Road to Utopia Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Road to Utopia Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 16, 2019

In some ways, Road to Utopia might seem to be an outlier of sorts within at least the 1940s output of classic Crosby and Hope Road pairings. First, in terms of timing of release dates, it’s interesting to note that after Road to Singapore became a certifiable smash when it was released in March of 1940, its first two follow ups, 1941’s Road to Zanzibar and 1942’s Road to Morocco, appeared in more or less annual intervals (Road to Zanzibar premiered in April of 1941 and Road to Morocco debuted in November of 1942). All three of these films were extremely popular, often placing toward the top of that year’s box office champions, which is one reason why Road to Utopia’s release date of 1946 may seem kind of curious. Some production data suggests that Road to Utopia didn’t even begin filming until toward the end of 1943, which means it probably would have missed that “yearly” release date in any case, but there are some competing theories offered as to why the film languished in the Paramount vaults until 1946 which the enterprising Googler can discover. One of the other ways that Road to Utopia differs from its predecessors is in its depiction of a historical milieu. As daffy as the first three Road pictures undeniably were, they were also rather “contemporary”, often citing (if only tangentially and/or courtesy of allusion) then au courant issues like World War II. Road to Utopia is also the only Road picture not to feature a real locale in its title, though in this case Sir Thomas More’s coinage of a place “practically perfect in every way” is overtly used as a sort of euphemistic description for the ostensibly gold encrusted foothills of Alaska during the Yukon Gold Rush era.

As I mentioned in our now long ago The Road to Hong Kong Blu-ray review, the Road series often made hay out of sending up various genres, something that perhaps arguably inherently implies a kind of “meta” aspect to the films, no matter how lowbrow some of the actual comedy undeniably was. That said, Road to Utopia virtually wallows in some “meta” aspects, not the least of which is humorist Robert Benchley providing introductory remarks and then showing up intermittently as a kind of on screen commentator as to the goings on. It gives this film a kind of curiously self-reflexive quality which is often undeniably hilarious.

There’s another kind of odd or at least unique element in this Road film, and that is in its depiction of the Hope character, in this case one Chester Hooton, and the Lamour character, one Sal Hooton, as an old married couple in some bookending sequences. While Road to Morocco kind of flirted (no pun intended) with Hope getting Lamour, the first three Road films tended to pair Crosby with the female lead, with Hope usually getting the second billed female as a kind of cinematic and/or romantic “consolation prize”. Chester and Sal are soon joined by the old version of the Crosby character, Duke Johnson, which then leads to the flashback (described for those uncertain as to what’s going on by the always helpful Benchley) that makes up the bulk of the film.

The lure of untold riches prospecting in Alaska might bring is the underlying plot conceit of Road to Utopia. The flashback begins with the murder of a mine owner, with two scuzzy looking thieves stealing a map to his mine. Suffice it to say that whole cascading series of events ultimately brings vaudevillians Duke and Chester, two guys who might be charitably be thought of as friendly grifters, “north to Alaska”, where they of course meet up with the deceased mine owner’s daughter, Sal. Meanwhile, Sal thinks she’s found an ally in a saloon owner named Ace (Douglas Dumbrille), though predictably (especially for those who know Dumbrille’s frequent film persona) there are ulterior motives at play.

Kind of surprisingly Road to Utopia has a more coherent, "traditional" narrative than many of the other Road pictures, but commendably that never gets in the way of the film's comedy or some enjoyable musical interludes. There are some really funny gags in this movie which won't be spoiled here, other than a potential spoiler that the final bookending segment has a rather provocative reveal that suggests that (to put this in somewhat obfuscating terms) "my gal Sal" might have been sung by more than one character.

Road to Utopia Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Road to Utopia is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.36:1. This is another Paramount film now under the control of Universal, as was the recently reviewed Road to Morocco, but to my eyes this is sourced from a better element than Morocco. The grain field here is much less chunky than in the other film, though it's always evident (i.e., there are no signs of noise reduction). There are a few occasional variances, typically during opticals, as should be expected. Some of the "bumps" in and out of optical dissolves are on the long side and those intermediary moments can look passingly rough (see screenshot 19). Detail levels are quite good throughout this presentation, and potentially tricky elements like the closely patterned checked suit jackets Hope and Crosby wear in their first bit together resolve without any problems whatsoever. There are a few very minor moments of flicker (some seem to be relegated to sequences with process photography in the background), but nothing that I'd term as being overly problematic. Contrast is solid throughout the presentation. There are a few minor signs of age related wear and tear, mostly in the form of rather transitory and small scratches, but nothing on the order of what was seen in Road to Morocco.

Road to Utopia Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Road to Utopia features a spry sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track that can't quite escape the boxiness of its recording era and technologies, but which sounds rather full bodied, all things considered. The enjoyable song score is presented with very good fidelity, and all dialogue and effects are rendered without any problems. There's some minor background hiss that peeks through occasionally, but no outright damage to report.

Road to Utopia Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Greg Ford and Film and Music Historian Will Friedwald


• Bob Hope and The Road to Success (480i; 14:13) looks at Hope and the Road pictures.


• Hollywood Victory Caravan (480p; 19:43) is an appealing 1945 short evidently done in conjunction with the Treasury Department (!) to promote War Bonds.


• Road to Singapore Trailer (480p; 2:37)


• Road to Zanzibar Trailer (480p; 2:37)


• Road to Morocco Trailer (480p; 2:12)


• Road to Utopia Trailer (480p; 2:15)

Road to Utopia Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Road to Utopia is both amazingly straightforward (for a Road picture, anyway), but also undeniably gonzo at times. Hope and Crosby obviously loved working with each other, and they have their patented shtick down pat. The film is filled with both nicely executed sight gags and a rather surprisingly consistent use of almost snarky banter. The Klondike setting gives this film a kind of quaint aspect, but a lot of the sensibility is decidedly "modern" (meaning mid- to late 1940s). Technical merits are generally solid, the commentary is appealing (if a bit on the chatty side), and the War Bond short is also very enjoyable. Recommended.