Flying Down to Rio
The film opens with an airplane flying straight at the audience. Its propeller spins into the films title frame. During the opening credits each of the principal characters is introduced in a film clip from the movie that includes their real name and the character they portray. Then, the same airplane shot is seen; this time its propeller spins into a distant shot of the Hotel Hibiscus in Miami. A sign appears: Hotel Hibiscus, Roger Bond and His Yankee Clipper Band Now Playing in the Date Grove.
Mr. Hammerstein (Franklin Pangborn) inspects the hotels chefs, the bellboys and maids. Hammerstein, who has been brought from Switzerland to shape up the hotels staff, seems uncomfortable with one of the buxom maids and isn't pleased with anothers shoe heels that are terribly worn. Next, he wants to inspect the band. The head waiter (Eric Blore) points to the opposite side of the room where the band members are lounging. Honey Hale (Ginger Rogers), the bands female vocalist, greets Hammerstein with, Good morning, Popeye. He reprimands her for speaking before he has asked her a question. Then, he tells the band members that he has had several complaints about them; he is particularly upset that they have been too familiar with the guests. Hammerstein asks where Roger Bond (Gene Raymond), the bands leader, and Bonds assistant, Fred Ayres (Fred Astaire), are. Honey says, Coming right down.
The scene switches to a small single engine airplane doing a loop-de-loop before it lands. Once it stops, Fred is the first out; he has to hold on to the struts to keep from falling. There is a small piano in the plane right behind the front seats; Roger uses the instrument to write songs during his flights. Fred and Roger rush to the hotel for a scheduled radio program.
At the hotel, Hammerstein is pacing, the band is waiting on the bandstand and everybody is looking at their watches. At the last possible moment, Roger and Fred sneak in from the back of the bandstand, Roger welcomes the radio listeners and introduces their first song, Music Makes Me with a complete vocalization by the charming, bubbling, effervescent little lady, Miss Honey Hale. During the vocal break, as couples dance by, Roger makes eyes at several of the pretty women and they smile right back. Fred, who plays the accordion, warns Roger to take it easy and not get them fired. Roger zeros in on a Brazilian that is sitting at a table with several other young women. All these women show interest in Roger, but it is the Brazilian who sends him a note. He promptly turns the band over to Fred to dance with her. One of the girls at the table asks, What have these Brazilians got below the equator that we haven't?
When Hammerstein sees Bond and the girl dancing together, he sends the head waiter to tell her aunt, Dona Elena de Rezende (Blanche Friderici). The head waiter passes the assignment to a waiter that the girl is dancing with a musician, who passes it to a bellboy that she is dancing with the drummer, who reports to a maid the now completely distorted message that she is dancing with a piccolo player, who announces to the aunt that her niece is involved with a gigolo. When Dona Elena finds them downstairs, she pays Roger as if he was a gigolo. He uses the money to purchase an orchid for the girl (the girls name is Belinha de Rezende, who is played by Dolores Del Rio), who gives the orchid to Hammerstein because, she says, in her country they grow like weeds. However, when Roger isn't looking, she retrieves the orchid. Hammerstein promptly fires Roger and his band.
The next morning, Fred joyfully announces to the band that Roger has landed them a job at the Hotel Atlântico in Rio de Janeiro.
The next scene shows Roger and Belinha at a writing desk composing radiograms; theres a wall between them so they don't see each other. Rogers message is addressed to Júlio Ribeiro (Raul Roulien) in Rio. It says, Thanks old pal; will bring band down in time to open new hotel. Belinha's radiogram is addressed to Carlos de Rezende (Walter Walker) at the Hotel Atlântico in Rio. It says, Father dear, sorry you are ill; we missed this weeks Rio plane, taking next. Love to Júlio. Belinha and Roger bump into each other as they make their way to send their messages. She apologizes for causing him to get fired. He is pleasantly surprised when she explains she had missed the airplane to Rio de Janeiro. He tells her he knows a friend who has a plane that could give her a ride, but it is a small plane with room for just one passenger. She is excited about the offer, so she rushes upstairs to tell her aunt. Roger informs Fred that he wont be flying down to Rio with him. Flying down to Rio, Roger says, boy, what a title for a new song.
