Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Rio Rita

  • 19421942
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Bud Abbott, John Carroll, Lou Costello, and Kathryn Grayson in Rio Rita (1942)
ComedyMusicWar
Doc and Wishey run into some Nazi-agents, who want to smuggle bombs into the USA from a Mexican border hotel.Doc and Wishey run into some Nazi-agents, who want to smuggle bombs into the USA from a Mexican border hotel.Doc and Wishey run into some Nazi-agents, who want to smuggle bombs into the USA from a Mexican border hotel.
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
    • S. Sylvan Simon
    • Richard Connell(screenplay)
    • Gladys Lehman(screenplay)
    • John Grant(special material for Abbott and Costello)
  • Stars
    • Bud Abbott
    • Lou Costello
    • Kathryn Grayson
    • S. Sylvan Simon
    • Richard Connell(screenplay)
    • Gladys Lehman(screenplay)
    • John Grant(special material for Abbott and Costello)
  • Stars
    • Bud Abbott
    • Lou Costello
    • Kathryn Grayson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 17User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Patricia Dane in Rio Rita (1942)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bud Abbott
    Bud Abbott
    • 'Doc'
    Lou Costello
    Lou Costello
    • 'Wishy' Dunne
    Kathryn Grayson
    Kathryn Grayson
    • Rita Winslow
    John Carroll
    John Carroll
    • Ricardo Montera
    Patricia Dane
    Patricia Dane
    • Lucette Brunswick
    Tom Conway
    Tom Conway
    • Maurice Craindall
    Peter Whitney
    Peter Whitney
    • Jake
    Barry Nelson
    Barry Nelson
    • Harry Gantley
    Arthur Space
    Arthur Space
    • Trask
    Dick Rich
    Dick Rich
    • Gus
    Eva Puig
    • Marianna
    Joan Valerie
    Joan Valerie
    • Dotty
    Mitchell Lewis
    Mitchell Lewis
    • Julio aka Pete
    Eros Volusia
    • Eros Volusia
    Eros Volusia Brazilian Dancers
    • Eros Volusia Brazilian Dancers
    Norman Abbott
    Norman Abbott
    • Hotel Laundry Boy
    • (uncredited)
    King Baggot
    King Baggot
    • Hotel Guest
    • (uncredited)
    William Bailey
    William Bailey
    • Hotel Guest
    • (uncredited)
      • S. Sylvan Simon
      • Richard Connell(screenplay)
      • Gladys Lehman(screenplay)
      • John Grant(special material for Abbott and Costello)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Ride 'Em Cowboy
    6.5
    Ride 'Em Cowboy
    Hold That Ghost
    7.3
    Hold That Ghost
    Lost in a Harem
    6.3
    Lost in a Harem
    Buck Privates
    7.0
    Buck Privates
    Who Done It?
    7.3
    Who Done It?
    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood
    6.3
    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood
    Pardon My Sarong
    6.8
    Pardon My Sarong
    Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
    5.7
    Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
    Keep 'Em Flying
    6.5
    Keep 'Em Flying
    In the Navy
    6.7
    In the Navy
    One Night in the Tropics
    6.3
    One Night in the Tropics
    It Ain't Hay
    6.6
    It Ain't Hay

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were under contract to Universal Pictures, and their films were so successful that MGM signed a three-film contract with them to take advantage of a clause in their Universal contract that allowed them to do one film a year for another company. This was the first one; Lost in a Harem (1944) and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood (1945) were the others. However, each of the films was less successful than the previous one, and MGM canceled its agreement with Universal after the third film.
    • Goofs
      When Wishy (Lou Costello) is hanging from the back bumper of the car, his feet disappear as he is trying to climb back up to the car.
    • Quotes

      'Doc': Did you ever go to school, stupid?

      'Wishy': Yeah and I came out the same way.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Big Parade of Comedy (1964)
    • Soundtracks
      Rio Rita
      (1927)

      Music by Harry Tierney

      Lyrics by Joseph McCarthy

      Played during the opening credits

      Sung by John Carroll (uncredited) at the hotel

      Reprised by the band at the hotel

    User reviews17

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    Bud and Lou's MGM debut
    With the money that Abbott and Costello made in their films at Universal to save that studio from going bankrupt, L.B. Mayer decided he wanted some of that himself. So Universal was probably paid a lot of cash to loan them out for the first of three films.

    MGM dusted off the old show Rio Rita which was a smash Broadway success for Florenz Ziegfeld in 1927-1928. Universal had filmed it in 1929 with John Boles, Bebe Daniels and Wheeler and Woolsey. Come to think of it, they probably tossed in the rights for Rio Rita in the loan out deal for Abbott and Costello.

    All that was retained were the two big songs of the show, the title song and the Ranger song. Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg wrote You Came Along sung very nicely by John Carroll and Kathryn Grayson.

    The plot is pretty silly involving some Nazi spies sending coded messages during a broadcast featuring Latino crooner John Carroll. He's got a cheap Mexican accent that really doesn't fool anyone. Why didn't MGM use a real Latino performer like Tito Guizar? I guess we'll never know.

    And Abbott and Costello don't get to use any of their patented routines here although they do have some funny moments. MGM did much better by them in Lost In a Harem which is more like the stuff they were doing at Universal.
    helpful•24
    8
    • bkoganbing
    • Sep 7, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1942 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • Spanish
      • German
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Hemet, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 31 minutes
      • Black and White

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Bud Abbott, John Carroll, Lou Costello, and Kathryn Grayson in Rio Rita (1942)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Rio Rita (1942) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.