Flying Down to Rio (1933) User Reviews

Debut of a great screen pair

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 1 April 2006]

If you watch "Flying Down to Rio" expecting it to be a Rogers and Astaire film, forget it - but it was their debut as a team, dancing the Carioca. This is a 1933 movie short on plot and, as is often the case with the early talkies, a little slow in parts due to the pace of the dialogue. It is nevertheless a fun movie, with Astaire doing some wonderful solo dancing and of course, his dance with Ginger, which sent them on their way to movie history.

The stars of the film are Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond. After bandleader Raymond meets del Rio in the U.S., he ends up in Rio where he competes for her attentions with her fiancé Julio (Raul Roulien), his best friend. The plot concerns the opening of a hotel in Rio and its planned takeover by another group. When the opening date is changed, the owner cannot get another performing license, so all seems to be lost. Thus the number "Flying Down to Rio" with chorus girls doing maneuvers on the wings of flying planes. It's a spectacular part of the film, though in spots you can really seek how fake it was. It doesn't really matter - it was early film-making where, without the use of computers, artistry and imagination were needed instead, and much was accomplished.

There are some interesting editing experiments noticeable as well, particularly during a big nightclub scene. It was precode, so some of the numbers are pretty darn steamy.

Dolores del Rio was surely one of the most stunningly beautiful women ever to appear on screen. Growing up, I remember seeing Sunday supplements with articles and photos about her current life - it was a good 30 years after this film - and her beauty remained awesome without the plastic surgery techniques available today. She was a true, fantastic beauty, and this film really showcases it.

This isn't the most wonderful musical you'll ever see but it's important nonetheless: It launched Rogers & Astairs, it's an interesting example of early editing, and it's precode. And if you watch it with the wonder that the depression audiences must have had, you'll enjoy it even more.

Historical For More Than One Reason

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 24 November 2005]

I gave this "Fred Astaire" comedy-romance-musical higher marks than normal because the romance, usually the sappy part of the Astaire films, doesn't dominate as it does most of his movies.

As usual, there are a number of interesting dance scenes including a spectacular Busby Berkeley-type production on the wings of airplanes. That scene has to be seen to be believed, not just for the uniqueness of it but for the bra-less women pictured! Yikes, it's not something you expect to see with a classic film - and you wouldn't see for another 35 years. It's pretty amazing.

I really shouldn't label this an "Astaire film " because Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond are the two stars. Astaire is a close third. Raul Roulien would be next while Ginger Rogers just has a small role.....but it IS noteworthy for being the first time all of us saw the famous Astaire-Rogers pairing.

The comedy in this film also is pretty good. The best parts of the film are the beginning and end. The fadeout segways in here reminded of silent films, which weren't that long removed from this.

South American Rhythm

[lugonian · 8/10 · 1 February 2002]

FLYING DOWN TO RIO (RKO Radio, 1933), directed by Thornton Freeland, is a musical showcase for Mexican star Dolores Del Rio playing a Brazilian beauty named Belinia De Rezende, Gene Raymond as Roger Bond, a girl chasing orchestra leader, and Raul Roulien as Julio Rubeiro as Belinia's fiancé and Roger's best friend who complicates matters. By the film's conclusion, the ones who "walked off" with the movie are the supporting players of Ginger Rogers as the band vocalist, and Fred Astaire as the accordionist-dancer, in that order, thus, the beginning of a new screen team, and never again in the persona of sassy Honey Hale and semi-sophisticated Fred Ayres. Yet it's amazing that Astaire and Rogers made such a lasting impression at all in this production, considering they play subordinate roles who supply "comedy relief," and have very little opportunity to act or dance together. Even in the famous, "Carioca," number (which was how they became crowned "The King and Queen of the Carioca"), they get to perform only a few dance steps, but the ensemble of other dancers and singers get most of the footage during its 12 minutes. But even without Astaire and Rogers, or either with one of them along with a different partner, FLYING DOWN TO RIO remains an early musical attempt to capture that South American feel and tango rhythm, predating all those cliché musicals MGM or 20th Century-Fox would distribute in the 1940s, with the addition of Technicolor and/or Xavier Cugat and Carmen Miranda, etc. As for the plot elements, it remains similar to the ones used in subsequent Astaire and Rogers films, but this time the situations of strangers meeting followed by a merry mix-up, belongs to its leading players (Del Rio, Raymond and Roulien). The first half of the movie takes place in Miami, Florida, where the plot development amongst the central characters begin, then shifts to Rio De Janiero, the second largest city in Brazil, where the complications continue and are resolved after 89 minutes of screen time. In between all this comes the singing and dancing to help the plot along.

With the music and lyrics by Gus Kahn, Edward Eliscu and Vincent Youmans, the songs include: "Music Makes Me" (sung by Ginger Rogers in the foreground with Fred Astaire, as one of the members of the band, playing the accordion in the background); "The Carioca" (performed by musicians, danced by numerous Brazilians, sung by Movita and Etta Moten, and danced briefly by Astaire and Rogers); "Orchids in the Moonlight" (sung by Raul Roulien to Dolores Del Rio/reprise, danced by Astaire and Del Rio, with one observer saying to another, "Oh, look, Belinha is dancing our tango with an Americano."); "Music Makes Me" (tap dance solo by Astaire); and "Flying Down to Rio" (sung by Fred Astaire/ danced by girls chained to the wings of the flying airplanes).

Other than some advanced camera techniques used in this production, portions of the movie play like a picture postcard advertisement, mainly during its montage sequences where the camera focuses first from an air-view of famous landmarks, then from the ground view of Rio De Janiero, and flipping over to other scenes of the city from people walking the streets to cars driving down the roads before returning to the storyline.

