Road to Rio (1947)
-
100% of critics liked it
(6 reviews) -
71% of users liked it
(2,887 ratings)
Road to Rio was the first of three "Road" pictures jointly produced by stars Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. On the run from the law again, musicians Bob and Bing stow away on an ocean liner. They try to come to the rescue of heiress Dorothy Lamour, who is doomed to an arranged marriage to… More Road to Rio was the first of three "Road" pictures jointly produced by stars Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. On the run from the law again, musicians Bob and Bing stow away on an ocean liner. They try to come to the rescue of heiress Dorothy Lamour, who is doomed to an arranged marriage to caddish George Meeker. All gratitude and effusions for their assistance, Dorothy surprises Bob and Bing on their next meeting by slapping them in their faces and declaring "I hate you! I loathe you! I despise you!" The explanation? Dorothy is being hypnotized by her scheming aunt Gale Sondergaard, who has set up the marriage for mysterious mercenary reasons of her own. When Dorothy is "herself" again, Bob and Bing smuggle her off the ship and into their Rio de Janeiro hotel room. The boys plan to save Dorothy from her unwanted marriage by passing her off as a nightclub singer, and themselves as band leaders. Trouble is, they have no band. Enter the Wiere Brothers, three Rio street entertainers. Bob and Bing hire the threesome on the spot, unmindful that they have booked themselves into Nestor Paiva's nightclub on the promise that they're delivering an American band. Since the Wieres speak only Portuguese, Bing teaches each brother an American phrase by rote: "You're in the groove, Jackson", "You're Telling Me," and "This is Murder." Naturally, it isn't long before the boys' ruse is discovered, and this coupled with the newly hypnotized Lamour's threats to have Bob and Bing arrested, leaves our heroes broke and stranded once more. Still, they pose a menace to Sondergaard, thus she contrives a method of disposing of them. Hypnotizing them both, Sondergaard orders Bob and Bing to kill each other. They snap out of the spell just in time, but still there's the problem of rescuing Dorothy. And now there's a new angle: mysterious stranger Frank Puglia informs the boys that the only way to stop the wedding is to retrieve (pause; a furtive glance left; a furtive glance right) "The Papers." Said papers are in the possession of Sondergaard, obliging Bob and Bing to show up at the pre-nuptial festival in disguise (with Bob in drag). Managing to hypnotize Sondergaard's henchmen Frank Faylen and Joseph Vitale, Bob and Bing uncover the precious Papers, and Dorothy is saved. But how can those papers stop a wedding? We won't give away the surprise, nor will we tell you whether Dorothy ends up with Bob or Bing, nor even what the heck Jerry Colonna is doing in the picture leading a cavalry charge. Not the best of the "Road" pictures, Road to Rio is nonetheless one of the most memorable--and quotable (how many of your high school pals used to confound the teacher by declaring "You're in the groove, Jackson"?) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Norman Z. McLeod
- Written By
- Edmund Beloin, Jack Rose
- Genres
- Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1947 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
-
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Top-notch 'Road' movie with the trio in fine form.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Bing Crosby
as Scat Sweeney
-
Bob Hope
as Hot Lips Burton
-
Dorothy Lamour
as Lucia Maria de Andrade
-
Gale Sondergaard
as Catherine Vail
-
Frank Faylen
as Trigger
-
Joseph Vitale
as Tony
-
Frank Puglia
as Rodrigues
-
Nestor Paiva
as Cardoso
-
Robert H. Barrat
as Johnson
-
The Stone-Barton Puppeteers
as Guest
-
Jerry Colonna
as Cavalry Captain
-
The Andrews Sisters
as Themselves
-
Stanley Andrews
as Captain Harmon
-
Stanley Blystone
as Assistant Purser
-
Al Bridge
as Ship's Officer
-
Arthur Q. Bryan
as Mr. Stanton
- The Carioca Boys
-
George Chandler
as Valet
-
Gino Corrado
as Barber
-
Ralph Dunn
as Barker
-
Frank S. Hagney
as Roustabout
-
Brandon Hurst
as Barker
-
Tor Johnson
as Samson
-
Donald Kerr
as Steward
-
George Lloyd
as Butcher
-
Babe London
as Woman
-
George Meeker
as Sherman Malley
-
Charles B. Middleton
as Farmer
-
John Miller
as Dancer
-
Paul Newlan
as Butcher
-
Patsy O'Byrne
as Charwoman
-
Raul Roulien
as Calvary Officer
-
George Sorel
as Prefeito
-
Ray Teal
as Buck
-
Tad Van Brunt
as Pilot
-
Wiere Brothers
as Musicians
-
Duke York
as Roustabout
-
Harry Woods
as Ship's Purser
-
Fred Zendar
as Stevedore
-
Pepito Pérez
as Dignified Gentleman
-
Albert Ruiz
as Specialty dancer
- Patty Andrews
- Ralph Gomez
- Laverne Andrews
- Maxene Andrews
- Harry Wiere
- Herbert Wiere
- Sylvester Wiere
- Robert Barrat
