FLYING DOWN TO RIO is a precode curiosity memorable only for some overly elaborate, extended musical numbers with a Latin beat and one musical sequence with girls strapped to the wings of biplanes in flimsy costuming. And one more ingredient: it has Fred and Ginger doing a couple of snappy routines including a little number called "The Carioca" which gets extensive treatment.
Forget the boy-meets-girl plot with band leader Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio. It's just an excuse to showcase some musical interludes, some of which go on for too great a length.
Del Rio proves that she's a great beauty but shows absolutely no talent for romantic comedy and Gene Raymond has been seen to better advantage in other films. But fans of Fred and Ginger should get their money's worth. Fred, especially, has more to do than his screen partner--who, by the way, is often unflatteringly costumed (by Walter Plunkett, no less) and hair-styled. She manages to prove that she's no singer but quite a capable dancer.
Eric Blore has a tiny role but Franklin Pangborn gets to strut his stuff early on in the film as the flustered hotel manager.
Summing up: Worth a look only for the first pairing of Astaire and Rogers, but clumsy plotting and overproduced dance numbers keep it from being one of their best pairings.
Forget the boy-meets-girl plot with band leader Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio. It's just an excuse to showcase some musical interludes, some of which go on for too great a length.
Del Rio proves that she's a great beauty but shows absolutely no talent for romantic comedy and Gene Raymond has been seen to better advantage in other films. But fans of Fred and Ginger should get their money's worth. Fred, especially, has more to do than his screen partner--who, by the way, is often unflatteringly costumed (by Walter Plunkett, no less) and hair-styled. She manages to prove that she's no singer but quite a capable dancer.
Eric Blore has a tiny role but Franklin Pangborn gets to strut his stuff early on in the film as the flustered hotel manager.
Summing up: Worth a look only for the first pairing of Astaire and Rogers, but clumsy plotting and overproduced dance numbers keep it from being one of their best pairings.