View source for Flying Down to Rio

{{Short description|1933 film by Thornton Freeland}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Not to be confused with|Rio (1939 film)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Flying Down to Rio
| image          = Poster - Flying Down to Rio 01 Crisco restoration.jpg

| caption        = Film poster by Harold Seroy
| director       = [[Thornton Freeland]]<br>[[George Nicholls Jr.]] (associate) <br> [[Ray Lissner]] (assistant)
| screenplay     = [[Cyril Hume]]<br>H.W. Hanemann<br>[[Erwin S. Gelsey|Erwin Gelsey]]
| story          = Lou Brock
| based_on       = {{based on|1933 unpublished play|[[Anne Caldwell]]}}
| producer       = [[Merian C. Cooper]]<br>Lou Brock
| starring       = [[Dolores del Río]]<br />[[Gene Raymond]]<br>[[Ginger Rogers]]<br>[[Fred Astaire]]
| cinematography = [[J. Roy Hunt]]
| editing        = [[Jack Kitchin]]
| music          = '''Songs - Music:'''<br>[[Vincent Youmans]]<br>'''Songs - Lyrics:'''<br>[[Gus Kahn]]<br>[[Edward Eliscu]]<br>'''Score:'''<br>[[Max Steiner]]
| studio         = [[RKO Radio Pictures]]
| distributor    = RKO Radio Pictures
| released       = {{film date|1933|12|21|New York}}<ref name=open/>
| runtime        = 89 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $462,000<ref name="rko">Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951', ''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'', Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p. 55</ref>
| gross          = $1,545,000<ref name="rko"/> <!--$518,000<ref name="rko"/>-->
}}
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 320

 | image1 = DelRio-Raymond.jpg
 | alt1 = A couple in traditional pre-code pose
 | caption1 = Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond in the film

 | image2 = Flying Down to Rio Astaire and Rogers.jpg
 | alt2 = A movie trailer card featuring two performers
 | caption2 = The first screen announcement of the Astaire–Rogers partnership, in the trailer for ''Flying Down to Rio''

 | footer = 
}}
'''''Flying Down to Rio''''' is a 1933 American [[Pre-Code Hollywood|pre-Code]] [[musical film]] famous for being the first [[Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers|screen pairing]] of [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Ginger Rogers]], although lead actors [[Dolores del Río]] and [[Gene Raymond]] received [[top billing]]. Among the featured players are [[Franklin Pangborn]] and [[Eric Blore]]. The songs in the film were written by [[Vincent Youmans]] (music), [[Gus Kahn]] and [[Edward Eliscu]] (lyrics), with musical direction and additional music by [[Max Steiner]]. During the [[7th Academy Awards]], the film was nominated for the new category of [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] for "[[Carioca (1933 song)|Carioca]]", but it lost to "[[The Continental (song)|The Continental]]" from ''[[The Gay Divorcee]]'', the next Astaire and Rogers film (and their first with top billing).

The black-and-white film, which had a color-tinted sequence,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Croce |first=Arlene |title=The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book |year=1972}}</ref> was directed by [[Thornton Freeland]] and produced by [[Merian C. Cooper]] and [[Lou Brock (producer)|Lou Brock]]. The screenplay was written by [[Erwin S. Gelsey]], H. W. Hanemann and [[Cyril Hume]], based on a story by Lou Brock and a play by [[Anne Caldwell]]. [[Linwood Dunn]] did the [[special effects]] for the celebrated airplane-wing dance sequence at the end of the film. In this film, [[Dolores del Río]] became the first major actress to wear a [[Bikini|two-piece women's bathing suit]] onscreen.<ref>[https://www.filmsite.org/sexinfilms6.html History of Sex in Cinema: The Greatest and Most Influential  Sexual Films and Scenes]</ref>

The film follows composer Roger Bond as he falls in love with Brazilian woman Belinha De Rezende, although she is actually already engaged to a friend of Roger's. Roger's bandmate Fred Ayres and Ayres' companion Honey Hale support Roger through various musical misadventures.

==Plot==
Composer Roger Bond and his orchestra are appearing in Miami, with vocalist Honey Hale. Despite the warnings of accordionist and assistant bandleader Fred Ayres, Roger is attracted to the beautiful and flirtatious Belinha in the audience. He leaves the bandstand to pursue her.

Dona Elena, Belinha's [[Chaperone (social)|chaperone]], is informed of this, and arranges for Roger and the band to be fired. But Roger pursues Belinha to Brazil, and organizes an engagement for the band at the Hotel Atlântico in Rio de Janeiro, unaware that the hotel is owned by Belinha's father. Roger persuades Belinha to allow him to fly her there in his private plane, which runs into trouble inflight, forcing a landing on an apparently deserted island. Under the moonlight, she falls into his arms, while admitting to him that she is already engaged.

In Rio, Roger informs his good friend Julio that he has fallen in love, but finds out that Belinha is engaged to Julio. During rehearsals for the Hotel's opening, Fred is told by police that the hotel lacks an entertainment license. When Roger spots a plane overhead, he comes up with the idea of strapping dancing girls to planes, with Fred leading the band and Honey and Julio leading the planes. The show is a great success and the hotel's future guaranteed. Julio gives Belinha up to Roger while Fred and Honey celebrate.<ref name="Billman">{{cite book
  | last = Billman
  | first = Larry
  | title = Fred Astaire – A Bio-bibliography
  | publisher = Greenwood Press
  | year = 1997
  | location = Connecticut
  | isbn = 0-313-29010-5
  | page = 82 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/work/flying-down-to-rio-17969 |title=Flying Down to Rio |first=Hal |last=Erickson |publisher=AllMusic |date=2015 |access-date=June 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>[[Stanley Green (historian)|Green, Stanley]] (1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard Corporation {{ISBN|0-634-00765-3}} page 28</ref>

