User reviews

Another journey with Bob, Bing, and Dotty, this time the boys are escaping the law and a couple of shotgun wielding fathers in Bing's case. They stowaway on a boat bound for Rio De Janeiro and they meet damsel in distress Dotty with her "aunt" Gale Sondergaard and her two henchmen Frank Faylen and Joseph Vitale. Dragon lady Gale has been hypnotizing Dottie to force her into a marriage so that her inheritance can be swindled.

The Road pictures always had a usual pattern of songs. A ballad for Crosby, a ballad for Lamour, and some patter songs for Crosby and Hope. Crosby sings one of his nicest ballads with But Beautiful. Hope and Crosby do Appalachicola, Fla and Dottie does an unforgettable version of Experience accompanied by Hope playing a bubble blowing trumpet.

Bing Crosby's most frequent singing partners were the Andrews Sisters on record. They did enough material to fill more than three of those old fashioned vinyl LPs. But their only appearance in a movie with Bing is here and they sing You Don't Have To Know The Language with him as an extra treat.

See it and figure out for yourself what was in those "papers" that the world was better off in blissful ignorance of.

Considering that The Road to Rio was the fifth in the series, that the formula was down pat, that the plot, as usual, was merely an excuse for spontaneous and not-so-spontaneous bantering by the two stars, that the money-to-effort ratio was by now very satisfying to nearly all concerned, and that Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, both at 44, were quickly reaching the point where their age was working against their image of happy-go-lucky, sex-on-their- minds, slightly dumb but well-intentioned good guys...well, this is one of the best in the series. There's no single thing that sets it apart. If we've watched even one other in the series, we know what's going to happen, like having a funny, loved uncle come to visit. I think that in The Road to Rio, the formula had reached a high gloss. The "spontaneity" of the back and forth between Hope and Crosby is quick, funny and friendly. The professionalism may be there, but it looks like they're still having fun making these movies. The jokes are corny and expected, as they were back in 1947, but Hope and Crosby give them a level of snap and comfort that make us smile. Their roles, Bing Crosby as Scat Sweeney, singer and slightly moth-eaten bon vivant, and Bob Hope as Hot Lips Barton, slow-witted but wise- cracking boy-man, are as comfortable to them and us as a pair of old slippers. They work their images both in the plot and in real life for every laugh they can squeeze. Says Scat Sweeney (Crosby) to Hot Lips Barton (Hope), "Swine!" Barton: "Pig!" Scat Crosby: "That's the same as swine." Hot Lips Hope: "All right. Ham!" Or this: Scat Crosby, "Are you admitting you're a dirty coward?" Hot Lips Hope, "No, a clean one!" These groaners were well aged at the turn of the century, but Hope and Crosby knew their stuff. Dorothy Lamour as the always exotic love interest is here, of course, providing a rationale for the two boys' raging hormones and the subsequent competition that provides much of the plot's backbone and laughs. Says Hot Lips Hope as he stares at Lamour's tight gown, "How'd you put that on...with a spray-gun?" And there are the many asides to the audience that was one of the trademarks of the series. When Hot Lips Hope finds himself hanging off a high wire, he starts screaming, "Help! Help!" Then he turns to the camera and confides in us, "You know, this picture could end right here."

But let's not just praise this highly polished piece of pleasurable, profitable professionalism. Buried in the movie is a uniquely eccentric and expert trio of brothers, Harry, Herbert and Sylvester. They were the Wiere Brothers, and a single description fails to do them justice. They were comics, dancers, gymnasts, singers, jugglers, players of all sorts of musical instruments and very funny men. They came to the States from Germany in the mid-Thirties after a successful European career in clubs and circuses. They were born to entertainers who moved around. Harry showed up in Berlin in 1906, Herbert appeared in Vienna in 1908 and Sylvester arrived in Prague in 1909. They soon were a part of their parent's act. In their early teens they organized their own routines.

I think Hollywood and America simply didn't know what to make of them. They made a handful of movies, only one of which really showcased their skills and appeal. They eventually settled down to a successful career in nightclubs and special appearances on television. In The Road to Rio they play three Brazilian street musicians. Scat Crosby and Hot Lips Hope encounter them while the two boys are trying to rescue Dorothy Lamour from a nefarious plot. We get a chance to see the brothers bandy schtick with Hope and Crosby. Unfortunately, they get only one chance to show us what they can do in performance, and that scene is chopped up and was severely edited. Still, it's better than nothing.

Their showcase spot was in the first movie they made when they came to America. That's Vogues of 1938, which starred Warner Baxter and a blonde Joan Bennett. We get a full routine from the Wiere Brothers, dressed in white tuxes, dancing eccentrically, bouncing and rolling, doing wonders with hats, playing violins and singing. They are funny, endearing and terrific.

