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.
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.