Road to Rio (Blu-ray)

In this fifth of seven “Road to” movies, Hot Lips Barton (Bob Hope, Son of Paleface) and Scat Sweeney (Bing Crosby, Road to Bali) stow away on an ocean bound ship to avoid being charged with arson after burning down a circus. Aboard the vessel, the duo fall for the beautiful Lucia Maria de Andrade (Dorothy Lamour, My Favorite Brunette). Lucia is under the spell of her evil aunt (Gale Sondergaard, The Life of Emile Zola), who has arranged a marriage for the young beauty to take over her inheritance. Just like its predecessors, Road to Rio is full of hilarious Hope and Crosby gags and wonderful musical sequences, featuring musical guests The Wiere Brothers and The Andrew Sisters. Beautifully shot by Oscar-winner Ernest Laszlo (Judgment at Nuremberg) with wonderful direction by Norman Z. McLeod (Topper) who went on to direct Hope in four more features and a screenplay by Edmund Beloin (The Lemon Drop Kid) and Jack Rose (Papa’s Delicate Condition).