ROAD TO RIO (Paramount, 1947), directed by Norman Z. McLeod, marks the fifth installment to the popular "in name only" comedy series featuring that famous trio of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Unlike its preceding adventures of ROAD TO ZANZIBAR (1941), MOROCCO (1942) and UTOPIA (1946), ROAD TO RIO is no doubt funnier than its initial entry, ROAD TO SINGAPORE (1940), yet coming across on its own merits presenting itself almost like a straight-forward musical-comedy than its predecessors consisting of offbeat situations, talking animals and formalistic Hollywood in-jokes. Certain aspects, however, ranging from opening titles bearing animated names of its principal players dancing across the screen; to the wide-eyed/ bushy-mustached Jerry Colonna coming from nowhere leading his calvary on horseback belting out a long wide yell; Hope and Crosby's "patty-cake" routine and witty comedy lines are true reminders of this being very much a part of the "Road" adventures the public then has grown to love so well.

The plot gets off to a really good start in a carnival where the smooth talking "Scat" Sweeney (Bing Crosby) has his pal "Hot-Lips" Barton (Bob Hope) doing a high wire bicycle act leading to disastrous results before the carnival catches fire, burning to the ground. To avoid capture by an angry boss and mob, the boys make a run for it, ending up as stowaways taking refuge in a lifeboat of the S.S. Queen bound for Rio. During their voyage, they encounter the beautiful Lucia Maria De Andrade (Dorothy Lamour) traveling with her aunt, Catherine Vail (Gale Sondergaard). As Scat and Hot Lips each vie for Lucia's affections, they become confused by her sudden mood changes (from "I love you," to "I hate you," I loathe you," "I despise you" ...) reactions, unaware she's actually under a hypnotic trance by her aunt, whose intentions are for her to forget about these men and concentrate on her forthcoming marriage. Upon their arrival in Rio, Scat and Hot Lips obtain jobs working for Mr. Cardoso (Nestor Paiva) in his nightclub with three odd-ball musicians (The Wiere Brothers) who don't speak any English, before braving Mrs. Vail's henchmen (Frank Faylen and Joseph Vitale) disguised as a pirate and Caribbean dancer, to entertain at Lucia's wedding, to extremely funny results.

In between Hope and Crosby antics and Lamour's hypnotic trance, song interludes by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen enter the scene, including: "We're on Our Way" (sung by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope); American standards of "Swanee River" (by Stephen Foster), and "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" (by James A. Bland); "But Beautiful" (sung by Crosby); "You Have to Know the Language" (sung and performed by Crosby and the Andrews Sisters); "Experience" (sung by Dorothy Lamour); and "Brasilia (I Yi Yi)." Crosby's performing on board ship with the Andrews Sisters (Laverne, Patti and Maxene), a popular singing trio during the World War II years, ranks one of the film's several highlights. For being the longest (100 minutes) in the "Road" series, Crosby's vocalizing of "But Beautiful" to Lamour was usually one that got deleted from most television prints during the 1970s and 80s to fill in enough commercial breaks during its standard two hour time slot.

This highly entertaining and worthwhile "Road" entry, formerly presented on American Movie Classics (1997-2001), is often hailed as the last great "Road" comedy, though certainly not its finish. ROAD TO BALI (1952) and THE ROAD TO HONG KONG (1962) came after-wards, indicating its popularity was best suited for the 1940s rather than the forthcoming decades. With all "Road" comedies placed on home video and DVD over the years, ROAD TO RIO not only has had limited TV revivals in recent years, but labeled as one being "out of print" by DVD distributors. With the overplayed ROAD TO MOROCCO listed among one of the greatest comedies by the American Film Institute, ROAD TO RIO, with Crosby, Hope and Lamour at their finest, is certainly entertaining enough to merit attention and availability for future generations to endure. (***1/2)

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".

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.

Two inept vaudevillians (Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in another of the seven "Road" pictures they made together) come across as two Hollywood egomaniacs making insider wisecracks and acting goofy between production numbers of dubious quality. The smart and suave idiots shtick wears thin faster than the Three Stooges, who at least never pretended to be anything but idiots. The Andrews Sisters deliver one of their less memorable screen appearances singing "You Don't Have to Know the Language," the Wiere Brothers make for a weird novelty act doing "Batuque Nio Morro" or "Jam Session in the HIlls," and lovely Dorothy Lamour sings a couple of forgettable songs. But the topper in this silly film is Crosby and Hope behaving very queerly (pun intnded), in the bedroom scene with "two grooms and no bride."

Another Road picture with Bob, Bing and Dorothy. As always there are moments of hilarity. This one is with the Wiere Brothers as non-English speaking street musicians who hook up with the gang. We first see the Wiere's putting on their music and dance routine in front of a small crowd. Then Bing gets them to join he and Bobs little combo. Bing teaches them a few words of English to get by. They encounter nightclub manager Nestor Paiva (Best known as Lucas from Creature from the Black Lagoon) and use their newfound language on him. Comedy is comedy now matter how old it is and this scene with the Wiere Brothers is still hilarious.

