Oscar nom'd for "Luau". Oscar 1938
Genres: Comedy | Musical | Romance
Of Bing's 75 acting credits, 56 are classified as music/musicals, and The Road to Hong Kong is not (but should be.)
Here goes another treasure hunt: no song is named "Luau" in the Soundtracks, so which scene was Oscar nom'd? The dvd has no chapters/scene selection, but chapter stops do appear coordinated to scene transitions. Only 1 luau in the movie, at chapter 10 (43:20 min). Starts with a pair of "native" dancers, moving atop giant drums to rhythm provided by a dozen "native" drummers (not the feet providing beats). Romantic/ comedic interlude starts 44:30. 45:50 SR sings, large ensemble performs hula-based dance, SR & BC sing. High-angle shot dissolves to night, and single sword dancer provides tension. Complete by 48:45. So 5:25 minus 1:20 give 3:05 of singing/dancing. I'm not impressed by the quantity nor the choreography.
I wonder if this would be better in lush Technicolor, which is still a novelty in '37. (Just took several hours to research color feature films; separate post precedes this.)
The plot involves a lot of deliberate deception. Shirley Ross is not leading lady material to me. Martha Raye is doing her usual shtick, as is Bob Burns. Anthony Quinn plays a "native" Hawaiian, which he doesn't resemble in the least, but he's part of the deception, so he has a dual role, which is evident. The cast of "natives" is mixed with whites and others passing for Hawaiian, and some genuine Hawaiians.
So a lot of the film depends on Bing, and he does deliver some guilt about his deceit, plus a lot of good singing, but it's not enough to recommend the film.