In the supporting cast are Blanche Frederici as Belinda's old-fashioned Aunt (Tia) Elena; Roy D'Arcy, Maurice Black and Armand Kaliz (The Greeks); Franklin Pangborn (Mr. Hammerstein); Luis Alberni (The Rio Casino Manager); and Eric Blore (Mr. Butterbass), making his first of five performances in an Astaire and Rogers musical. He is an asset to every one of them. It's also interesting to note that Raul Roulien remained somewhat obscure after appearing in this, never to become the Cesar Romero-type of Hollywood. As for the few Hollywood movies to feature him in the early 1930s, this is the only one still in circulation today and possibly his best opportunity on screen.

When Gene Raymond was interviewed about FLYING DOWN TO RIO in the documentary on RKO Radio titled "Hollywood, the Golden Years" (as narrated by Ed Asner back in the late 1980s), he mentioned that he thought that FLYING DOWN TO RIO was going to become the "Bomb of Bombs," but much to his surprise when it made its premiere during the Christmas season at Radio City Music Hall, he noticed while being in New York City that there was a long line of people going around the block waiting to go in and see this movie. One cannot be sure that history would repeat itself again in today's society, but FLYING DOWN TO RIO, in spite of whatever is right or wrong it it, is vintage entertainment at best. Only one debit: acrobats flipping and catching one other, and hanging on the swings under the wings of the flying airplane during the "Flying Down to Rio" number. Not realistic, but it got by. And on the historical side, this is where Astaire and Rogers got their start together on screen, thus, becoming the most popular song and dance team of the movies, never to be topped or equaled by anyone. Now that's something to think about!

FLYING DOWN TO RIO, which was formerly shown on American Movie Classics for many years, is currently presented on Turner Classic Movies. It is also available on video cassette and DVD. Recommended highly to fans of the team and/or musicals from this era. (***1/2)

Classic pre-code Talkie

[SilentType · 10 June 2003]

There was a golden age of cinema lasting only four or five years - from the end of the silent era to the beginning of the Hays Code, the severe censorship rules which sought to turn cinema from naughty to nice, but in actuality sapped them of their truth and energy.

`Flying Down to Rio' is a classic pre-Hayes code talkie, and its characters have a quality of frankness which endears them to modern audience far more than many later films, whose stilted, conservative quality is somewhat alienating. You'd be surprised at what they could get away with in those days - it would be forty years before a film could get away with a line like that spoken by a starlet of her South American rivals - `What have those girls got below the equator that we haven't got?'

The film, about a love triangle between a Brazilian woman and two members of a swing band, is of course famous for two things - the slightly surreal sequence in which showgirls ride a biplane down to Rio in Busby Berkley-esque formation, and the debut of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as a screen team. It's no wonder that audiences fell in love with the duo, whose `Carioca' is the highlight of the film.

They only made them like this for a little while - more's the shame!

Movie Odyssey Review #094: Flying Down to Rio

[Cyke · 6/10 · 22 May 2008]

094: Flying Down to Rio (1933) - released 12/22/1933, viewed 6/11/07

The 21nd Amendment, repealing Prohibition, goes into effect. BIRTHS: Larry King, Robert Goulet.

DOUG: Let's see...Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are good, but that's about it. Dolores Del Rio and Gene Raymond are the main focus of this little musical romp, courting each other and such, but it's all boring and silly even for a musical. There's also some good Rio music, and a few good dance numbers; the best is, naturally, the "La Carioca" number which is Fred & Ginger's first dance together. We can see Hollywood moving out of the Busby Berkely, pure-spectacle-with-no-regard-for-the-plot kind of numbers and move more into the part-of-the-story-and-motivated-by-character kind of dances that the movie musical is famous for, particularly in Astaire & Rogers' later movies. I'm afraid I can't recommend this movie; it reminded of 'Night After Night,' an underwhelming 1932 film with the first screen appearance of Mae West in a supporting role. If you're interested in the on screen pairings of Astaire & Rogers, don't feel bad about skipping this one and moving on to 'The Gay Divorcée.'

KEVIN: The latest film from RKO is a visually appealing but otherwise hopelessly routine musical romance starring Gene Raymond and lovely former silent star Dolores del Rio. They play a couple who meet at a zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…who cares. I did like the moment where their disembodied ids egg them on. The best parts center around the characters played by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, who have all the best lines, scenes, dance numbers, and chemistry all around. I certainly hope we see more of them in the future. ;-) Although the climactic airplane number was obviously special effects, I still wonder if such a thing could actually be done. The real treat of the film is the Brazilian locations and dance numbers, a nice change-of-scenery from Busby's Broadway scene. Not that great. I really enjoyed the scenes with Ginger Rogers and that new guy Fred Astaire. There gonna go far.

Last film: Duck Soup (1933). Next film: Counsellor At Law (1933)

Better bring a parachute, and dancing shoes.

[d-jacobs1 · 6/10 · 18 October 2010]

An overly simple story lacking much real conflict, but still enjoyable to experience. Fred Astaire skillfully imbues the musical numbers with terrific life, and the choreography of the larger dances creates elegant movement within the shots. The last number of the film is creatively conceived, while a little far fetched, but is interestingly and enjoyably different from other musical acts. The love triangle between Belinha, Julio, and Roger is the main focus of the film, and could have strengthened the picture if it was developed further, instead of sharing time with the irrelevant subplot involving a scheme to takeover the Hotel Atlantico. The plot is redeemed in the end by Julio, who gives up Belinha to Roger in a noble and selfless twist, the likes of which leaves a happy and accomplished taste in your mouth.