With a bit of a slow start, Road to Rio finally joins the ranks of the immortal Road To movie series of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. I am a huge fan of these movies, so my reviews are a bit biased. Then again, humor is a matter of taste, and if I think they're funny, then the movies are deserving of good reviews!

In this one Bing and Bob take an ocean liner to Rio, where they each fall in love with Dorothy Lamour. The obstacle in this one is Dorothy's aunt, Gale Sondergaard, who repeatedly hypnotizes her for nefarious purposes. One scene Dorothy is in love with Bing, then the next she slaps him across the face and doesn't remember kissing him. Since she plays hot and cold, both guys think they have a shot-and when they discover what's going on with Gale, they have the masculine urge to save their damsel.

As usual, Bing, Bob, and Dorothy are movie magic together, and the quips fly off as quickly as they can rattle them out. Sure, there's a sequence about Bob cutting someone's mustache off that just isn't funny, but who cares about it when he gives a dozen one-liners in the following ten minutes of screen time? Personally I loved Dorothy in this one, since she was supposed to be spacey; even though she's a staple in these movies, no one would accuse her of being a good actress.

My biggest disappointment in this one is the lack of a title song. At least in Road to Bali, the song was recorded separately and audiences could still listen to it outside the movie, but there is no "Road to Rio" song. That just means I can watch Road to Morocco again!

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Bing sings "But Beautiful" there's a screen behind him playing a movie and the opposite motion will make you sick. Also, whenever Gale hypnotizes Dorothy, the spinning motion will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

It's said the difference between drama and comedy is timing, and Rio tends to run about halfway in-between. In a theater full of people, it probably still works out just fine, but next to the other "Road" films, Rio doesn't have quite the same comedic snap. It isn't bad, just not done quite as zippy.

Paradoxically, Rio seems to have better acting: Gale Sondergaard is a great villain, Tor Johnson has a brief role, and Dorothy Lamour still fully charms us with her role (no mean feat, since she's supposed to be in a hypnotized daze much of the time). Sondergaard is pulled down by a couple of support actors who don't engage our sympathies or memories much. And if the story seems a little thin sometimes, well, it is.

But! Rio is still as good as any other Road film in terms of song-and-dance numbers. Of course the main attraction is Hope and Crosby, even when their relationship seems like it might be wearing thin (it wasn't, as "Road to Bali" proved the following year). Both have some outstanding moments -- Crosby's song with The Andrews Sisters would have to be on his personal highlights reel, and Hope is quite memorable in a Carmen Miranda getup.

Overall a just-decent picture with strong stars doing good performances. Worth checking out.

A chunk of history in this chapter of the Road films; Bob Hope and Bing Crosby traveled around the world (... the back lot of Paramount.) So many greats in here - Jerry Colonna, comedian, musician, and actor, was in many of Bob Hope's projects, as well as so many others. Gale Sondergaard, so evil and serious, also in many Hope films, but my favorite role for her is in the 1940 version of The Letter (bette davis). The multi-talented Andrews Sisters, in their final appearance as sisters in a film, according to wikipedia. they had recorded 47 songs with Bing, which is probably why they are in Road to Rio. The Wiere Brothers were an act that had come over from Deutchland, and stayed, performing when and where they could. This film was kind of in the middle of all the "road" films. the plot is pretty inane, but as usual, they boys run off from their last fiasco of a performance, and meet up with Dorothy Lamour on the way to Brazil. Her aunt has other intentions, so Bing and Bob must run interference and try to save the day! A fun caper with Hope and Crosby. They don't show this one very often, but it IS (was ?) available on DVD. Directed by Norm McLeod, who had worked with ALL the great comedians, including the Marx Brothers. It's a fun one. Hope even plays part of his signature theme "thanks for the memories" on a trumpet. This chapter of the Road films was oscar-nominated for the music.

After accidentally setting a circus on fire in Louisiana, two Vaudville performers named "Scat Sweeney" (Bing Crosby) and "Hot Lips Barton" (Bob Hope) secretly board a passenger liner headed for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That night Scat meets a young woman in distress by the name of "Lucia Maria de Andrade" (Dorothy Lamour) and while attempting to console her divulges that he and Hot Lips Barton are stowaways. To his chagrin Lucia informs the captain of the ship which further compounds their misfortune. Fortunately, they manage to sneak off the ship and just happen to meet Lucia again who continues to display a split personality. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I thought this was a delightful comedy which, in my opinion, was clearly one of the better "Road Movies" produced. I especially liked the chemistry between the three aforementioned actors and the addition of both the Andrews Sisters and the Wiere Brothers along with Jerry Colonna who appeared at the very end. In short, those who have enjoyed the previous "Road Movies" should appreciate this one as well. Above average