Old ingredients make up the mix in this adaptation of Robert Sherwood's play "Road to Rome." As you can see by the cast list, it concerns that matinee idol, Hannibal, and the people and events surrounding his trip over the Alps. It's a spoof of the famous trek (elephants included), with
Williams taking to the water, the Champions taking to their dance shoes, and a few tunes tossed in for good measure. It was such a turkey that Williams, Sidney, and the Champions were all released from their MGM contracts after the picture sank. In essence, Williams has the job of turning Keel
away from the Eternal City before he sacks it. Satire always requires the audience to understand exactly what is being satirized to make it funny. When one's frame of reference does not include the relatively esoteric details of Hannibal's sojourn, all humor is lost. Songs included: "I Have a
Dream," "If This Be Slav'ry," "I Never Trust a Woman," "Hannibal's Victory March," "Don't Let This Night Get Away," "The Life of an Elephant" (Burton Lane, Harold Adamson), "Horatio's Narration" (Saul Chaplin, George Wells, Adamson, sung by Richard Haydn). There is good underwater photography, the
production values are high, Keel's voice is glorious, and Williams swims like Mark Spitz, but the combination of classical saga, comedy, fantasy, music, and swimming just doesn't hold water. It took almost 30 years for the play to go from the stage to the movies. They should have waited another 30
years. Good second barbarians in the cast (Demarest, Haydn, Corden, Dumbrille) are likewise hampered by the lame script and the even lamer conceit that this story would gather an audience.