A hint of things to come...

[jem132 · 6/10 · 17 November 2008]

Entertaining early RKO musical with Latin bombshell Dolores Del Rio taking the leading role, but one Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers stealing the notices for their "Carioca". The plot is really just as thin as the Astaire-Rogers movies (boy meets girl, mistaken identities..yada yada), but the numbers are improved immeasurably in the stars' later films. And Fred and Ginger are just that much more appealing than the two stars here Del Rio has a lovely face but sadly not much acting ability, while Gene Raymond delivers some good lines but looks quite creepy. Astaire steals the show in the obligatory best friend role (a role Edward Everett Horton would play in many of the later Astaire-Rogers flicks), and Ginger wisecracks nicely as the singer named Honey (though her fringe makes her face look chubby). "The Carioca" is their first dance together, and it's markedly different from the rest of the numbers they would do. It's strikingly sensual, sort of bump-and-grind and along with the famous final scene (chrous girls on an aeroplane wing), is the most memorable moment in the film. The main problem with the film is the leads are okay but not that great, and the musical numbers go on too long. The editing and direction is all over the shop. Still, it's pretty good entertainment in a fluffy way.

The Debut of the Pair Fred and Ginger

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 15 November 2011]

In Miami, during the presentation of the Yankee Clippers, the wolf band leader and pilot Roger Bond (Gene Raymond) flirts with the guest Belinha de Resende (Dolores Del Rio) and the stringent hotel manager fires them. However, the band is hired for the opening night of the Atlântico Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, and they need to fly to Brazil.

When Roger meets Belinha in the hall of the hotel, he learns that she lost her flight to Rio and he offers a ride for her in his plane. Roger is forced to land in an island and he immediately fixes the mechanical problem in the plane; however, he lies to Belinha and tells that he can not fix the problem just to spend the night alone with her. But Belinha, who is the fiancée of the Brazilian Júlio, resists to his harassment and later she finds another plane to fly to Rio.

Once in Rio, the infatuated Roger meets his friend Júlio without knowing that he is the fiancé of Belinha, and he tells about his love for the woman. When the Yankee Clippers are ready to open the hotel, powerful bankers that are interested to force the bankruptcy of the Atlântico's owner to take the hotel, send the police since he does not have the permit to anticipate the opening day. However, Roger's friend and musician Fred Ayres (Fred Astaire) proposes an airborne show to the guests. Meanwhile, the brokenhearted Roger decides to return to his country and leave Belinha with Júlio.

"Flying Down to Rio" is the debut of the pair Fred and Ginger in minor support roles. The sappy and naive romance has the Mexican Dolores Del Rio performing a Brazilian sassy woman and Gene Raymond in the lead roles. The footages from Rio de Janeiro in the 30's and the airborne show are the best moments of this film. The funniest thing in "Flying Down to Rio" is that there is no Brazilian actor or actress in the cast. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Voando para o Rio" ("Flying to Rio")

Grade A Entertainment! An Underrated Gem!

[zetes · 10/10 · 11 November 2001]

Flying Down to Rio will always be best known for being the movie that first paired Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but, believe me, its worth goes far beyond just that stunning accomplishment. The lead actor is Gene Raymond, who was one of the funniest actors in early Hollywood. My other favorite Raymond movie is Hitchcock's only foray into straight comedy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, where he starred opposite Carole Lombard and was more than up to it. Raymond's female opposite here is Delores de Rio, an actress with whom I am unfamiliar, but, man, is she a beauty. Astaire plays Raymond's best friend and cohort and Rogers plays a singer who tours with them. The film is wonderfully witty and actually very inventive. The editor goes a little crazy with the different types of swipes he uses throughout the film, but they're still neat. It doesn't bother me much that the filmmakers' experiments don't always work. I'm just happy they were trying new things. The cinematography is often great and much more unique than in other RKO musicals. The music is marvelous, especially the show-stopping Carioca (as opposed to Karaoke!), which seems to last forever, but in a good way! This is the number with the Astaire and Rogers dance. The other dancers in the scene are also wonderful, and the editing of that number is particularly amazing. The climactic musical sequence is as amazing as it is silly: seemingly hundreds of women dancing on the wings of flying planes. It's meant to be entertainment for the people below, but, well, the intricate movements of the girls could never have been seen on the ground (reminiscent of the Busby Berkeley number in 42nd Street where the camera shoots the dancers' pattern from above). Again, the editing here is simply remarkable. I can only imagine that the daring stunts perpetrated in the scene, though obviously fake, would have stunned the hell out of an audience in 1933! Today, in the 21st Century, Flying Down to Rio plays as one of the greatest pieces of fluff ever produced. 10/10.

Flying Down to Rio marks the first legendary film teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

[tavm · 6/10 · 30 September 2009]

"What do these South Americans have below the equator that we haven't?" asks former Our Ganger Mary Kornman about her friend Dolores del Rio as she's seen dancing with bandleader Gene Raymond. While the plot (whatever there is of one) seems to be about the unlikely romance between Ms. del Rio and Raymond, the only reason this movie was a hit and is still often shown today is because it's the first time a legendary dance couple is teamed on screen for the first time in an exciting number called "The Carioca"-Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Their brief number set audiences afire and got RKO to snap another movie for them to actually star in together. Not that Ms. del Rio and Raymond don't do well by themselves when they appear but this being a musical comedy, Fred and Ginger are the only ones actually doing both the singing and dancing here with both having their own solo spots at the end and beginning, respectively. Other things to note: the "cannibals"-led by Clarance Muse-speak in British-accented English to amusing effect and that final title number with females being tied to flying planes (through, I'm sure, a moving rear projection background) being braless and having clothing come off is one of the most bizarre things done in a pre-Code picture! No great shakes, but because of the numbers and the historical first time teaming of Astaire and Rogers, Flying Down to Rio is well worth a look. P.S. One of the singers of "The Carioca", Etta Moten, lived the last years of her life in my birthtown of Chicago, Ill.

"What do those South American girls have below the Equator that we don't?"

[ackstasis · 5/10 · 22 August 2008]

If you were to replace the names Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers with two unknowns, I wouldn't be writing this review right now. 'Flying Down to Rio (1933)' would have long ago sunk into complete obscurity, along with the dozens of mediocre musical contemporaries that were churned out by the Hollywood studios in the early years of the sound era. If there's one positive thing to be said about the film, it's that it rocketed Astaire and Rogers into the public eye, and such was the success of this initial pairing that no less than nine future collaborations would follow – fortunately, of the titles I've seen, all are much better than this one. It doesn't help the film that our prized duo (albeit, not yet prized when the film was made) are strictly relegated to the sidelines, while an altogether uninteresting comic romance plays out between Dolores del Rio {of John Ford's 'The Fugitive (1947)'} and some guy named Gene Raymond.

Considering he's supposed to be our romantic lead, Gene Raymond doesn't seem to do much. When there's singing or dancing to be done, Astaire steps up to the podium, decisively stealing every scene he's in. As for Raymond, he simply stands there and looks charming, inexplicably disappearing during both of the film's most extravagant centrepieces – namely, the "Caricoa" dance sequence and the bizarre aviatic finale. Dolores del Rio does well as the alluring Brazilian temptress who captures Raymond's eye, and Ginger Rogers, sporting a questionable accent, plays off her supporting co-star with genuine gusto. It's a pity that the film doesn't have a very interesting story, because director Thornton Freeland has a nice eye for visuals, and the airborne climax, however stupid and illogical and pointless, looks generally convincing. With the Production Code yet to be strictly enforced, the writers even manage to include at least one lewd sexual double-entendre, as an American girl muses on the appeal of what South American girls "have below the Equator."

By 1933, the United States was still in the grip of the Great Depression, and audiences often flocked to theatres, however slight their finances, to escape into another world. Like 'Top Hat (1935),' this film fills the screen with glittering locales and beautiful women, lending hope and reassurance to the multitudes of struggling couples. 'Flying Down to Rio' was produced by Merian C. Cooper, who that same year unleashed King Kong on the hapless citizens of New York, and this film – albeit in a completely different fashion – also transported audiences into an exotic world outside their usual experience. In an amusing spoof of Hollywood's generally-racist depiction of native tribes, this film, to its credit, effectively reverses the stereotype, revealing the "deserted" island's purported cannibals to simply be well-to-do islanders enjoying a round of golf and a swim. Nevertheless, despite these few positives, Freeland's film is largely a mediocre outing in musical comedy, and any other Astaire/Rogers musicals would be preferable.

Flights of musical fancy

[lora64 · 10/10 · 22 May 2001]

This early musical reminds me of a frothy milkshake with a tangy, South American flavor! Entertainment, pure and simple. Although slightly dated in some ways it still has a great deal of appeal for those who enjoy well staged musicals. Sure there were more streamlined musical productions to follow at a later date, but I feel this one has an exciting atmosphere as far as musical content is concerned (dancing), not to mention the episode, as a finale, of those smiling girls strapped to planes soaring up above the landscape. I wonder if they'd dare to do such high flying films again in our time.

Gene Raymond was some handsome fella! although I felt his acting ability could do with more smooth flowing gestures. Dolores del Rio certainly was exquisite, which no one can deny. The teaming of Fred and Ginger here is probably well documented many times over by others so suffice to say they sure started something in the history of dance! Pass the popcorn please and just enjoy.

Not as good as "Swing Time" or "Top Hat"

[Calysta · 7/10 · 12 December 1999]

Of the seven Astaire-Rogers musicals I have seen, this would have to be the least best of the series. I can hardly complain, as the chance pairing of the most legendary dance team was the first of better things and was not written in mind for them anyway. Still, someone could have thought of more imaginative names...Honey Hale and Fred Ayres?

The plot of "Flying Down to Rio" is slight, throughout the movie I personally didn't really care about whether Delores Del Rio would choose between two men, all I wanted was to see Fred and Ginger. This was also the only time Ginger was billed above Fred. Naturally, they put in fine performances and stole the show from the rather dull leading cast.

On a higher note, the exotic Latin American musical number "The Carioca" was excellently performed by all, and the finale, "Flying Down to Rio", with chorus girls dancing on the wings of planes in motion was somewhat spectacular, but still eclipsed by the earlier number. And Fred's dancing should be given a special mention too. After all, it was only his second movie.

Overall, I did enjoy the musical despite my seemingly numerous criticisms, but the later vehicles for the teaming demonstrate a far higher quality of musicals in the 30s, in all areas of musical making. Rating: 8/10

Not Good-Not Bad

[jkaplan67890 · 4/10 · 17 February 2018]

Flying Down to Rio is a 1933 black and white musical "romance" film (I'm hesitant to call it that) that follows Gene Raymond, who falls in love with Dolores Del Rio. He gets his band fired from a gig, and offers to fly her back to Brazil, but they get stranded on an island, fall in "love," get into a fight, and split up. Gene Raymond soon gets back to Brazil, and meets Dolores Del Rio's fiance. Complications ensue, including her father's new hotel, but they soon get back together.

So, Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio's romance is unbelievable. He dances with her once, then they get stranded on an island. He purposefully sabotages his plane so he can spend more time with her, instead of getting her back to Brazil. I guess they make out? Then they fight, and he hits her, then once they're back in Brazil....she's in love with him?

Okay?

I don't understand why Dolores Del Rio didn't just stay with her fiance. He seemed like a caring guy who actually loved her. Gene Raymond saw her, didn't even know her name, and fell for her just for her looks. He didn't even know anything about her.

Now Gene Raymond's character is awful and unlikable. He constantly gets his band fired from gigs because all he cares about is sex/women. He feels little sympathy afterwards, and just continues his ways every time. Besides that, I really can't tell you anything else about his character. He likes sex. He's a "bandleader." He abandons Fred Astaire in Miami so he can take Dolores Del Rio with him instead of him.

At least Gene Raymond actually HAS a character. Dolores Del Rio is so bland and has no personality. She's only there for Gene Raymond to fall for. No character, at all. She really doesn't do much the whole film, either.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are easily the best characters in the movie, even if they do have little personality. At least they have more than Dolores Del Rio. Ginger Rogers is a wise cracker. Fred Astaire wants to keep Gene Raymond in line so they don't get fired. I wish they had more screen time, because their "romance/friendship" was so much more believable. You know that they traveled together for a long time, and must've built up some chemistry.

And as this is a Rogers/Astaire film, the dancing is amazing. The "Carioca" number is easily the best scene in the movie, and of course, they dance beautifully. But sadly, that was their only dance together in the movie, because of course, we had to make time for Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio.

Ginger Roger's "Music Makes Me" number in the beginning is kind of weak, but it was still catchy and enjoyable. I really don't like her singing voice that much, but the song is still pretty fun.

"Orchids in the Moonlight" is a sweet, romantic ballad. I liked it when Dolores Del Rio's fiance sang it to her.

The end, where the girls were dancing on the planes, was a pretty fun sequence, but in my opinion, it was a bit too short.

The humor was somewhat funny. I never had any laugh out loud moments, but I smiled a lot, especially at Ginger's Roger's comments and the scene where Fred Astaire was carried out of the bakery.

All in all, this movie wasn't good. Paper thin plot and unlikable/virtually non existent characters were abundant. But the dance numbers were amazing, and some of the humor worked. So if this movie wasn't a musical, I would probably hate it and give it a one star. But at least we had a fun dance number, some okay humor, and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. So, I don't recommend it, but if you're a die hard Astaire/Rogers fan, just watch it (even though they're not even main characters.) But if you're new to them, I recommend watching Top Hat, Swing Time, Follow the Fleet, or Shall We Dance first.

The Aviator

[tedg · 3 March 2007]

Howard Hughes, oh how we needed you.

From other sources you will have learned that this is pretty sexy stuff in terms of transparent clothes; not a bra on the hundreds of candidates. And the original dirty dancing before it was outlawed, and that crack about what Brazilian women have "below the equator." Also, you will have heard about this being the first Astaire-Rogers pairing.

You may not have heard of one of the most racially respectful scenes I know from the era: a couple land on a supposedly deserted island and the woman is frightened by what she thinks are natives. Turns out one comes out of the woods. He's playing golf and while shirtless (in order to make the joke work) speaks English normally and carries himself like a regular man. Its the reverse joke of what you'd usually see in bugeyed stepinfetchits.

But what I find fascinating is the way sex, romance, money and music are all somehow related to aviation. Our hero, we are told is heir to a fortune if only he would give up his music and planes. But it is plain that he does it because of the women. And by that we know he means sex, only sex. We first see him as he climbs out of his plane, which has a piano stuffed in it. Now think about that a minute.

This is what technology meant in those days: adventure, charm, bodily pleasure. And its what the sort of music we see in films was supposed to imply as well. If you do not see this, let me describe the climax. Scores of scantily clad women are strapped to what looks like a dozen small planes to perform choreographically as best you can when bolted down. Every shot you can take of a woman's body is presented, along with a wingload of errant nipples. I can just imagine the smiles when they thought it up.

There's something else to watch for. This has the most elaborate transitions I believe I have seen for any film. They really are amazingly varied and so copious they are as much a feature as Fred's dancing.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Introducing Fred and Ginger

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 20 February 2009]

The A story, involving a romance between Gene Raymond and Delores del Rio, is pretty silly. It's the kind of plot that would be handed over to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their later films, and it's dismissible.

Fred and Ginger are not romantically connected in this, their first film together. They just happen to be members of the same musical troupe. Their time together on screen is limited and their dancing is not what it would become, but they evidently made the film a hit and it launched their career that lasted throughout the thirties.

There are a couple of noteworthy things about it. Ginger gets to sing the first number in a see-through dress. The title of the song is "Music Makes Me", which is in itself a little wicked, though the lyrics take it further. When Ginger sings it, her phrasing lags behind the beat, which is a definition of syncopation. She's awfully cute.

The dialog and characters add spice too. Franklin Pangborn has never been so close to flamboyant fairydom. (It wouldn't have been allowed, ten years later.) One of the waitresses he inspects at his hotel has the backs of her high heels worn off. ("Round heels," get it?) Maybe I'm reading too much into this. Will somebody please hand me that vial of Prozac over there? Thank you. But when Fred and his band are about to be chewed out by Pangborn, Fred says, "Pull in your apples, boys, here comes William Tell." Is that naughty or not? Best line in the movie: A blond is envious of Delores del Rio's appeal to men (which escapes me, by the way). "What have these girls got below the equator that WE don't have?"

