{"product_id":"the-road-to-hollywood","title":"The Road to Hollywood","description":"Long before he made the \"Road\" movies with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby got his first big break in Hollywood starring in a series of shorts produced by comedy legend Mack Sennett and Educational Pictures. These included \u003ci\u003eI Surrender Dear\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eOne More Chance\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBillboard Girl\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDream House\u003c\/i\u003e, all made in 1931. This was between Crosby's time singing with the Paul Whiteman band and his first appearance in a major motion picture, \u003ci\u003eThe Big Broadcast\u003c\/i\u003e (1932). In the 1940s, with Crosby now a household name due to his radio show and the \"Road\" movies, exploitation king Bud Pollard purchased the rights to the shorts from the recently-bankrupt Educational Pictures. The producer is mostly known for low-budget all-black cast features like \u003ci\u003eIt Happened in Harlem\u003c\/i\u003e (1945) and \u003ci\u003eTall, Tan, and Terrific\u003c\/i\u003e (1946) as well as his exceedingly strange adaptation of \u003ci\u003eAlice in Wonderland\u003c\/i\u003e (1931). Pollard, hardly a natural presence on camera, filmed sequences dressed in smoking jacket and ascot to serve as interstitials between the shorts, awkwardly reading from cue cards about Crosby's journey to stardom. The result was \u003ci\u003eThe Road to Hollywood\u003c\/i\u003e, a feature that only cost Pollard $20,000 to make, but was perfect for booking at the bottom of the bill at the local movie house. Seen today, it is worth watching as a quick and easy way to get acquainted with Bing Crosby's oft-overlooked work with Mack Sennett, as well as for Bud Pollard's unintentionally hilarious narration!\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e BONUS: \u003cb\u003eBlue of the Night (1932):\u003c\/b\u003e A Mack Sennett short not used by Bud Pollard in \u003ci\u003eThe Road to Hollywood\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBlue of the Night\u003c\/i\u003e has beloved character actor Franklin Pangborn and Crosby fighting over Marjorie \"Babe\" Kane.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha Video","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":45802312695958,"sku":"089218820693","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0703\/9621\/5446\/files\/089218820693.jpg?v=1762193588","url":"https:\/\/moviezyng.com\/products\/the-road-to-hollywood","provider":"Movie Zyng","version":"1.0","type":"link"}