MOVIE
April 11, 1941, "Road to Zanzibar", the second title in the "Bob Hope Tribute Collection" from Universal that included some of the other "Road" movies such as "Road to Singapore", "Road to Morocco" and "Road to Utopia".

The pandering duo return to the screen in this Paramount production as Hubert Frazier (Bob Hope) and Chuck Reardon (Bing Crosby) working their acts at a circus. Huberts, known as Fearless, is at the receiving end of Chucks get-rich-quick schemes which are only successful at putting him in danger most of the time. After burning down the circus tent and having to run from the law and other people they have cheated, they end up in Africa. A run of bad luck begins when Chuck is talked into buying a phony diamond mine costing them their entire savings. Hubert gets their money back by selling the mine to a couple of thugs from which they barely escape to another village. Here they meet the female con team of Dorothy Lamour and Una Merkel as Donna and Julia who quickly relieve the boys of some their money in a swindle and talk them into funding a safari into the jungle. They boys think they are helping her find her lost father, when in fact they are really helping her get to another guy she has plans to swindle.

Cannibal natives, snakes, leopards and gorillas threaten to ruin everyones plans while Bob, Bing and Dorothy try to joke, sing and dance their way out of trouble. What we saw from the duo in the first movie is fine tuned even further into a funny and entertaining performance we now expect.

DVD
Region 1
Single Sided, dual layer
Run Time: 92 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
• Command Performance
• Photo gallery
• Cast and filmmakers

VIDEO
Generally weaker than the first movie in the series with a fair amount of dirt, debris and scratches apparent throughout, but is not distracting as the film is generally strong and sharp with good black levels.

AUDIO
The audio is better than "Road to Singapore" but still shows some signs of age with hiss that is most noticeable during the quieter dialog scenes, but not too apparent during the musical numbers. It's not overly objectionable and is soon falls away during the viewing.

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

Bonus Materials
• Bob Hope and the Road to Success
• Command Performance 1944
• 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.

• Command Performance 1944 (7m) - A section of the 1944 performance given to the troops on location in WWII and broadcast on radio. Bob jokes around with his guests Betty Hutton, Judy Garland, and Lana Turner.

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

• The Theatrical Trailer

• Production Notes - Trivia about how the movie got its start as a rewrite of a movie called "Find Colonel Fawcett". Victor Schertzinger, the director of "Road to Singapore" returned allowing Bing and Bob to continue with their ad-libbing. Victor, now 60, died a year later during the filming of "The Fleet's In" with Dorothy Lamour.

• 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 Zanzibar" continues a journey along the path of a film series that would turn out to be one of the most successful and remembered in history. Better than the first of the "Road to" movies, it's entertaining and worth a spot in your collection if you are a Bob and Bing fan.