Nancy va a Rio

A so-so musical comedy, chipper and competently shot on the studio back lot far, far away from Rio. If there's any reason to watch this corny confection, it would be for the show-stopping number by Carmen Miranda in the nightclub. The hues alone are incredible! Everything is dripping in rich, over-saturated color - the costumes, the set - it's like an explosion at the Technicolor factory. The production designer and director were surely using the process to "wow" the audience used to common, flatter black and white films for so long, similar to the 3D process that would come along later. Inside this gem of a scene is Miranda's dance performance, which is really energetic and quite imaginative. If you ever wanted to test your TV screen color and balance, this scene from this piece of 50s flash might be the one to do that with. The rest of the film? Meh... hokum, but quaint.

Sidney Sheldon wrote the screenplay based on an earlier film that starred Deanna Durbin, but this time tedium sets in rather early. In short, it's an uninspired remake designed to bring bubbly JANE POWELL, ANN SOTHERN, CARMEN MIRANDA, BARRY SULLIVAN and LOUIS CALHERN together for what is supposed to be a light-hearted romp.

For a musical, there is too long a gap between dialog and songs and none of the songs are especially memorable. The sets are opulent, the costumes are tastefully designed with no expense spared on wardrobe, and the color is splendid. But the story is the one about a mother and daughter actress team who are both in love with the same man, unknown to each other, until the plot complications are straightened out.

Whatever sparkle there was to the original B&W film has been dampened by a dull script, slow-paced direction and some coy performances from Sothern and Powell. Powell postures as a would-be actress but her artificial poses are contrived and obvious which makes Sullivan suspecting that she's a girl "in trouble" (when she's really rehearsing a part) seem a strain on credibility.

Both Sothern and Powell are given the usual MGM glossy close-up treatment, but the silly plot defeats everyone.

Rio is strictly a fabrication on an MGM sound stage. Only CARMEN MIRANDA's lively musical contributions make watching this worthwhile. That, and a nice, understated, low-key performance from the always reliable BARRY SULLIVAN saves the comic moments from being downright foolish.

This is a delightful early Jane Powell film. It reminds me a bit of Holiday in Mexico with the crush on the much older man not stopping spunky Jane! She's also as precious as she is in A Date with Judy. Young Jane couldn't help but light up the screen with her fun performances.

It's Ann Sothern month on TCM and I'm not sure I'd have had the chance to see how delightful she is otherwise and am so grateful they have honored her. This is one of my favorites I've seen. Jane and Ann look very much like mother and daughter and both have lovely singing voices. I have to confess I skipped through the Carmen Miranda numbers (I think you either love her or you don't as a singer, but I liked her acting role) but I loved all the others. I particularly loved the chemistry with the tall, dark and handsome Barry Sullivan as a rare lead and Louis Calhern as the witty and fun grandfather.

Lovely Technicolor and costuming, fine acting, good chemistry, the Brazilian influence on many of the musical numbers, and the precious romantic comedy script made a rainy afternoon just perfect!

Pleasant is a good word for this film. While not one of the top-five musicals, it is well made and enjoyable. Ann Sothern and Jane Powell play mother and daughter who fall for the same man while in South America (No location shoots here. The furthest south anybody working on this movie traveled was probably Long Beach). There are some interesting numbers here, in great part because some of the songs and styles included were rare by the time this movie was made. "Shine On Harvest Moon," an old song, is sung and danced by Sothern, Powell, and amazingly enough, Louis Calhern. "Time and Time Again" is a Nelson Eddy-Jeanette McDonald type number which features Sothern and is probably one of the last of that style to be filmed. The bulk of the musical numbers feature Jane Powell who sings well, as always. Yet, for me, the high point of the film is the number featuring Carmen Miranda. I think it's one of her best. This was Carmen Miranda's next-to-last film and also the last musical for Ann Sothern.

Can't help liking a musical that features silly lyrics like: "Nancy goes to Rio - Me-oh, my-oh, me-oh" and "Keep the Latins guessing!". How crude - sometimes enjoyably crude - Hollywood's image of foreign lands and sounds! I lived in Sao Paulo for a year (1962), and I don't remember seeing any Latins. Instead, there were a lot of fellow human beings. The best song in the movie was written by a "Latin": Mexican genius Maria Grever, so sadly forgotten. She wrote American standards like "What a Difference a Day Makes". Jane Powell is great, as usual, and so is Scotty Beckett. His life was one of the saddest Hollywood tragedies, probably a case of undiagnosed depression. Yet he looks so happy and confident on screen, more so than most major stars. This silly musical is not as good as "A DATE WITH JUDY", but it will do just fine. Enchantment guaranteed.