Product Description
Starting with Road to Singaporein 1940, Paramount Pictures teamed Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour to star in one of the most successful series of movies ever made.All seven "road" films followed the same basic format: adventurers Hope and Crosby would be caught in a seemingly impossible situation, they would defeat the bad guys, and then vie with one another for Lamour's attention. A few ballads, duets, and comedy numbers were added for musical flavor and it all worked to perfection.This book is a fond look back on three screen stars, all with successful careers of their own, who traveled seven "roads" together and left audiences with miles of movie memories. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

"Road to Box Office ... Randall G. Mielke ... BearManoir Media (2010)"
BearManor Media presents "ROAD TO BOX OFFICE - THE SEVEN FILM COMEDIES OF CROSBY, HOPE & LAMOUR, 1940-1962" (Paperback), by Randall G. Mielke (Author) --- The formula for the "Road Series" followed a flimsy plot with adventurers Crosby and Hope caught in seemingly impossible situations --- They would defeat the bad guys - usually utilizing the famous patty-cake routine - and vie with one another for Lamour's attention, who completed the famous trio --- Nice musicality with a few ballads, duets and comedy numbers were added for musical flavor --- And for the fans it all worked perfectly --- the "Road" films were in a league of their and financially successful --- the author Mielke brings this out in some detailed ways that gives each actor their own chapters, plus nice synopsis on each film.

INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Preface ------- v
Introduction ------------ ix
How They Met ----- 1
Taking Them on the Road ----- 11
Road to Singapore, 1940 ----- 17
Road to Zanzibar, 1941 ------ 37
Road to Morocco, 1942 ----- 57
Road to Utopia, 1945 ------ 75
Road to Rio, 1947 ----------- 93
Road to Bali, 1952 --------- 115
The Road to Hong Kong, 1962 ---- 133
The Final Road -------------------- 153
Stopping by the Side of the Road:
An Overview of the "Road" Series --- 157
The Crooner Goes to Hollywood:
The Movies of Bing Crosby ---- 171
The Vaudeville Comic Hits the Screen:
The Movies of Bob Hope ------ 197
Have Sarong, Will Travel:
The Movies of Dorothy Lamour --- 225
Bibliography ---------------------- 243
Index ---------------------------- 245

BIOS:
1. Bing Crosby (aka:Harry Lillis Crosby)
Date of Birth:2 May 1903 - Tacoma, Washington
Date of Death:14 October 1977 - Madrid, Spain

2.Bob Hope(aka: Leslie Townes Hope)
Date of Birth:29 May 1903 - Eltham, London, England, UK
Date of Death:27 July 2003 - Toluca Lake, California

3.Dorothy Lamour(aka: Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton)
Date of Birth:10 December 1914 - New Orleans, Louisiana
Date of Death:22 September 1996 - Los Angeles, California

Realize this book does not cover everything in detail, but gives an overview of each cast member and film --- There are some flawed statements, but does wet the appetite for all of the fans who love to read about this subject and their stars --- Not enough on our favorite girl in the sarong Dorothy Lamour, agree with one of the reviewers on this page author could have included some rare reviews to these pictures --- But all in all, "Road to Box Office - The Seven Film Comedies of Crosby, Hope and Dorothy Lamour, 1940-1962, is a good and fun read as reprinted by BearManor Media. the new paperback ---look back on three screen stars, all with successful careers of their own, who traveled seven "roads" together and left audiences with miles of movie memories.

This is why I gave a three and a half star rating for the readers who lived and enjoyed this special time with the trios films, music and television appearances --- Never be another time the likes of them again, gotta love it!

Total Page: 272 Pages ~ BearManor Media #ISBN-13: 978-1593935450~ (08/19/2010)

Road to Nowhere
A critical study of the great Hope-Crosby-Lamour Road Movies is long overdue - but this does not even begin to fit the bill.

Low on facts and thin on substance, the book seems more like a student's essay than a real study of the films. The author seems content that a quick overview of scenes from each film is enough to comprise an in-depth discussion, and constantly repeats himself, often putting the exact same paragraph within a couple of pages (Who was the proof reader for this book? ....).

When the book attempts to be critical (which it rarely does) it falls flat on it's face. The idea that The Road To Hong Kong is the least of the series purely due to it's Space Travel plot, -meaning it is less based in reality than the other films - is totally flawed.

To sum up - a potentially great book is scuppered by repetitious prose, little new information or research and very weak arguments. ....

Oh well, nice try - hopefully someone will do the series justice one day...

Flat Tire for the Road movies
A disappointment.Although the author deservedly credits Dorothy Lamour as an important part of the star combo for this series, he seems to have very little knowledge about her own illustrious non-Road career.Indeed,his bio chapter on her seems little more than paraphrasing James RobertParish's chapter on her in the old 70s book The Paramount Pretties.Andthere is regrettably little fresh information for fans of the movies, whono doubt know everything mentioned here.At least he could have includedsome rare reviews to these pictures.

