Bing Cosby

(On Cable TV, November 2022) The textual and metatextual often entwine in Road to Bali, one of the last and most popular of the “Road to” buddy comedies starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. By that time, the sixth in a seven-movie series (although the seventh was filmed much later), both Crosby and Hope had developed an easy faux-antagonistic rapport, sometimes even breaking the fourth wall to take the spotlight away from each other. This was the only entry in the series film in colour, and one that was clearly comfortable with the tropes of the series. An out-and-out comedy, it features walk-on cameo roles, jabs at other movies of the time, and a stream of jokes so steady that one of them is bound to be funny—and, hopefully, one after the other. It’s not a bad watch, although twenty-first century viewers may have to leave a few scruples at the door in order to not wince at the sexist, racist or simply foolish material. (As is often the case in boys-comedy of any age, the relationship of the characters is complex—can’t stop thinking about women, but can’t resist poking fun at them.) Perennial series distaff foil Dorothy Lamour gives as much as she gets, though—and it’s hard to notice that their best-laid plans always run aground on the shoals of female characters. Road to Bali is mild but steady fun, with the biggest laughs coming from the brazen interplay between text and context: It’s funnier if you’re up to speed on both Hopes and Crosby’s shtick, and even funnier if you can pick The African Queen’s Bogart out of a lineup. I’ve got half a mind to make myself a Road to series marathon.