A Bing Crosby and Bob Hope Group of Set Stills from Their Films Together

A Bing Crosby and Bob Hope Group of Set Stills from Their Films Together Including Road to Singapore, Road to Zanzibar, Road to Morocco, Road to Utopia, Road to Rio, and Road to Bali. Please note that there may be some duplication of photographs in each film folder. Road to Singapore (Paramount Pictures, 1940). Starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope. Director Victor Schertzinger. Approximately 105 silver gelatin photographs, 8 x 10 in., almost all with descriptions to border handwritten in ink, some with 'Interior Decorating (36)' stamped to verso. Road to Zanzibar (Paramount Pictures, 1941). Starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope. Director Victor Schertzinger. Approximately 130 silver gelatin photographs, 8 x 10 in., some with location descriptions handwritten in ink to border, many with 'Interior Decorating (36)' stamped to verso. Road to Morocco (Paramount Pictures, 1942). Starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope. Director David Butler. Approximately 130 silver gelatin photographs, 8 x 10 in., some with location descriptions handwritten in ink to border, many stamped 'Interior Decorating (36)' to verso, a few featuring Bob Hope and one with Dorothy Lamour sticking out her tongue! Road to Utopia (Paramount Pictures, 1944). Starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby. Director Hal Walker. Approximately 100 silver gelatin photographs, 4 x 5 in., many with location descriptions handwritten in ink to border, some date stamped (Jan. 1944) and some with 'Interior Decorating (36)' stamped to verso. Together with a larger photo, 8 x 10 in. Road to Rio (Paramount Pictures, 1947). Starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope. Director Norman Z. McLeod. Approximately 75 silver gelatin photographs, 8 x 10 in., all with location descriptions handwritten in ink to upper border, many stamped 'Interior Decorating (36)' to verso, a few featuring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Together with a smaller photo, 4 x 5 in. Road to Bali (Paramount Pictures, 1952). Starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby. Director Hal Walker. Approximately 110 silver gelatin photographs, 4 x 5 in., all with location descriptions handwritten in ink to border, many date stamped (April-June 1952) and stamped 'Interior Decorating' to verso, many featuring Hope and Crosby's stand-ins. In between their individual successes, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope managed to create a series of films together known as the 'Road Pictures' which were so popular with audiences that they spanned two decades, from 1940 with Road to Singapore to 1962's The Road to Hong Kong (for the last film, which was not produced by Paramount, the studio added a 'The' to the title and swapped out the love interest of all the previous films, Dorothy Lamour, for the more current [and much younger] Joan Collins). The films featured the duo in various shenanigans as they escaped villains and competed for the same women in various exotic locales (many of which required Lamour to wear her famous sarong). In the mid-1970s, there was talk of yet another addition to the film series, as both performers were still household names and performing for audiences individually; unfortunately, Crosby died suddenly of a heart attack in 1977. 8 x 10 in. or smaller Footnotes: The collection of Paramount Pictures set stills that is being offered in this auction is an extraordinary historical archive from the late 1920s to the early 1970s. Sets stills were taken for continuity purposes and to document the arrangements of the sets and props, etc, during the making of a film. Not only does this collection photographically document the changes in filmmaking through the decades, it details the changing styles of architecture, interior design (the Art Deco sets from the 1930s are astonishingly beautiful), fashion, cars, and more. In the cases of location shooting, one can see the evolution of various southern California towns and landmarks, from the tony nightspots of Hollywood to the open spaces of Brentwood to the artistry of the Paramount Ranch. The photos give a unique behind-the-scenes look at the stars during filming; some vamp for the camera while others avoid it, some study their scripts or confer with the director, and some look incredibly bored. Equally interesting is the appearance of the stars' lookalike stand-ins and famous extras such as Bess Flowers. The unsung heroes of filmmaking, the crews, are seen as well, holding the booms, adjusting the lights, holding the clapper boards, and waiting, waiting, waiting. And speaking of unsung heroes, the talent, imagination, style, and creativity of the art directors and set decorators for these films cannot be overstated. Most of the fashion designers of the 1930s and '40s, such as Edith Head, are recognized for their contributions, as well they should be; however, the set decorators and art directors are grossly overlooked. Masters of their profession such as Hans Dreier, Robert Usher, William Flannery, Hal Pereira, Ernst Fegte, Sam Comer, Walter H. Tyler, A. Earl Hedrick, and so many others, deserve their place in the sun, and hopefully, the future owners of these historic photographs will appreciate their artistry. Lot to be sold without reserve. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing