Flying Down to Rio **** (1933, Gene Raymond, Dolores del Rio, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Raul Roulien, Franklin Pangborn, Eric Blore) – Classic Movie Review 2960

Director Thornton Freeland’s fun and sometimes still thrilling 1933 musical Flying Down to Rio is famous now, if at all, as the first teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, in what turned out to be the first of their 10 glorious movie teamings. But here, alas, they are show-stopping side issues as accordionist and assistant band leader Fred Ayres and orchestra vocalist Honey Hale.

And so the movie officially stars Gene Raymond, who gives a dull performance as the aviator, composer and band leader hero Roger Bond, who is swept off his feet by the fiery and exotic Brazilian beauty Belinha de Rezende (Dolores del Rio).

But it would be a forgotten film if Astaire and Rogers weren’t doing their exhilarating ‘Carioca’ dance number together, sung by Alice Gentle, Movita Castaneda and Etta Moten, and danced by Astaire and Rogers and the chorus. It is the team’s first dance together and they dance with their foreheads touching.

The other highlight is the amazing, camp climactic ballet on flying airplane wings at the end of the film, which director Ken Russell affectionately spoofed in his movie of The Boy Friend (1971). Linwood Dunn did the special effects for the plane-wing dance sequence. Roxy Music must have been fans of the movie too as they access it in their 1972 hit single ‘Virginia Plain’: ‘Baby Jane’s in Acapulco / We are flying down to Rio.’

The treasurable featured players include Franklin Pangborn as Hotel Manager Hammerstein and Eric Blore as Assistant Hotel Manager Mr Butterbass.

It is shot in black-and-white by J Roy Hunt. But the black-and-white (later computer-colorized) film originally had a colour tinted sequence,

The screenplay by Cyril Hume, H W Hanemann and Erwin S Gelsey is based on Anne Caldwell’s play and Lou Brock’s story.

Other songs include ‘Music Makes Me’ (sung by Ginger Rogers), the popular tango song ‘Orchids in the Moonlight’ (sung by Raul Roulien) and the title number, ‘Flying Down to Rio’, sung by Astaire and danced by Rogers and the chorus.

The songs are all written by Vincent Youmans (music) and Gus Kahn and Edward Eliscu (lyrics). The dance director is Dave Gould, assisted by Hermes Pan, later Astaire’s main collaborator.

Also in the cast are Raul Roulien, Blanche Friderici, Walter Walker, Franklin Pangborn, Eric Blore, Etta Moten, Paul Porcasi, Reginald Barlow, Luis Alberni, Jack Good, Jack Rice, Clarence Muse and Betty Furness, as well as Roy D’Arcy, Maurice Black and Armand Kaliz as the three members of the Greek Gambling Syndicate.

The Astaire-Rogers partnership debuts in the trailer for Flying Down to Rio.

Mexican character actor Carlos Montalbán (June 5, 1904 – March 28, 1991) started out started in the film.

Mexican actress Dolores del Rio became the first major actress to wear a two-piece bathing suit on screen.

It is the only film with Rogers billed above Astaire.

Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond in Flying Down to Rio.

The film cost $462,000, took $923,000 in North America and $622,000 elsewhere, leading to a profit of $480,000 for RKO Radio Pictures.

Flying Down to Rio is directed by Thornton Freeland, runs 89 minutes, is made and released by RKO Radio Pictures, is written by Erwin S Gelsey, H W Hanemann and Cyril Hume, based on a story by Lou Brock and a play by Anne Caldwell, is shot in black-and-white by J Roy Hunt, is produced by Merian C Cooper and Lou Brock, and is scored by Max Steiner, with production designs by Van Nest Polglase and Carroll Clark.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2960

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