Pleasant but not enough meat for the price
I did enjoy this book, I must admit, yet the 47.99 price tag seems a bit hefty for a book that is a pretty superficial overview of the Road Films.The fimographies at the end do not list the cameo and unbilled performancesof the three stars in each others' films (which is easy to research).Allin all, the result was disappointing for this truly sparkling era ofHollywood production. ... Read more

Product Description
Famous entertainer Bing Crosby had four brothers and two sisters which provided him with numerous nieces and nephews. One of these, his sister Mary Rose's daughter Carolyn, had aspirations of being in show business. The logical next step after graduation was for Carolyn to contact her uncle Bing, to ask for help and advice. Fortunately she enjoyed a warm relationship with the man once called 'The Groaner", having spent summer vacations visiting him and other Crosby family members in Los Angeles. As a child she recalls the pool parties, visits to Paramount Studios and his dressing room on the lot. How ironic it was then, that years later Bing would plan for her to live with him briefly and then arrange for her to be hired by Paramount. As the years rolled by, Bing continued to be involved in Carolyn's life: there were invitations to dinner parties, the Crosby Pro-Am golf tournament, family Christmas parties, vacations at his Elko ranch, as well as other locations where Bing maintained additional homes. On a personal level, the author tells of Bing's generosity to her, both financially and in the area of advice and counsel. Unlike some reports of Bing as 'cold and aloof", this family member recalls an uncle that was caring and concerned about her welfare, always ready and willing to lend a helping hand. Carolyn also discusses her connection to Dixie Lee, Bing's first wife and their four sons.To the delight of Bing's fans, both old and new, there are over one hundred photos, many from the private collections of the Crosby family. The book concludes with mention of the tributes to her uncle Bing over the past several years and the new exhibit of Bing Crosby memorabilia in the Northeastern Nevada Museum. In the epilogue, a curious set of circumstances surrounds the lives of Bing and singer Russ Columbo. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

On working with Bing
A must for Bing fans. A detailed, affectionate account of working with Bing during the recordings of his final albums. Also, a complete listing of all of his recorded output. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Bing Crosby," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Bing Crosby in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Bing Crosby when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Bing Crosby, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
A scarce title. Piano, voice, uke, symbols for guitar and banjo. This was the Theme song for the show "Fifteen Minutes of Bing Crosby. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes 10 of Bing's most popular songs, all arranged for voice, piano and chords. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I'm an Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grande) - Bing Crosby
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2NL36VB7FYAZC "I'm an Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grande)" performance by Bing Crosby (special thanks to hanguatsch on youtube).
This is one of 29 popular songs performed by Bing Crosby included in this extensive collection. All songs are complete arrangements for voice (lyrics) with piano accompaniment and guitar chords from the 1930s-1940s.

Sheet Music, Books, Collections and Anthologies featuring the work and performances of Bing Crosby:
If I Had My Way
Meet the Sun Half-way
Too Late
Mexicali Rose - Waltz Ballad
Sing Me to Sleep
A Friend of Yours(The Great John L.)
Zing A Little Zong
April Played The Fiddle
Bing Crosby's Album of Song Souvenirs
BEAUTIFUL LOVE
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating glimpse into a world that used to exist
I found this hidden gem at a used book sale for $2; as of the post date of this review, Amazon listed three for sale from used book sellers starting at $44.99.My edition, and the three listed for sale, are book club editions.I wonder if it was only published as a book club edition?

Bing of course is Bing Crosby in this autobiography of his second wife Kathryn.Bing was a 50-something widower with four grown sons by his late first wife when he married small-town Texas beauty-queen and Hollywood hopeful Kathryn Grandstaff, then less than half his age.After a brief summary of her life up to the point of meeting Bing, she devotes the rest of the book to their courtship, marriage, and children.

But this is a glimpse into a long-vanished world:this is not tell-all autobiography where we learn all the inside dirt on Kathryn and Bing.It is written with a semi-formal, almost aristocratic remove that holds the reader (politely but firmly) at arm's length as if to remind the reader that this is Kathryn's story to reveal as she chooses, not a muck-wallow in the gutter that characterizes our celebrity-driven right-to-know present.

This remove in time and distance is a reminder of how different the consumer-celebrity relationship is in the reality-TV era.Now we demand that our celebrities strip themselves naked to the soul for us.We applaud those smart enough to choose a delivery mechanism--reality show, book with signing tour and interview circuit, saturation-coverage magazine interviews with glamour cover shots, one-person standup/speaking/singing/monologue tours--that they control; we pity the unfortunate ones (Tiger Woods' recent driving and marriage problems come to mind) who end up in tight rotation in out-of-control daily saturation coverage.

The trade-off of course, is that we wonder how much we're missing between the lines.Was Bing really the charming older raconteur and comic with a quip for every situation, no matter how serious--or was he the stern task-master in the tell-all books one of his older children later wrote?Is Kathryn's constant self-deprecation just her writing style reflecting her personality, or does it reveal while masking a feeling of inferiority by her older, more worldly, and of course much more famous husband.Indeed, some of the stories she tells of their marraiage suggest that feeling might run deeper than she allows us to see; in 1967 when this book was written, did the studio system still have content control to protect their star?

Read as history, autobiography, or psychology, "Bing and Other Things" is worth the time. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! This is afilmography for the American singer andactor, Bing Crosby. The King of Jazz, Reaching for theMoon, Confessions of a Co-Ed, One More Chance, DreamHouse ... Read more

Product Description
Complete arrangement for Voice, piano & Ukulele chords, Key of C. ... Read more

Product Description
The Crosby's: first picture story on Bing and his whole clan. Stevensent let me down--by Harry S. Truman ... Read more