Fred is his usual airy self. Of course, as everyone knows, his real name is not Fred Astaire. It's too perfect. Nobody is named Fred Astaire. He actually WAS from Omaha but his real name was Orestes Krebs.

Famous for Two Things

[JamesHitchcock · 6/10 · 5 April 2018]

Although it was made more than eighty years ago, "Flying Down to Rio" remains famous for two things. The first is for being the first screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, although they are not its main stars. Top billing goes to Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond, who play two sides of a love triangle. Raymond plays Roger Bond, an American bandleader who takes his orchestra to Rio in pursuit of Brazilian beauty Belinha. The third side of the triangle is Julio, Belinha's long-standing fiancé. I won't reveal which of the men ends up with the girl, but anyone familiar with the conventions of Hollywood romantic comedies of the period will be able to work out the answer from what I have just written. Astaire has a relatively minor role as Bond's assistant Fred Ayres and Rogers an even smaller one as singer Honey Hales, although she was billed above him for the only time in their careers. (In 1933 Astaire was better known as a Broadway star).

The film is sometimes described as "pre-Code", which is technically correct as the Production Code did not come into force until the following year. That description, however, might be misleading to those who have come to associate the words "pre-Code" with something racy, as there is little here which would have troubled the Hays Office had the film been made after 1934, except that they might have insisted upon slightly less revealing costumes for the showgirls. It goes without saying, for example, that, although Brazil has a large black population, Belinha and Julio are both white. (Indeed, no black Brazilians feature at all). Code or no Code, no Hollywood studio in the thirties was going to make a rom-com in which a white bandleader falls for a black woman.

This is the sort of musical in which the singing and (even more importantly) the dancing take precedence over the story. Apart from the love-triangle, the only significant plot element is a crooked scheme by a shadowy group of gangsters to put Belinha's father, a hotel and nightclub owner, put of business by ensuring that he does not get a public entertainment licence. This element, moreover, is really only a plot device to set up the second thing for which the film is famous, its celebrated closing scene. Roger and Julio are both enthusiastic aviators and they persuade the local flying club to organise a stunt whereby the club's showgirls will dance on the wings of their planes as they fly past the club. As the entertainment will not actually be taking place on club premises no licence will be needed.

Although some of the songs in the film, such as "Orchids in Moonlight", became popular hits at the time, none are particularly memorable. As I said, the plot is pretty flimsy and there are no outstanding acting performances. The famous wing-dance sequence, however, is spectacular, particularly by the standards of the early thirties, and is the main reason why the film gets an above-average mark. 6/10

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Absolute nonsense but almost brilliant....sort of.

[1930s_Time_Machine · 6/10 · 9 November 2022]

Although sneered at by some Fred and Ginger fans because they don't have top billing, it's still got that exact same familiar fun feel you'd expect from any of their early movies. They are actually in most of the scenes anyway so it's still essentially a Fred and Ginger film - although without their usual dance routines.

The plot is there just to connect several utterly disjointed ideas together and is so absurd it seems you've just had a weird dream. But because everyone simply accepts that all this weirdness is absolutely normal and they just go with the flow, it seems completely realistic...until you think about it - it seems like they made it up as they went along but they clearly didn't because it's so slick, so perfectly co-ordinated and well produced. RKO had just invested in the latest technology with new cameras and faster film stock giving a new crystal clear film quality which audiences hadn't experienced before. This still looks dazzling even today and enhances the visually luscious Art Deco sets brilliantly. Unlike the contemporary WB musicals, which focussed on people making good during the dark and grainy depression, RKO ignored the depression completely and replaced it with a fantasy world of nonsensical, dreamlike escapism.

The stand out number, the one with the song which will get stuck in your head for days, is the spectacular but completely batty finale featuring dozens of pretty chorus girls 'dancing' on the wings of planes flying over Rio. The fact that this is meant to be a show for the folks down on the ground where it would be impossible for them to actually see any of this doesn't matter at all...it's just happening so just accept it. It should be remembered that this was made in 1933 and although RKO were the masters of technical innovation (i.e. King Kong), that this silly, fun sequence in a daft movie like this is put together so perfectly demonstrates the skill of the team back then. Some of us might also be grateful that they chose to use that clearer quality film when we notice that some of those pretty girls on the planes are actually wearing see-through shirts.... I'd need a cold shower after that....well I would had this been an actual film rather than some crazy dream I'd had after eating too much cheese?

Worth watching only for Fred and Ginger...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 10 January 2010]

FLYING DOWN TO RIO is a precode curiosity memorable only for some overly elaborate, extended musical numbers with a Latin beat and one musical sequence with girls strapped to the wings of biplanes in flimsy costuming. And one more ingredient: it has Fred and Ginger doing a couple of snappy routines including a little number called "The Carioca" which gets extensive treatment.

Forget the boy-meets-girl plot with band leader Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio. It's just an excuse to showcase some musical interludes, some of which go on for too great a length.

Del Rio proves that she's a great beauty but shows absolutely no talent for romantic comedy and Gene Raymond has been seen to better advantage in other films. But fans of Fred and Ginger should get their money's worth. Fred, especially, has more to do than his screen partner--who, by the way, is often unflatteringly costumed (by Walter Plunkett, no less) and hair-styled. She manages to prove that she's no singer but quite a capable dancer.

Eric Blore has a tiny role but Franklin Pangborn gets to strut his stuff early on in the film as the flustered hotel manager.

