 Originally, this film was not supposed to be a sequel to  _Road to Singapore (1940)_ (qv); in fact, Bing Crosby (qv) and  Bob Hope (qv) were not even supposed to be in it. The film was  first offered to Fred MacMurray (qv) and George Burns (qv), who  both rejected it. While assembling a list of contract Paramount  stars to offer it to, someone at the studio remembered that "Road to  Singapore" had done relatively well, and Hope and Crosby "seemed to  work well together", so it was offered to them. The rest, as they  say, is history.