Road to Rio (1947)

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Edmund Beloin (original story and screenplay) and
Jack Rose (original story and screenplay)

Release Date:

25 December 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Si, Si ! It's the maddest, merriest "Road" picture of all! You'll See!

Plot:

Two inept vaudevillians stow away on a Brazilian-bound ocean liner and foil a plot by a sinister hypnotist to marry off her niece to a greedy fortune hunter.

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Hypnotist | Fortune Hunter | Ocean Liner | Clarinet

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Scat Sweeney
Bob Hope	...	Hot Lips Barton
Dorothy Lamour	...	Lucia Maria de Andrade
Gale Sondergaard	...	Catherine Vail
Frank Faylen	...	Trigger
Joseph Vitale	...	Tony
George Meeker	...	Sherman Mallory
Frank Puglia	...	Rodrigues
Nestor Paiva	...	Cardoso
Robert Barrat	...	Johnson
Stanley Andrews	...	Capt. Harmon
Harry Woods	...	Ship's Purser
The Wiere Brothers	...	Three Musicians
The Andrews Sisters	...	Themselves
Jerry Colonna	...	Himself

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | West Germany:12 | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #12478)

Company:

Bing Crosby Productions

Trivia:

Escaping from the hoods at the wedding by bursting through the crowd, Scat shouts "Come on Blanchard" and Hotlips replies "Block 'em Davis". The audience would have recognized the reference to Felix Blanchard and Glenn Davis, former Army star running backs. As team-mates from 1944 to 1946, they were referred to as "Mr. Inside" and "Mr. Outside." Blanchard had won the Heisman Trophy in 1945 and Davis in 1946, the year before the movie was released.

Goofs:

Continuity: The first time we see the aunt hypnotize Lucia, the shadow of her hand on Lucia is different between the wide shots and the close-ups.

Quotes:

Hot Lips Barton: [to Catherine Vail] Are you waiting for your broom?
Scat Sweeney: I'll listen for you on "The Inner Sanctum."

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

FOR WHAT?

Only a notch down from "Road to Utopia"

Although Hope, Crosby and Lamour were teaming together for the fifth time in a Road movie, the format and style remain fresh, with a greater emphasis on song and a more rigid plot-line than in its four predecessors. The interplay between the three stars continues to be a delight, and Gale Sondergaard makes for a wonderful villain, whilst the Wiere Brothers almost steal the show as a trio of Rio street entertainers whom Bing and Bob persuade to impersonate the last three members of the five-piece all-American band that they have promised to deliver into Nestor Paiva's nightclub. There are a number of hilarious set-pieces, particularly with Hope cycling on a tightrope, and a rousing and manic climax. As a result of all these fine features, "Road to Rio" is only a notch down from my favourite Road picture, "Road to Utopia".