Summing up: Worth a look only for the first pairing of Astaire and Rogers, but clumsy plotting and overproduced dance numbers keep it from being one of their best pairings.

A Must See Musical!

[JohnHowardReid · 10/10 · 25 October 2017]

Copyright 29 December 1933 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 21 December 1933. U.K. release: 8 September 1934. 10 reels. 89 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Band leader falls for a Brazilian siren. No the bandsman is not played by Fred Astaire, nor is the vamp Ginger Rogers.

NOTES: First teaming of Astaire and Rogers, albeit in supporting roles.

"The Carioca" was nominated for an Academy Award for best Song, but lost out to "The Continental" from the next Astaire-Rogers movie, "The Gay Divorcée".

Negative cost: $462,000. Initial domestic rentals gross: $923,000. Initial foreign rentals gross: $622,000. Net profit for the studio after deducting all expenses and overheads: $480,000. RKO's top grossing movie of 1933-34.

COMMENT: A delight. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it didn't run long enough. No wonder Depression audiences were clamoring for more. Very snappy film editing. I loved all the various wipes and iris effects and the way the travelogue scenes of Rio turn into postcards and slip out of frame is as ingenious as the ghostly alter egos of Raymond and Del Rio in the beach sequence.

If anything the editing is a bit too snappy during the dance sequences. The extended Carioca number is the film's highlight as is the climax with all the gorgeous girls atop the plane, but the Raymond-Del Rio flirtation is by no means dull. He is much more animated than usual and she is exquisitely costumed and photographed.

Fred Astaire makes an amusing stooge and Ginger hams up the vocalizing of "Music Makes Me" delightfully. (Her part apart from dancing the Carioca with Fred and singing one song and cracking a few wisecracks is disappointingly small. She has no role to play in the story-line unlike Fred who is Raymond's buddy and stand-in). Gould tries to out-Busby Berkeley which he does in the aero number with acres of beautifully costumed dancers at his disposal so that the film often looks like Warner Bros. in its musical hey-day.

In fact, this movie thoroughly deserves its cult movie reputation. Even the credits whiz by at an alarming speed. In fact the pace is so fast it's hard to believe the movie unwinds at close to 90 minutes. Full of ingenious optical effects and old-style Hollywood vigor, it all comes to a stunning climax that will entrance both vintage plane buffs and lovers of the form divine.

Freeland's direction has been freely criticized of late for not doing justice to Fred Astaire's numbers by "dismembering" them with too many audience reaction shots, but frankly this habit will worry only Fred's most rabid fans. To my eyes, Freeland directs with pace and style.

Plane And Fancy

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 2 March 2007]

I've been gradually working my way through a Boxed Set of eight of the nine movies that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made at RKO between 1933 and 1939 - saving the studio from bankruptcy in the process - and I saved the first til last (Roberta is the missing title) on the grounds that it wasn't technically a Rogers/Astaire movie at all - top billing went to Gene Raymond (who he?) and Dolores Del Rio with Fred and Ginger billed below them. Seeing it today it's crystal clear why the powers that be at RKO (still known as Radio Pictures at the time of this release) took one look and immediately lined up a vehicle to showcase the team. The dance they do to The Carioca is literally light years ahead of any terpsichore to be seen on Stage or Screen and in addition they were both experienced troupers, Fred had been in vaudeville and then Musical theatre from childhood and Ginger had already made a modest mark in a handful of movies and handled the occasional wisecracks allotted to her character with aplomb. The plot is neither here nor there and typical Depression escapist fare but Vincent Youmans turned in a fine score including the badly neglected ballad Orchids In The Moonlight, the title song and, of course, The Carioca. I'm guessing that at the time the film was built around the title number which may well have been subtitled Eat Your Heart Out, Busby Berkley, which featured a bra-less chorus line strapped on to the wings of a half dozen planes as they fly over Rio de Janeiro but probably even then this spectacle was forced to share top honors with the sensational dancing of Fred and Ginger. It's badly dated, of course, but even after 70 odd years it entertains.

Dancing Madly To The "Carioca"

[strong-122-478885 · 3/10 · 1 February 2015]

With its story set first in Miami and then in Rio De Janeiro, this 1933 "Boy-Meets-Girl" Comedy/Romance/Musical was so annoyingly corny and predictable that it was downright sickening for me to watch. Its story was a complete "air-head" insult to the intelligence of any thinking person.

On top of a couple of badly-staged musical numbers, which were clearly "Busby Berkeley" type rip-offs, this decidedly dull-witted piece of pure escapist fluff also contained a number of really terrible songs, as well.

There was not a single memorable character in the entire story. These boys & girls were all a bunch of one-dimensional paper-dolls, with the women, as usual, wearing way too much make-up and dressed to the nines in the most ridiculous-looking fashions imaginable.

I understand that this movie is considered to be a big deal by many film-buffs just because it was the first picture to feature the likes of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers dancing (this time the Carioca) together.

Well, if that's all that this film is notable for, then, from my point of view, it only deserves a 3-star rating. Believe me, there are certainly much better 1930's Musicals out there that are more worth your while.

*Note* - I'd say that it was this DVD's bonus features which were far more entertaining to watch than the main attraction.

#1 bonus was the 1933 comedy short called "Beer & Pretzels" which co-starred Curly, Larry & Moe, before they became known as The Three Stooges.

Also included as a bonus was the "Merrie Melodies" cartoon titled "I Like Mountain Music".

