Flying Down to Rio
 Film poster by Harold Seroy | ||
| Starring | Dolores del Río Gene Raymond Ginger Rogers Fred Astaire | |
| Directed by | Thornton Freeland George Nicholls Jr. (associate) Ray Lissner (assistant) | |
| Produced by | Merian C. Cooper Lou Brock | |
| Editing by | Jack Kitchin | |
| Studio | RKO Radio Pictures | |
| Based on | A play by Anne Caldwell | |
| Cinematography | J. Roy Hunt | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures | |
| Released | December 29, 1933 | |
| Runtime | 89 minutes | |
| Country | United States | |
Flying Down to Rio is a 1933 American pre-Code RKO musical film famous 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 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.
The black-and-white film (later computer-colorized) with, according to Arlene Croce's The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book, a color-tinted sequence, 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. In this film, Dolores del Río became the first major actress to wear a two-piece women's bathing suit onscreen.
Plot
Composer Roger Bond (Gene Raymond) and his orchestra are appearing in Miami, with vocalist Honey Hales (Ginger Rogers). Despite the warnings of accordionist and assistant bandleader Fred Ayres (Fred Astaire), Roger is attracted to the beautiful and flirtatious Belinha (Dolores del Río) in the audience. He leaves the bandstand to pursue her.
Dona 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 organizes an engagement for the band at the Hotel Atlântico 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 is guaranteed. Julio gives Belinha up to Roger while Fred and Honey celebrate.
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Flying_Down_to_Rio ]
| Note: Spanking scene at 32 mins into movie |
| Busby Berkeley articles | |
|---|---|
| Broadway plays choreographed | A Connecticut Yankee (1927) • Present Arms (1928) • Sweet and Low (1930) |
| Films choreographed and directed |
42nd Street (musical numbers, 1933) • She Had To Say Yes (1933) • Footlight Parade (musical numbers, 1933) • Dames (musical numbers, 1934) • Fashions of 1934 (musical numbers, 1934) • Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935) • Bright Lights (1935) • I Live for Love (1935) • In Caliente (musical numbers, 1935) • Stars Over Broadway (musical numbers, 1935) • Stage Struck (1936) • Varsity Show (finale, 1937) • The Singing Marine (musical numbers, 1937) • Gold Diggers of 1937 (musical numbers, 1937) • The Go Getter (1937) • Hollywood Hotel (1937) • Men Are Such Fools (1938) • Gold Diggers in Paris (musical numbers, 1938) • Garden of the Moon (1938) • Comet Over Broadway (1938) • Broadway Serenade (finale, 1939) • They Made Me a Criminal (1939) • Fast and Furious (1939) • Babes in Arms (1939) • The Wizard of Oz (scenes cut, 1939) • Forty Little Mothers (1940) • Strike Up The Band (1940) • Blonde Inspiration (1941) • Lady Be Good (musical numbers, 1941) • Ziegfeld Girl (musical numbers, 1941) • Babes on Broadway (1941) • For Me and My Gal (1942) • Born to Sing (finale, 1942) • Cabin in the Sky ("Shine" sequence, 1943) • The Gang's All Here (1943) • Girl Crazy ("I Got Rhythm" sequence, 1943) • Cinderella Jones (1946) • Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) • Annie Get Your Gun (scenes cut, 1950) • |
| Films choreographed only |
Whoopee! (1930) • Kiki (1931) • Palmy Days (1931) • Flying High (1931) • Sky Devils (1932) • Girl Crazy (1932) • Night World (1932) • Bird of Paradise (1932) • The Kid From Spain (1932) • Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) • Roman Scandals (1933) • Wonder Bar (1934) • Romance on the High Seas (1948) • Call Me Mister (1951) • Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) • Small Town Girl (1953) • Rose Marie (1954) • Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962) • |
External links
- Review Flying Down to Rio at the Internet Movie Database
- Flying Down to Rio at All Movie Guide
- Review Flying Down to Rio at the Turner Classic Movie Database
- Rotten Tomatoes review
- Airplanes Represented in the film Flying Down to Rio
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