Of course, the friend with the airplane is Roger, who for some reason Belinha and her aunt do not recognize when they arrive at the air field. It is only after they are airborn that Roger reveals his identity by singing a couple of lines from Just a Gigolo. After dark, the planes engine has a mechanical problem, so they are forced to land on a moonlit beach for repairs. She is certain there really isn't anything wrong; it is just Rogers attempt to woo her again. Once he finds the problem, a clogged fuel line, he decides to keep it a secret. Secretly, shes excited about being marooned with him on a deserted island, but she doesn't want him to know.
Roger crawls back into the plane to make up a new song for the occasion on his piano it works! Soon, she is in the plane with him and they are kissing. She immediately feels guilty because she is engaged (an arranged marriage). When Roger brags that her engagement wont stop him from seeing her, she slaps him then, he spanks her.
They spend the night there with Roger sleeping on the beach and Belinha inside the plane. The next morning, Roger wakes her, but she ignores him, so he goes exploring. When she climbs out of the plane, she sees some black men and, assuming theyre savages, screams for Roger and runs to find him. When Roger rushes to her aid, he is knocked out by something falling from the sky. When he revives, he discovers he was hit by a golf ball. They had landed near Port-au-Prince Golf Club in Haiti. The wild men Belinha saw were the clubs bellhops out for their morning swim in the ocean. The airport is a short distance away and, since the regular Rio flight had spent the night on the island, Belinha decides to take it the rest of the way. Before she leaves, she tells Roger he will find the engine part he through away, the fuel line, on top of the piano.
The scene shifts to Rio; the film audience views a short travelogue of the city from the air. Then, Roger tells his friend, Júlio, about the wonderful Brazilian girl he met at the Hotel Hibiscus in Miami (Roger still doesn't know her name). By Rogers description, Julio realizes he is talking about his fiance. Roger asks Júlio to help him find the girl. Fred interrupts their conversation to tell him the band is waiting downstairs to go to the Carioca Casino, an outdoor club, to hear the Turuna Band. The only thing on Rogers mind is finding the lovely tropical girl.
Depressed by Rogers tale of his newly discovered Brazilian love, Júlio telephones Belinha wanting to see her, but she claims she is too busy. Before Roger leaves, Júlio invites him and Fred to be his guests at a dance at the Aviators Club the following night. Roger hopes hell find the girl there. He also has a new song he'd like to try out there. He demonstrates a little of Orchids in the Moonlight on the piano for Júlio and tells him he wrote it for her.
The next scene is the Carioca Casino, where Rogers band members have come to hear a native band, the Turunas. The crowd begs the bands leader to play The Carioca. As the song begins, the locals quickly flood the dance floor. Fred, Honey and others from the band sit at elevated tables watching and learning the dance. The primary idea of The Carioca is for the dancers to keep their foreheads together while they dance. Ginger inquires, Whats this business about the foreheads?, to which Fred answers, Mental telepathy. Gingers wisecrack reply is, I can tell what they're thinking about from here. After watching some more, Fred takes Honey by the hand and says, Lets try it, to which, Ginger replies, Well show em a thing or three. They begin dancing near the band leader, who encourages them to dance on seven white pianos which are somehow connected to form a circle. Fred and Honeys dance is exuberant, but they definitely don't keep their foreheads together all the time. The other dancers stop to watch these two talented foreigners. After a dance chorus, three different women sing the lyrics. As these singers perform, various groups dance, some of them rather erotically. As the last singer concludes, Fred and Honey join the dance again as the connected pianos begin to revolve and seven pianists begin to play. When the camera pulls back, the set is flooded with dancers, some of whom form a revolving pyramid. The next morning, a sign advertises the gala opening of the Hotel Atlântico soon and three Greek men, from a gambling syndicate in Monte Carlo, who are plotting with a local bank to take over the hotel from Senhor Rezende, are seen. Roger, Honey and Fred are walking the streets with Roger constantly looking for his lost love. Fred tries to think of something they could do that would top The Carioca, while Honey just wants to eat. Fred sees Belinha at an outdoor café with her aunt, so he sends Roger in the opposite direction. The next scene is the party at the Aviators Club. When Fred arrives, Júlio introduces him to his fiancé and her aunt. Definitely surprised, Fred heads off to intercept Roger. Belinha's father, Senhor Rezende, joins their table. The clubs band (a sextet), who are seated in the gondola of a large hot air balloon that is suspended from the ceiling, play a tango for dancing. Júlio says it is a new number being played for the first time. Belinha seems to recognize the song right away and Júlio notes her reaction. She excuses herself and wanders out onto a terrace; Júlio follows her. He mentions the romantic song the band is playing. He tells her the words are dangerously romantic and, on a tropical island, could make any woman fall for any man. He proceeds to sing Orchids in the Moonlight, the song Roger had played on the piano during his night with Belinha on the beach. Shortly after Júlio's singing is finished, Roger climbs over the terrace wall to discover the girl he has been seeking. Julio introduces her to his best friend, Roger, and introduces Roger to senhorita Rezende, his fiancé, which creates an uncomfortable situation. To get away, Belinha asks Fred, who has happened by, if this isn't their dance. While Belinha and Fred dance to a chorus singing more of Orchids in the Moonlight, Roger and Júlio decide to let nature and common sense take their courses in resolving their predicament with Belinha.
