Road to Utopia was released in 1946, but it was filmed three years earlier. It took so long to hit the silver screen that narrator Robert Benchley died before it was finally released. It wasn't the delay that got him, it was cirrhosis of the liver. The film's release may have been held back by the studio. Bing Crosby had another picture in the works in which he played a priest, and the two roles would have clashed with one another. Turned out to be a good call. He won an Oscar for Going My Way.
Hope, Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour star in this Road film, as they do in two of the other three. I love that Benchley narrates the movie. He is a lifelong favorite of mine. I know for a fact I was the only 6th grader at Robert E. Lee Elementary School checking out Benchley's books from the school library. Yes, Robert E. Lee. In Jefferson County, Texas. As in Jefferson Davis. Where I grew up, they thought that Civil War thing was rigged. Kinda makes me wonder how Robert Benchley made it into that school library.
In Utopia, two vaudeville entertainers… guess who… are headed to Alaska to make a fortune. All they need is some sort of a treasure map. Well, whadda ya know? Here's one right here. And that, my friends, is how a script comes together.
The critics loved Utopia, as did the public. The film got rave reviews and it did boffo box office. There must have been plenty of Champagne corks a-poppin' at Paramount after someone went out and got the papers.
For pairing with Road to Utopia, we sure could use a wine that has a fabulous trio headed up by Hope. Well, whadda ya know? Here's one right here. Austin Hope Rhône Blend, a Paso Robles concoction starring Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, one of the more fabulous trios in the wine world. It sells for about $60.
The Ghost Breakers is a 1940 horror-comedy starring Hope and Paulette Goddard. The movie has an accidental stowaway, a haunted house, a secret passageway and a zombie. What more do you want from a horror-comedy? It was well received by critics and ticket-buyers at the time, although some of the humor definitely hasn't aged well.
In this film genre, the laughs don't get in the way of the screams, they feed off one another. Nothing makes it easier to laugh than a good fake scare. Actually, alcohol makes it pretty easy to laugh. That's why comedy clubs have a two-drink minimum.
Let's pair a wine from Silver Ghost Cellars with Ghost Breakers. I know, I know. Rule #1 in horror movies is don't go into the cellar. However, if that's where the wine is, that's where we're going. Silver Ghost makes a really decent Napa Cab. The $45 price tag shouldn't scare you.
Road To Morocco is another Hope, Crosby, and Lamour vehicle. Jokes, songs, camels, and Dorothy Lamour in 1942. It was destined for greatness
Speaking of Camels, the show opens and closes with shipboard explosions caused by cigarette smoking. One of the great things about movies is that you can survive all the explosions they throw at you, as long as you are the star of the picture.
You know, when I think of Morocco, I often think of Morocco Mole, Secret Squirrel's sidekick. With the fez and smoking jacket, he was a dead ringer for Peter Lorre. Voice artist Paul Frees did a pitch perfect Lorre impersonation. Which makes me think of Peter Lorre saying, "Help me, Reeek! You must help me!" That’s a whole 'nother movie, though. *singing* Allons enfants de la Patrie…
The 2014 Ouled Thaleb Moroccan White Blend is made from 60% Faranah grapes and 40% Clairette, aged in stainless steel tanks. The Faranah grape is indigenous to Morocco, but the Clairette is French, probably a holdover from the country's days as a French colony. A Moroccan wine with a French pedigree, for only $14.
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