The Great Air Ballet Over Rio De Janeiro

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 14 January 2008]

The folks at RKO who filmed Flying Down To Rio never got any further to Brazil's then capital than the back-lot of the studio. Knowing that the film remains a great example of what a little establishing photography and special effects can do.

Flying Down To Rio is known for being a first and a last in some careers. The first of course is the teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They were only in support of stars Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio. But when they danced The Carioca, Flying Down To Rio became their film.

But also Flying Down To Rio contained the last published work of composer Vincent Youmans. For a man who composed so many great songs from the Twenties on Broadway like Tea For Two, Great Day, Time On My Hands, and I Want To Be Happy, Youmans is a rather secluded and mysterious man of melody. Right after Flying Down To Rio came out, Youmans was diagnosed with tuberculosis and though he lived another thirteen years, nothing published came from him.

With Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn doing the lyrics, Youmans wrote The Carioca, Orchids in the Moonlight, Music Makes Me and the title song. More people probably know the song Flying Down to Rio from Zero Mostel's gleeful rendition in The Producers as he anticipates stealing the money from all those little old lady backers of Springtime for Hitler. But in fact it's far more spectacular here.

Fred Astaire opens by singing and leading Gene Raymond's band. Then a spectacular display of chorus girls on biplane wings flies over RKO's recreation of the Rio skyline, ending in them parachuting into the nightclub which has no entertainment permit. Quite spectacular, Busby Berkeley over at Warner Brothers must have cried all day wondering why he didn't think of it first.

The plot is simply your basic love triangle involving band-leader Gene Raymond, Brazilian heiress Dolores Del Rio, and her fiancé Raul Roulien. Astaire and Rogers are Raymond's second in command and the girl vocalist in the band.

The plot might be trite, but the music and dancing, nothing short of heavenly.

Astaire and Rogers begin the dance

[atlasmb · 6/10 · 11 February 2013]

This film is entertaining for two reasons: the first teaming of Astaire and Rogers, and as a glimpse into the America of the early 1930s.

Ginger Rogers was billed fourth in this film and Fred Astaire was fifth billed. Ginger appeared in ten films in 1933, whereas Fred was appearing in only his second Hollywood film. He was no stranger to the stage, but his film career was just beginning. The duo would eventually appear in ten films together, based upon their chemistry and her ability to follow his dance direction. In just a couple of years,they were performing much more sophisticated dances in more entertaining films.

Flying Down to Rio also showcases many aspects of American culture at the time, including the corny witticisms and mugging that were considered hep humor. Also note the wing-walkers (in the aerial circus) and the reference to the Culbertson Sytem (a popular bridge bidding system). Check out the beautiful seaplane and the daring preCode fashions, some which are stunning, some which are tacky.

The narrative of this film seems little more than an excuse to bring the characters (and the audience) to venues where dancing and singing can be showcased. The sets for the Carioca Casino and the Aviators Club were beautiful. The montage of Rio was like a 30s postcard.

Speaking of montages, the performance pieces in Flying Down to Rio are typical of Busby Berkley spectaculars--montages of dancing, and groups of dancers in large production scenes. Compare the Astaire dance numbers which, in contrast, follow the dance performance in single or extended shots, emphasizing the technical excellence of the dancers. This technique of filming dance would revolutionize dance performance in film.

The director looked to dazzle his audience with every variation of novelty cuts and what must have been seen as cutting-edge special effects (the images of performers on the wings of flying planes).

Because the humor in the movie is played so broadly, the acting is not very good, but they got what they were aiming for--a light excuse for entertainment that was just what America wanted during the Great Depression.

I am a fan of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, singly and in tandem. As an early snapshot of the beginnings of their film history, Flying Down to Rio is required viewing, I feel.

Maiden Flight

[Lejink · 5/10 · 8 March 2015]

From little acorns...Best known as the first on-screen pairing of Astaire and Rogers, I forgot that they were only playing supporting characters here, leaving me occasionally scratching my head at their extended absence from the film. Of the two, Fred gets far more screen-time. Their parts of frontline competing lovers in fact are taken by the named leads, the rather anodyne Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio.

The other points of interest for me were the occasional camera tricks involved, for example when Raymond and Del Rio are tormented by their consciences and the off-screen depiction of the sinister gentlemen-financiers conspiring against the hotel's success, as well as the pre-Hays Code values (or lack of same) on show, quite literally on occasions, indeed our first view of Ginger sees her apparently dancing in a see-through negligee, not to mention the scantily-clad girl wing-walkers improbably assembled on the squadron of planes flown in for the big opening night.

The story is typical light-comedy fluff, although I'm not sure I agreed with the conclusion which has Raymond breaking up the engagement of Del Rio and her Brazilian fiancé. The songs aren't exactly of the quality of a Kern, Gershwin or Berlin with one of them boasting, if that's the right word, the memorable phrase "wicky, wacky, wicky" to rhyme with "tricky", naturally. The humour is a bit forced at times but again there are one or two racy ribald moments which catch the ear.

There's certainly a degree of ambition in some of the camera shots, particularly the extended Astaire and Rogers number "The Carioca" and the air-show at the end, obvious as the projection work is to modern eyes although some of the stunts are hilarious in their execution, notably the flying save of the girl who falls from the airborne trapeze, trust me this does happen!

Otherwise the wooden doe-eyed acting of the leads and their stiff, prissy dialogue at times, plus the light-operatic musical style of some of the numbers makes the movie a little hard-going at times, but Fred and Ginger just about make it watching all the way through. I can't think when I'll ever wish to see another film starring Raymond or Del Rio but as the springboard for the greatest dance partnership in movies, I guess this feature serves its purpose.