Flying Down to Rio

Flying Down to Rio
Film poster by Harold Seroy
Directed by	Thornton Freeland George Nicholls, Jr. (associate) Ray Lissner (assistant)
Produced by	Merian C. Cooper Lou Brock
Written by	Play: Anne Caldwell Story: Lou Brock Screenplay: Erwin S. Gelsey H.W. Hanemann Cyril Hume
Starring	Dolores del Río Gene Raymond Ginger Rogers Fred Astaire
Music by	Songs - Music: Vincent Youmans Songs - Lyrics: Gus Kahn Edward Eliscu Score: Max Steiner
Cinematography	J. Roy Hunt
Edited by	Jack Kitchin
Production company	RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release dates	December 29, 1933
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$462,000[1]
Box office	$1,545,000[1]

Flying Down to Rio is a 1933 American Pre-Code RKO musical film noted for being the first screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, although Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond received top billing and the leading roles. Among the featured players Franklin Pangborn and Eric Blore are notable. The songs in the film were written by Vincent Youmans (music) and Gus Kahn and Edward Eliscu (lyrics), with musical direction and additional music by Max Steiner. This is the only film in which screen veteran Rogers was billed above famed Broadway dancer Astaire.

The black-and-white film (later computer-colorized) was directed by Thornton Freeland and produced by Merian C. Cooper and 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.

Plot

Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond in the film

The first screen announcement of the Astaire-Rogers partnership, in the trailer for Flying Down to Rio

Composer Roger Bond (Gene Raymond) and his orchestra are appearing in Miami, with vocalist Honey Hales (Rogers). Despite the warnings of accordionist and assistant band leader Fred Ayres (Astaire), Roger is attracted to the beautiful and flirtatious Belinha (Dolores del Río) in the audience, he leaves the bandstand to pursue her.

Doña Elena (Blanche Friderici), Belinha's chaperone, is informed of this, and arranges for Roger and the band to be fired. But Roger pursues Belinha to Brazil, and organises as engagement for the band at the Hotel Atlantico in Rio de Janeiro, unaware that the hotel is owned by Belinha's father (Walter Walker). 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 (Raul Roulien) that he has fallen in love, but finds out that Belinha is engaged to Julio. During rehearsals for the Hotel's opening (a brief bit of Astaire tap), 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.^[2][3]

Cast

Dolores del Río as Belinha De Rezende            Gene Raymond as Roger Bond Raul Roulien as Julio Ribeiro Ginger Rogers as Honey Hale Fred Astaire as Fred Ayres Blanche Friderici as Doña Elena 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

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, who went on to be Astaire's primary choreographer.

• "Flying Down to Rio" – sung by Fred Astaire, danced by Ginger Rogers and the chorus
• "Music Makes Me" – sung by Ginger Rogers, some general dancing
• "Orchids in Moonlight" – sung by Raul Roulien, danced (a bit) by Fred Astaire and Dolores del Rio; this became a popular tango song
• "Carioca" – sung by Alice Gentle, Movita Castaneda and Etta Moten, danced by Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and the chorus;^[4] this is notable for being Astaire and Rogers' first dance together; they dance with their foreheads touching.

Reception

According to RKO records the film made $923,000 in the US and Canada and $622,000 elsewhere, resulting in an estimated profit of $480,000.^[1]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
  • "Carioca" – Nominated^[5]
• 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated^[6]

Notes

1. Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p55
2. Billman, Larry (1997). Fred Astaire - A Bio-bibliography. Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 82. ISBN 0-313-29010-5.
3. Erickson, Hal (2015). "Flying Down to Rio". AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
4. "Flying Down to Rio". Reel Classics. 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
5. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.
6. "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-13.

External links

• Flying Down to Rio at the Internet Movie Database
• Flying Down to Rio at AllMovie
• Flying Down to Rio at the TCM Movie Database
• Flying Down to Rio at Rotten Tomatoes
• Airplanes Represented in the film Flying Down to Rio