Road to Rio (1947)

Two inept vaudevillians stow away on a Brazilian-bound ocean liner and foil a plot by a sinister hypnotist to marry off her niece to a greedy fortune hunter.

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Edmund Beloin (original story), Jack Rose (original story)

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bing Crosby	...	Scat Sweeney
Bob Hope	...	Hot Lips Barton
Dorothy Lamour	...	Lucia Maria de Andrade
Gale Sondergaard	...	Catherine Vail
Frank Faylen	...	Trigger
Joseph Vitale	...	Tony
George Meeker	...	Sherman Mallory
Frank Puglia	...	Rodrigues
Nestor Paiva	...	Cardoso
Robert Barrat	...	Johnson
Stanley Andrews	...	Capt. Harmon
Harry Woods	...	Ship's Purser
Herbert Wiere	...	One of the Wiere Brothers) (as The Wiere Brothers)
Harry Wiere	...	One of the Wiere Brothers (as The Wiere Brothers)
Sylvester Wiere	...	One of the Wiere Brothers (as The Wiere Brothers)

Storyline

Scat Sweeney, and Hot Lips Barton, two out of work musicians, stow away on board a Rio bound ship, after accidentally setting fire to the big top of a circus. They then get mixed up with a potential suicide Lucia, who first thanks them, then unexpectedly turns them over to the ship's captain. When they find out that she has been hypnotized, to go through a marriage of convenience, when the ship reaches Rio, the boys turn up at the ceremony, in order to stop the wedding, and to help catch the crooks.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to kool cigarettes | ship | ocean liner | hypnotist | fortune hunter | 

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Taglines:

Take a New Year Cruise to Rio with the Screen's Top Laughter Trio! (3-sheet poster).

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The airplane that Hot Lips and Scat ride to Cantina was an ERCO Ercoupe, a low-wing monoplane aircraft with a twin tail that was designed Fred Weick and manufactured by the Engineering and Research Corporation (ERCO). A light, 2-passenger model, it could not have carried the 8 people who exit, clown-car style, after it lands. As Scat says, "Pretty cozy in there, wasn't it?"

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Goofs

The first time we see the aunt hypnotize Lucia, the shadow of her hand on Lucia is different between the wide shots and the close-ups.

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Quotes

Hot Lips Barton: [Knocking the bad guys unconscious with the pattycake routine] That's what they get for not seeing our pictures!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits begin with the names of the stars (and their legs) doing a dance, with the rest of the credits swaying in time with the music.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994)

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Soundtracks

Experience
Written by Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen
Performed by Dorothy Lamour

User Reviews

Only a notch down from "Road to Utopia"

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".

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

Portuguese English

Release Date:

25 December 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Road to Rio

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,500,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bing Crosby Enterprises, Hope Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1