Road to Rio

Road to Rio is directed by Norman McLeod and written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose. It stars Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Gale Sondergaard and Frank Faylen. Music is by Robert Emmett and cinematography by Ernest Laszlo.

Hope and Crosby star as two vaudevillians, who after setting a circus on fire, stow away on a liner bound for Brazil. Once there they encounter a distressed woman (Lamour) who is being coerced into an unwanted marriage by her scheming guardian.

The fifth in the hugely popular "Road To" series of films, Rio follows the same trajectory as before. For fans such as myself this is OK, other film fans venturing in for a first time look may be a bit bemused by it all. In fairness this one does have a solid story at its core, with hypnotism the dastardly weapon of choice, while McLeod neatly blends the comedy and musical numbers and keeps the pace brisk. Hope gets some well written topical gags to deliver and Crosby croons whilst also getting to do a number with The Andrews Sisters. In support the wonderful Sondergaard turns in another one of her memorable villainess performances, and The Wiere Brothers form part of the narrative to produce great comedic results.

With a blazing first quarter, a jovial middle section and a genuinely hilarious finale, Road to Rio achieves everything a "Road To" fan could wish for. 7.5/10

Presently available on DVD packaged with the DVD for the next Road series: "The Road to Bali" Expect the same basic format as in the previous films of this series. As in most of these films, the boys(Bing and Hope) begin as ne'er-do-well struggling entertainers. This time they begin as a song and dance team, singing "We're on our way to Apalachicola". Next, Hope rides a bicycle on a high wire, with disastrous results. He falls and, in the chaos, a fire is started that consumes the circus tent. They flee as stowaways on a liner to Rio. After stealing a suit of clothes, they encounter Lucia(Dorothy Lamour) leaning over the deck railing, as if she's ready to jump in the ocean. They dissuade her and make friends with her. They hide in a lifeboat, then duck into a barber shop, where they trick the barber into a closet and continue working on his customer, especially clipping his mustache. This is very similar to the episode in the prior Marx Brother's "Monkey Business", and I would imagine some other films. In both cases, the situation could have been further exploited for more laughs. Meanwhile, an evil middle-aged woman: Mrs. Vail, has hypnotized Lucia with her star sapphire necklace, into identifying the boys as the stowaways, and to say she despises them. They are given an opportunity to join the ship's orchestra, with "Hot Lips" Hope playing the trumpet and Bing the clarinet and singing. Mysteriously, soap bubbles emerge from Hope's trumpet when he plays(yes, stupid). The Andrew Sisters team with Bing, singing "You Don't Have to Know the Language.

Mrs. Vail continues to try to get rid of the boys as romantic rivals to her brother whom she wants to force Lucia to marry so that she can obtain some important papers and control Lucia, presently being her guardian. Thus, the boys and 2 goons hired by Mrs. Vail play cat and mouse. She offers them $10,000. to scram, then hypnotizes them to fight a pistol duel with each other. I will leave their further adventures for you to see.

The circus fire event near the beginning recalls the circus tent fire in "Road to Zanzibar", which also induced them to flee.

I don't understand why the cavalry unit riding toward the wedding celebration was included periodically. They have no role in the boys' escape from their predicament.

At one point, Hope is assumed dead of a gun wound, then 'wakes up' after a while. This reminds me of some cheap westerns where the hero is apparently dead, then 'wakes up'.

Road To Rio (1947) : Brief Review -

May not be the best, but certainly one of the best musical comedies in the "Road To..." franchise. RIO-TIC in many senses. Just look closely! The "Road To..." franchise is known to everyone who follows 40s Hollywood, so they know what to expect and what to look for. Well, here is a perfect dish for them. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby aren't wasted; rather, they are used every single minute. They do all the things you want them to do, and there is a nice story too. Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose have written a good story for a musical comedy that has the required chaos and twists. This may just remind you of Marx Bros' classic comedy Duck Soup, as the timeline and setup looked somewhat similar. The film is about two inept vaudevillians who stow away on a Brazilian-bound ocean liner and find themselves stuck with a girl. Together, they foil a plot by a sinister hypnotist to marry off her niece to a greedy fortune hunter. She looks like Lamour; she might sing like her, he says. That's what we call solid humour with a slapstick gag. The same goes when he mentions Boggie (Humphrey Bogart). Then you have the Warner Bros. Line that goes smoothly and fine. Jerry Colonna has one line filled with cackling humour. It's good to see comedy outside your regular human brain when the writer really thinks outside the box and uses known things to create laughter. Those 3 brazilians! Bob Hope is on a riot as always. It's a pleasure to see him play a smart fella who can easily blabber something smart yet cowardly. For a change, Crosby is a faulty guy here. He is mad about girls and easily fooled. The bromance works again. Dorothy Lamour looks breathtaking and does well in her beautifully written and visualised role. Gale Sondergaard is just the perfect antagonist. Master Norman McLeod is impressive yet again as he delivers a thoroughly entertaining ride to Rio.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Dorothy Lamour, Bob Hope,Bing Crosby. and an old fashion musical in clothes of commedy. seductive, exotic, nice, hilarious, romantic and slice of an age of Hollywood in which the entertainment was more than a superficial duty. sure, for our time, clear expression of naivety. but the truth remains in the "Road to Rio" area. one of motifs - it has an easy but smart story, the Wiere Brothers in adorable performances and, sure, Gale Sondergaard as the perfect evil woman from a glorious tradition. so, just "Road to Rio".

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".