==Cast==
* [[Dolores del Río]] as Belinha De Rezende
* [[Gene Raymond]] as Roger Bond
* [[Raul Roulien]] as Julio Ribeiro
* [[Ginger Rogers]] as Honey Hales
* [[Fred Astaire]] as Fred Ayres
* [[Blanche Friderici]] as Dona Elena
* [[Walter Walker (actor)|Walter Walker]], as Belinha's father
* [[Etta Moten]] as The Carioca Singer
* [[Roy D'Arcy]] as Member Greek Gambling Syndicate
* [[Maurice Black]] as Member Greek Gambling Syndicate
* [[Armand Kaliz]] as Member Greek Gambling Syndicate
* [[Paul Porcasi]] as The Mayor
* [[Reginald Barlow]] as Alfredo Vianna (the banker)
* [[Eric Blore]] as Mr. Butterbass, Assistant Hotel Manager
* [[Franklin Pangborn]] as Hammerstein, Hotel Manager
* [[Movita Castaneda]] as The Carioca Singer
* [[Alice Gentle]] as The Carioca Singer

==Music==
All the songs in ''Flying Down to Rio'' were written by [[Vincent Youmans]] (music) and [[Gus Kahn]] and [[Edward Eliscu]] (lyrics). The dance director was Dave Gould, assisted by [[Hermes Pan (choreographer)|Hermes Pan]], who went on to become Astaire's primary collaborator.

* "Flying Down to Rio" &ndash; sung by Fred Astaire, danced by Ginger Rogers and the chorus
* "Music Makes Me" &ndash; sung by Ginger Rogers, some general dancing
* "Orchids in Moonlight" &ndash; sung by Raul Roulien, danced (a bit) by Fred Astaire and Dolores del Rio; this became a popular [[tango music|tango]] song
* "[[Carioca (1933 song)|Carioca]]" &ndash; sung by [[Alice Gentle]], [[Movita Castaneda]] and [[Etta Moten]], danced by Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and the chorus;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reelclassics.com/Teams/Fred&Ginger/fred&ginger1.htm |title=Flying Down to Rio |publisher=Reel Classics |date=2009 |access-date=June 13, 2015}}</ref> this is notable for being Astaire and Rogers' first dance together; they dance with their foreheads touching.

==Reception==
[[Mordaunt Hall]], ''[[The New York Times]]'' critic, praised the lavish production and called it (along with the Walt Disney short ''[[The Night Before Christmas (1933 film)|The Night Before Christmas]]'') "a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/22/archives/fred-astaire-ginger-rogers-and-others-in-a-musical-film-walt.html |title=Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Others in a Musical Film -- Walt Disney's New 'Silly Symphony.' |author=Mordaunt Hall |date=December 22, 1933 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> [[Sidne Silverman]] in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' was less enthused, complaining that "...Rio's story ... lets it down. It’s slow and lacks laughs to the point where average business seems its groove."<ref name=Variety>{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/1933/film/reviews/flying-down-to-rio-1200410897/ |title=Film Reviews: Flying Down to Rio |date=December 26, 1933 |page=10|author-link=Sidne Silverman|first=Sidne|last=Silverman|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> However, Astaire was singled out for acclaim, asserting "He's distinctly likeable on the screen, the mike is kind to his voice and as a dancer he remains in a class by himself."<ref name=Variety/>

The film opened December 21, 1933 at [[Radio City Music Hall]] in New York City.<ref name=open>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/variety112-1933-12/page/n135/mode/2up|title=Pre-Holiday Lull and Weather K.O. B'way; Max Baer with 'Chris Bean,' 20G, Good Biz; Par, Cap and MH Nix|date=December 19, 1933 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|page=9|access-date=April 30, 2024|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> It grossed $102,000 in its opening week.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodreporte1821holl/page/115/mode/1up?view=theater|title=Radio's 'Rio' Grabs Big Dough in N.Y.|date=January 3, 1934 |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|page=1|access-date=April 30, 2024|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

According to RKO records, the film made $923,000 in the United States and Canada and $622,000 elsewhere, resulting in an estimated profit of $480,000.<ref name="rko"/>

The film was nominated for the 2006 [[American Film Institute]] list [[AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/musicals_ballot.pdf |title= AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees |access-date=August 13, 2016}}</ref> and "Carioca" was nominated for [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs400.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees |access-date=August 13, 2016}}</ref>

The film title was referenced by [[Roxy Music]] in their 1972 hit single "[[Virginia Plain]]" - "[[Jane Holzer|Baby Jane]]'s in [[Acapulco]] / We are flying down to Rio".

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Flying Down to Rio (film)}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0024025|Flying Down to Rio}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=75236|title=Flying Down to Rio}}
* {{AFI film|id=6697|title=Flying Down to Rio}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=flying_down_to_rio|title=Flying Down to Rio}}
* [http://www.jitterbuzz.com/flying_to_rio.html Airplanes Represented in the film Flying Down to Rio]

{{FredandGinger}}
{{Thornton Freeland}}
{{Vincent Youmans}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1933 films]]
[[Category:1933 musical comedy films]]
[[Category:1933 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American musical comedy films]]
[[Category:American romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:American romantic musical films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Max Steiner]]
[[Category:Films about aviation accidents or incidents]]
[[Category:Films about composers]]
[[Category:American films based on plays]]
[[Category:Films directed by Thornton Freeland]]
[[Category:Films set in Miami]]
[[Category:Films set in Rio de Janeiro (city)]]
[[Category:RKO Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Cyril Hume]]
[[Category:1930s American films]]