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Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Gale Sondergaard, Frank Faylen ... see more see more... , Joseph Vitale , Frank Puglia , Nestor Paiva , Robert H. Barrat , The Stone-Barton Puppeteers , Jerry Colonna , The Andrews Sisters , Stanley Andrews , Stanley Blystone , Al Bridge , Arthur Q. Bryan , The Carioca Boys , George Chandler , Gino Corrado , Ralph Dunn , Frank S. Hagney , Brandon Hurst , Tor Johnson , Donald Kerr , George Lloyd , Babe London , George Meeker , Charles B. Middleton , John Miller , Paul Newlan , Patsy O'Byrne , Raul Roulien , George Sorel , Ray Teal , Tad Van Brunt , Wiere Brothers , Duke York , Harry Woods , Fred Zendar , Pepito Pérez , Albert Ruiz , Patty Andrews , Ralph Gomez , Laverne Andrews , Maxene Andrews , Harry Wiere , Herbert Wiere , Sylvester Wiere , Robert Barrat

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 co... read more read more...me 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

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70% liked it

2,846 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

6 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Norman Z. McLeod

Release Date: January 1, 1947

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DVD Release Date: November 21, 2000

Stats: 87 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (87)

  • ajv2688
    October 24, 2010
    ajv2688
    One of the better Road movies with Crosby and Hope. This one is really funny and enjoyable.
  • MovieGuruDude72
    May 8, 2010
    MovieGuruDude72
    I saw all of these "Road to..." movies with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. They're delightful for the elderly and fun to watch if you're feeling nostalgic or just like old,old-school vaudeville-type movies. Same plot, same idea. Music, dancing and silly jokes that most people would fi... read morend boring.
  • placeinthesun455
    July 26, 2009
    placeinthesun455
    still the same general brand of comedy from the earlier films, but a lot less hammy and a lot more toned-down overall. while Bob Hope maintains much of the same deadpan charm that makes him so enjoyable in previous efforts, Crosby appears a bit off the mark and isn't nearly up t... read moreo his usual game. Gale Sondergaard makes a great appearance as the villain, though. the music was pretty good as well. laugh-out-loud moments and classic style aside, this is probably one of the weakest films in the series.
  • jam233
    July 26, 2009
    jam233
    Yet another great Bob Hope and Big Crosby "Road" movie. This one takes them on an adventure to Rio de Janeiro with a hypnotized Dorothy Lamour. Plenty of laughs and very entertaining.

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Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke
February 12, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Top-notch 'Road' movie with the trio in fine form.

September 18, 2008
Variety

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August 8, 2006
New York Times

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Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

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Emanuel Levy
June 15, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Jonathan R. Perry
March 26, 2005
Jonathan R. Perry, Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

No review available.

Carol Cling
August 22, 2003
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

Philip Martin
October 21, 2002
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Paul Brenner
December 25, 1947
Paul Brenner, Filmcritic.com

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

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