Nancy va a Rio

A so-so musical comedy, chipper and competently shot on the studio back lot far, far away from Rio. If there's any reason to watch this corny confection, it would be for the show-stopping number by Carmen Miranda in the nightclub. The hues alone are incredible! Everything is dripping in rich, over-saturated color - the costumes, the set - it's like an explosion at the Technicolor factory. The production designer and director were surely using the process to "wow" the audience used to common, flatter black and white films for so long, similar to the 3D process that would come along later. Inside this gem of a scene is Miranda's dance performance, which is really energetic and quite imaginative. If you ever wanted to test your TV screen color and balance, this scene from this piece of 50s flash might be the one to do that with. The rest of the film? Meh... hokum, but quaint.

Every actor contributes significantly to this picture. Ann Sothern and Jane Powell deliver in ways they are expected to; and even Louis Calhern performs a number in a rare musical role. Barry Sullivan adds charm as the leading man, and Hans Conried, in a bit part, is letter-perfect as ever. But Carmen Miranda is the one that walks off with the movie, in two show-stopping numbers.

Sidney Sheldon's script has a lot of humor in it. Filmed in glorious Technicolor with some good on-location footage of Rio, including the carnival and parade at night. This was a remake of Universal's earlier film It's a Date, where the young ingénue was Deanna Durbin, and the mother was played by Kay Francis (who did not sing).

For practically the whole of Ann Southern's career she was predestined to be considered a competent, reasonably popular actress. In fact, she was considerably more than that and this film, until much later in her career, is the proof. The plot about an actress Mother (Southern) and her singing daughter (Powell) is two steps above hokey but the realization gives it status and sturdy performances in support carry the day. A subplot that has everything thinking the daughter might be with child was semi-shocking for the time but, today, might make one wonder what the fuss was about. The completely artificial looking sets-Rio as painted on a scrim-leave no doubt that this was filmed on the back lot.(And that illusion isn't helped by some included footage actually shot in Rio during Carnival.) But the singing and dancing are fun to watch, Jane Powell is in particularly good voice, and the thin plot just carries the day. But only just. Need I mention the happy ending? Did you think otherwise? So join Ann and the cast for a spurious adventure in Rio and remind yourself what good actors can do with very modest material.

Can't help liking a musical that features silly lyrics like: "Nancy goes to Rio - Me-oh, my-oh, me-oh" and "Keep the Latins guessing!". How crude - sometimes enjoyably crude - Hollywood's image of foreign lands and sounds! I lived in Sao Paulo for a year (1962), and I don't remember seeing any Latins. Instead, there were a lot of fellow human beings. The best song in the movie was written by a "Latin": Mexican genius Maria Grever, so sadly forgotten. She wrote American standards like "What a Difference a Day Makes". Jane Powell is great, as usual, and so is Scotty Beckett. His life was one of the saddest Hollywood tragedies, probably a case of undiagnosed depression. Yet he looks so happy and confident on screen, more so than most major stars. This silly musical is not as good as "A DATE WITH JUDY", but it will do just fine. Enchantment guaranteed.

Pleasant is a good word for this film. While not one of the top-five musicals, it is well made and enjoyable. Ann Sothern and Jane Powell play mother and daughter who fall for the same man while in South America (No location shoots here. The furthest south anybody working on this movie traveled was probably Long Beach). There are some interesting numbers here, in great part because some of the songs and styles included were rare by the time this movie was made. "Shine On Harvest Moon," an old song, is sung and danced by Sothern, Powell, and amazingly enough, Louis Calhern. "Time and Time Again" is a Nelson Eddy-Jeanette McDonald type number which features Sothern and is probably one of the last of that style to be filmed. The bulk of the musical numbers feature Jane Powell who sings well, as always. Yet, for me, the high point of the film is the number featuring Carmen Miranda. I think it's one of her best. This was Carmen Miranda's next-to-last film and also the last musical for Ann Sothern.