Flying Down to Rio is a 1933 American musical film known for introducing Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as a famous on-screen team, even though Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond were credited first. Other actors in the film include Franklin Pangborn and Eric Blore. The music was written by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Gus Kahn and Edward Eliscu. Max Steiner supervised the music and added extra songs. At the 7th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Original Song for "Carioca," but it lost to "The Continental" from The Gay Divorcee, which was the next film starring Astaire and Rogers and their first with top billing.

The film, which was in black and white with one short scene in colored effects, was directed by Thornton Freeland and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Lou Brock. The screenplay was written by Erwin S. Gelsey, H. W. Hanemann, and Cyril Hume, based on a story by Lou Brock and a play by Anne Caldwell. Linwood Dunn created the special effects for the famous airplane-wing dance scene at the end of the film. In this movie, Dolores del Río became the first major actress to wear a two-piece women’s bathing suit on screen.

The story follows composer Roger Bond as he falls in love with a Brazilian woman named Belinha De Rezende, who is already engaged to a friend of Roger’s. Roger’s bandmate Fred Ayres and Ayres’ companion Honey Hale help him through musical challenges.

Plot

Composer Roger Bond and his orchestra are performing in Miami with singer Honey Hale. Although accordionist and assistant bandleader Fred Ayres warns Roger about the dangers of interacting with audience members, Roger is drawn to Belinha, a charming and attractive woman in the crowd. He leaves the stage to speak with her.

Dona Elena, Belinha’s guardian, learns of Roger’s actions and arranges for Roger and the band to lose their jobs. However, Roger travels to Brazil to find Belinha and arranges for the band to perform at the Hotel Atlântico in Rio de Janeiro. He does not know that the hotel is owned by Belinha’s father. Roger convinces Belinha to fly to Brazil in his private plane, but the plane encounters problems during the flight and is forced to land on a seemingly empty island. Under the moonlight, Belinha confesses to Roger that she is already engaged.

In Rio, Roger tells his friend Julio that he has fallen in love with Belinha. He later discovers that Belinha is engaged to Julio. During rehearsals for the hotel’s opening, Fred is informed by police that the hotel does not have a license for entertainment. When Roger sees a plane flying overhead, he suggests attaching dancers to planes, with Fred leading the band and Honey and Julio piloting the planes. The performance is a success, ensuring the hotel’s future. Julio agrees to let Belinha be with Roger, while Fred and Honey celebrate together.

Cast

• Dolores del Río as Belinha De Rezende
• Gene Raymond as Roger Bond
• Raul Roulien as Julio Ribeiro
• Ginger Rogers as Honey Hales
• Fred Astaire as Fred Ayres
• Blanche Friderici as Dona Elena
• Walter Walker as Belinha's father
• Etta Moten as The Carioca Singer
• Roy D'Arcy as Member of the Greek Gambling Syndicate
• Maurice Black as Member of the Greek Gambling Syndicate
• Armand Kaliz as Member of the Greek Gambling Syndicate
• Paul Porcasi as The Mayor
• Reginald Barlow as Alfredo Vianna (the banker)
• Eric Blore as Mr. Butterbass, Assistant Hotel Manager
• Franklin Pangborn as Hammerstein, Hotel Manager
• Movita Castaneda as The Carioca Singer
• Alice Gentle as The Carioca Singer

Music

The songs in Flying Down to Rio were composed by Vincent Youmans and written by Gus Kahn and Edward Eliscu. The dance director was Dave Gould, with help from Hermes Pan, who later worked closely with Fred Astaire.

• "Flying Down to Rio" – performed by Fred Astaire, with Ginger Rogers and the chorus dancing
• "Music Makes Me" – performed by Ginger Rogers, with general dancing
• "Orchids in Moonlight" – performed by Raul Roulien, with Fred Astaire and Dolores del Rio dancing slightly; this song later became a well-known tango
• "Carioca" – performed by Alice Gentle, Movita Castaneda, and Etta Moten, with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and the chorus dancing; this is famous for being the first dance between Astaire and Rogers, who danced with their foreheads touching.

Reception

Mordaunt Hall, a critic from The New York Times, praised the film's expensive and fancy production. He called it (along with the Walt Disney short The Night Before Christmas) "a very enjoyable entertainment." Sidne Silverman from Variety was not as excited, saying that the story "lets it down." He noted that the film is slow and does not have enough humor, making it feel like it is not in its best form. However, Astaire was praised for his performance. It was said that he is very likeable on screen, his voice sounds good on the microphone, and he is the best dancer in his class.

The film opened on December 21, 1933, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It made $102,000 in its first week.

According to RKO records, the film earned $923,000 in the United States and Canada and $622,000 in other countries. This led to an estimated profit of about $480,000.

The film was included on the 2006 American Film Institute list AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals, and the song "Carioca" was nominated for AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs.

The film's title was mentioned in the 1972 hit song "Virginia Plain" by Roxy Music, which includes the lyrics: "Baby Jane's in Acapulco / We are flying down to Rio."