Road to Rio (1947) is the fifth in the series and the first entry that sees the trio of Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour head to South America for some hypnotizing hilarity. Director Norman Z. McLeod, who made comedy classics with the Marx Brothers (Monkey Business and Horse Feathers) and W.C. Fields (It’s a Gift), helms his only film of the franchise. He previously worked with Crosby on Pennies from Heaven and would go on to work with Hope on a few films, including The Paleface and his final feature Alias Jesse James. The screenwriters are Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose, the latter having written for Hope on radio. Together, they had previously written My Favorite Brunette for Hope and Lamour. Separately, they would work on films for each man.
In Rio, musicians Scat Sweeney (Crosby) and Hot Lips Barton (Hope)find themselves constantly moving around the country as a result of angry father. In New Orleans, Scat books them at a carnival, but in addition to singing and dancing, Hot Lips is unknowingly tasked with a bicycle high-wire act. Naturally, things go wrong and the stunt leads to the carnival being set on fire. The boys not only leave town, but the country as they stowaway on a ship headed for Brazil.
While hiding, they encounter, a crying Lucia (Lamour), who is about to jump overboard, upset about being betrothed to her guardian Catherine’s (Gale Sondergaard) brother. She appreciates their help, but then turns them over to the ship’s crew. Turns out, Catherine controls Lucia through hypnotism, but her power only lasts so long. This allows for a romance for Scat and Lucia to develop, which Hot Lips tries to stop.
Scat and Hot Lips get jobs in the ship’s nightclub. Scat’s first number is with the Andrews Sisters “You Don’t Have to Know the Language,” one of four songs written by the team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. Once in Rio, the fellas get a job under the pretense they have an American jazz quintet. They bring on three local musicians (the Wiere Brothers) and teach them jive phrases they don’t grasp. Scat and Hot Lips do their best to keep Lucia’s wedding from occurring, which becomes tough when Catherine hypnotizes them to kill each other.
Rio follows the Road movie formula well. It delivers an enjoyable blend of comedy, music, and romance. One standout funny bit is about making a man nauseous to steal his breakfast. There is a comfort in how familiar the movie feels during this fifth outing, such as the traditional fourth-wall-breaking jokes that make the viewers who gets the gags feel like they are in it with Hope and Crosby. For example, when Hope suggests the movie could end early as he dangles from a tightrope. Fans of the series should be entertained.
