Rio Rita

With the money that Abbott and Costello made in their films at Universal to save that studio from going bankrupt, L.B. Mayer decided he wanted some of that himself. So Universal was probably paid a lot of cash to loan them out for the first of three films.

MGM dusted off the old show Rio Rita which was a smash Broadway success for Florenz Ziegfeld in 1927-1928. Universal had filmed it in 1929 with John Boles, Bebe Daniels and Wheeler and Woolsey. Come to think of it, they probably tossed in the rights for Rio Rita in the loan out deal for Abbott and Costello.

All that was retained were the two big songs of the show, the title song and the Ranger song. Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg wrote You Came Along sung very nicely by John Carroll and Kathryn Grayson.

The plot is pretty silly involving some Nazi spies sending coded messages during a broadcast featuring Latino crooner John Carroll. He's got a cheap Mexican accent that really doesn't fool anyone. Why didn't MGM use a real Latino performer like Tito Guizar? I guess we'll never know.

And Abbott and Costello don't get to use any of their patented routines here although they do have some funny moments. MGM did much better by them in Lost In a Harem which is more like the stuff they were doing at Universal.

Abbott and Costello were huge stars over at Universal Studios during this time, and this was the first time they made a movie for another studio (MGM) during their peak years. The results are quite good as far as the comical shenanigans of A&C are concerned -- they engage in some pretty laughable situations and were really spot-on at their game here, having energetic fun; I wonder if they were trying harder to show that they could be just as good for a rival studio other than their own? But unfortunately it isn't all roses. MGM was noted for their musicals, and there is a lot of singing trickled about here -- though unlike some of the more upbeat ditties from the Andrews Sisters in the Universal movies, these interludes are cringe-worthy. I mean there's some downright AWFUL singing to be endured in RIO RITA. The worst is a lengthy cadenza performed by one of the lead ladies. Just brutal. Too bad, as this could have been a good solid vehicle for Bud and Lou. **1/2 out of ****

Best friends Doc (Bud Abbott) and Wishey (Lou Costello) get fired from their jobs. They sneak into a car trunk thinking it's a ride to NYC. Instead, they arrive in a Texas resort border town and stumble upon a Nazi spy ring.

Abbott and Costello are basically in their own movie as the story unfolds. They are a duet while the rest of the movie is playing different tunes. I don't mind it that much since I like the duet plenty. It's not perfect but I like the idiotic banter. Costello is always good for some fun idiocy. If only the movie is about them...

Rio Rita used to run on TV along with the other Abbott and Costello features back in the 1970s, but it seemed to disappear in the video age. It has shown up recently on cable in what looks to me like a well restored version.

Bud and Lou get mixed up with Nazi spies while working at a ranch hotel in the desert. It's got some decent gags and some good songs, but I think most people will enjoy it because it looks good. There are good southwestern sets, good scenes of the Rangers riding along singing, and Bud and Lou are still in their youth. It's not the best Abbott and Costello movie you'll ever see. This was their first feature with MGM, and they were better with Universal, but I missed this one from the TV days, so I was happy to finally see it again.

Lesser A&C romp. The boys are in Mexico, where they get mixed up with Nazi agents.

This was the boys first production at MGM and frankly it looks like the big-budget studio wasn't sure how to duplicate the team's surging success over at Universal. That whirling car- lift is a heck of an effect, but is more impressive than funny. Then too, operatic singer Kathryn Grayson seems an odd choice for musical interludes in a knock-about comedy. In fact, it's a more high-profile supporting cast than usual, with John Carroll (Ricardo) getting as much screen time as A&C.

There are, of course, some amusing bits as could be expected from the duo (mainly the puns), but the Nazi part is left sketchy without the menace it should have provided Costello's brand of comedy. This also looks like a try-out for the Volusia dancers. Their costumes are eye-catchers, but this is their only movie credit. Of the three MGM productions (Lost in a Harem, {1944}), and (A&C in Hollywood, {1945}), this one in my view is the least. All in all, they really did belong at low-budget Universal where there was less concern with prestige.