MOVIE
March 22, 1946, "Road to Utopia", the fouth title in the "Bob Hope Tribute Collection" from Universal that included some of the other "Road" movies such as "Road to Singapore", "Road to Zanzibar" and "Road to Morocco".

Another thin plot, not that it ever mattered in this series finds Bob and Bing returning as Chester and Duke, a duo on the San Francisco Vaudeville circuit. Once again on the run because of backfiring con jobs, they lose their money while stowing away on a ship bound for Alaska. A pair of villains known as Sperry and McGurk rob an old man of his gold mine map. The old man dies and his daughter Sal (Lamour) shows up to claim her inheritance. Hope and Crosby assume the identities of the bad guys and eventually end up meeting saloon-singer Sal. A series of misadventures ensues as the boys, Lamour, the killers and other crooked characters try to outwit each other, obtain the map and locate the mine.

Hope and Crosby are funny, witty, and as impromptu as ever in this great white north tale of talking animals and an appearance by Santa Claus. Full of ad-libs and wise-cracking rivalries, we get to guess once again who will end up with the girl while humorist Robert Benchley pops in occasionally to narrate. This is the wackiest film of the bunch and recipient of a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award nomination.

DVD
Region 1
Single Sided, dual layer
Run Time: 90 minutes
Black & White, Closed-captioned
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1
Audio Tracks: English, Spanish (Mono)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

• Production notes
• TV spot(s)
• Bob Hope and the Road to Success
• Hollywood Victory Caravan
• Photo gallery
• Cast and filmmakers

VIDEO
Frequent artifacts and scratches are present and is probably the worst of the series, some grain, fair black levels, somewhat distracting.

AUDIO
The audio has a bit of hiss at times but is in generally good shape. The musicals sound especially good for their age.

MENU
Scenes
18 total, 6 per page with thumbnails, static with music.

Bonus Materials
• Bob Hope and the Road to Success
• Hollywood Victory Caravan
• Photo gallery
• The Theatrical Trailer
• Production Notes
• Cast and Filmmakers
• DVD-Rom Features
• DVD Newsletter
• Recommendations

Languages
English, Spanish only with subtitles selections of English, Spanish and French.

Play

BONUS MATERIALS
• Bob Hope and the Road to Success (14m)- Roger Mielke, author of "The Road to Box Office", Richard Grudins, author of "The Spirit of Bob Hope" and Phyllis Diller tells about the reason for the movies and how they affected the audience at the time.

• Hollywood Victory Caravan (20m) - Probably the best bonus piece of all the discs in the series. Produced right after WWII to remind people to keep buying war bonds, it is a story of a girl on her way to see her wounded brother recovering in a Virginia hospital that gets a ride there from Bing. Guest notables include Bob Hope, Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart, Franklin Pangborn, Alan Ladd and William Demarest.

• Photo gallery (3m) - picture slideshow of lobby cards and stills during filming and breaks of Bob, Bing, Dorothy and supporting cast with orchestral fill.

• The Theatrical Trailer

• Production Notes - Trivia about the fourth movie in the "Road to" series. Completed in 1944, Robert Benchley the narrator never got to see the movie, dying before it was released two years later. Some additional info is included about some close calls for Hope and Crosby along with an audition note on Hillary Brooke.

• Cast and Filmmakers - a list of cast and crew.

• DVD-Rom Features - a notice that the Universal DVD's in this line may include games, screen savers, wallpapers, additional info, internet access and special Universal Studio links.

• DVD Newsletter - A way to sign up for the Universal E-Newsletter via dvd.universalpictures.com

• Recommendations - Recommends the other "Road to", as well as the other Bob Hope Tribute DVD's including "The Paleface", "Ghost Breakers", "Big Broadcast of 1938/College Swing" and "My Favorite Blonde/STAR Spangled Rhythm".

SUMMARY
The "Road To Utopia" is one more step in a journey along the path of a film series that would turn out to be one of the most successful and remembered in history. One of the better of the "Road to" movies, it's entertaining and worth a spot in your collection if you are a Bob and Bing fan.