The three Greeks have arranged with city government officials that the Hotel Atlântico not be issued an entertainment permit so its opening will be a failure.
While Fred tries to rehearse a rag-tag crew of chorus girls, the band starts playing a fast arrangement of Music Makes Me. His feet just cant resist; he starts to tap dance with both arms flailing. After a few steps, he tries to resume talking to his chorus girls, but once again, he cant resist the beat. Some policemen arrive to inform Fred that the rehearsals must stop because Senhor Rezende doesn't have an entertainment permit. Belinha, who is wearing a bathing suit, translates for Fred. Her father arrives and explains he had a permit for the original opening date, but when there was a delay, he had to get another one. Only the Mayor can issue the permit and he is mysteriously out of town. Senhor Rezende is resigned to delaying the opening again. Fred and Roger would like to help but how? Suddenly, Roger hears some airplanes above and that gives him an idea. He just has to convince the members of the Aviators Club to cooperate.
Roger, Fred, Honey and Júlio arrive at an airfield where several of the club members and their airplanes have gathered. They convince the chorus girls to go along with their plan. They fit the planes wings with apparatus that will allow the girls to turn their floor show into an airborne extravaganza. Carlos de Rezende sends Roger a Saint Christopher statue with the following note: I send you this token which has been in my family for 433 years, in deep gratitude for your gallant efforts to save me from ruin, and to help consummate the long cherished plan of my daughters marriage to Júlio.
People begin arriving for the hotels opening including Belinha and a group of American tourists from another hotel. Rogers band sneaks in with their disguised instruments.
Just before the airplanes take off, Júlio receives a note from Roger. It tells Julio to be the lead pilot and the hero so he can impress Belinha and marry her. Roger is taking a flight to Buenos Aires.
As the air show begins, skywriters spell out Hotel Atlântico Presents Yankee Clippers. Seeing this, the Mayors representative warns Senhor Rezende against doing anything that would offend the authorities. The sky fills with single wings and bi-planes with twenty-two frightened chorus girls strapped to the wings.
When Roger sends Belinha a message, she meets him and learns that Júlio is leading the air show and that Roger plans to go away. They say goodbye with a kiss that Júlio observes from the air with his binoculars.
Its show time! The band unwraps their instruments and begins to play Flying Down to Rio, which is sung by Fred. Honey, who is straddling the lead plane which is piloted by Júlio, waves instructions to the rest of the girls as they perform their aerial choreography. In one sequence, some of the girls clothes are ripped off (they have on something underneath), three males toss a girl back and forth from one side of the planes wing to the other and in another a girl trapeze artist falls but is caught by one of the males on a lower aircraft. Just as the exhibition ends, the Mayor arrives and congratulates Rezende on a superb grand opening performance (the band is playing The Carioca during this sequence). The three Greeks, seen as shadows, are hit on the head with bottles by three unseen assailants. Júlio lands on a nearby beach, rushes to the hotel, grabs Belinha, tells her he is taking her on her honeymoon and drives her to the dock where a passenger seaplane (the China Clipper) is embarking. Both of them board the aircraft and Júlio deposits Belinha in a seat opposite from Rogers. Júlio gets the captain to marry Roger and Belinha and bails out of the airplane.
romantic