TinsHeadline Touches You

Pluskylang Great Film overall

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

weezeralfalfa The 2nd of 3 films, all by Fox, of the same basic story, over a 16 year period. Originally conceived as 2 distinct films: one an impersonation farce, based on the play "The Red Cat", and the other a musical romance, it was ingeniously decided to combine them. The screen plays were more or less similar for the 3 films, but the musical numbers were completely different. Given the top lead personalities in the 3 films, probably all 3 are worth seeing, although I've only seen a compendium of the musical numbers in the 1st version, starring Maurice Chevalier. Some definitely prefer the 3rd version because of the talents of Danny Kaye and choreographer Jack Cole. Both are among my favorite musicals. Reportedly(not surprisingly), Don Ameche's favorite film role, despite his more remembered portrayal of the invention of the telephone.This version benefits form the interactions of 3 top musical comedy performers in Ameche, Carmen Miranda, and Alice Faye. In contrast, the 3rd version("On the Riviera") depends heavy on the charisma of Danny Kaye, in Ameche's role. In contrast to Alice's several solos, Gene Tierney in her role in the final version does not sing. Also, Corinne Calvert, in Carmen's role, can't begin to compete with Carmen's outlandish charisma. On the whole, the songs in this version are more memorable, whereas the 3rd version excels in imaginative song & dance and comedic productions. Most of the songs were composed by Harry Warren & Mack Gordon, who collaborated on a number of high profile Fox musicals in the early '40s, including another favorite of mine: "Sun Valley Serenade", unfortunately shot in B&W, rather than the gorgeous Technicolor of this film. They composed what became Carmen's signature song: "I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi, Like you Very Much", which she sambas to , following "Cai, Cai", in the same performance. Ameche and Alice both sing, independently, two memorable romantic ballads: "They Met in Rio" and "Boa Noite". Suave Ameche had quite a good singing voice for such musicals. He was also the featured male soloist in the prior "Alexander's Ragtime Band", also costarring Alice Faye, introducing "Easter Parade", for example, to film audiences.Unlike the 1st and 3ed versions, this version supposedly takes place in Rio(actually a sound stage). The others took place in France, as intended, and involve all French main characters. The change in location, no doubt, was partly to accommodate Fox's new sensation: Portuguese-Brazilian Carmen, and partly to fulfill their obligation to promote FDR's 'good neighbor ' policy: a propaganda campaign to dissuade Latin American countries from siding with the Fascist block in WWII. The latter purpose is clearly articulated in Ameche's dialogue, as he arrives on stage in a US naval officer's uniform, to take part in the lavish opening musical production, initiated by a spectacularly costumed Carmen, and finished by a very colorful backup chorus, to "Chica, Chica, Boom, Chic". Both Ameche, in the role of stage performer Larry Martin, and Alice Faye, as the wife of Baron Manuel Duarte, are characterized as displaced Americans. Carmen tries to keep Martin on a short leash, and displays periodic jealous rages by animated tongue lashings in Portuguese or mangled English, or by throwing things. This is very similar to her screen persona in her next film: "Weekend in Havana", in which Cesar Romero takes Ameche's place.You will have to pay very close attention much of the time not to get lost whether you are watching Martin impersonating Duarte or vice versa, or whether they are being themselves, and whether the women know or are pretending not to know which they are dealing with at a given time. That makes for a very fun screen play! Then, there are various secondary characters these 2 main characters interact with, as relates to the two women, and to Duarte's big financial problem with his airline business. These include S.Z. Sakall, as Penna, and veteran Curt Bois, as Salles: two clown-like Duarte associates, who often are in the thick of the romantic and financial intrigues. J.Carroll Naish, is Machado: monocled investment banker, trying to take over Duarte's airplane business at an engineered deep discount price. As expected in a true comedy, things end on an up note. Duarte(actually Martin) sells his risky airplane business for a good profit, and he learns his lesson to cut out his philandering and concentrate on making his wife(Alice) happy. The latter theme was more emphasized in the 3rd version, where Tierney lacked a musical role.The finale begins with Duarte carrying a resisting Cecilia(Alice) (thinking him Martin) up a long spiral staircase of their bedroom, in "Gone with the Wind" fashion. Then , bongo drums and brief reprises of the major songs, with Ameche in both his guises included.Alice and Carmen are both dressed in a variety of very glamorous wardrobes, and Ameche is, as usual, impeccably dressed in formal wear off stage. Alice and Carmen would be reteamed for 2 more musicals, while Carmen and Ameche would costar without the pregnant Alice in the less fun "Greenwich Village", a few year later.

bkoganbing Poor Don Ameche must have felt like something of a doormat. In her first film Carmen Miranda stole the film from him and Betty Grable in Down Argentina Way. Now Ameche with new co-star Alice Faye got upended again by Miranda in That Night In Rio. Don Ameche if nothing else was a gentleman and one of the classiest men in Hollywood. He got his licks in That Night In Rio playing a dual role.If this plot seems familiar it was previously done as Folies Bergere with Maurice Chevalier and afterward by Danny Kaye in On The Double. Ameche is a prominent Brazilian financier who is married to Alice Faye and something of a cold fish. He's also a visiting American entertainer who is going out with Carmen Miranda and as part of his act does a dead on impersonation of the financier with a little more pizazz.Circumstances have Curt Bois and S.Z. Sakall come to the entertainer to have him impersonate the financier for 24 hours while the financier goes out of town for some really delicate business negotiations. The entertainer succeeds in arousing the sleeping woman in Faye and the sleeping tiger in Miranda with the impersonation. I think you can figure the rest out.Harry Warren and Mack Gordon wrote the score, but the songs that Faye and Ameche sing are barely noticeable. But I Yi Yi Yi I Like You Very Much and Chica-Boom-Chic became a staple of Carmen Miranda's nightclub act for the rest of her life. And the way she sings them, hey no one else has ever even tried to do those numbers, you can't possibly imitate that style.For Carmen Miranda fans who are still legion, the world over.

edwagreen I wholeheartedly disagree with the other viewers of this wretched film. The only reason why I didn't rate it 1 for awful was due to the great talent of Carmen Miranda. The beginning and end are the best parents due to her gifted singing and dancing.The problem is with the rest of the picture. Alice Faye comes off quite hollow. Don Ameche has a great singing voice but with the wretched writing material, he comes off so terribly corny.The plot is a real stiff here with Ameche assuming two parts as a song and dance man and a baron not happily married to Faye.It seems that by playing the song and dance man, Ameche's marriage gets a second change to reignite. Some silly nonsense about the baron having to clear up business and being away allows him to play both parts.S.Z. Sakal is given little to do here and so his comedic gifts are not given the opportunity to shine. Ditto for J. Carrol Naish who actually appears uncomfortable in his role.This is a chica chica boom bomb of a film.

IrisNo11 During a nice night out with his wife, Cecilia (Alice Faye), Baron Manuel Duarte (Don Ameche) watches a performance by entertainer, Larry Martin (also played by Don Ameche), who impersonates him...and he does it very well. Impressed by the performance, the baron goes backstage to meet the young actor. Little does the baron know that the actor chats with is wife. When the baron is missing for work, his associates hire Larry to impersonate the baron (and has no idea what he's doing either). And the rest is history.A comical 1940's film this is, also starring the one and only Carmen Miranda, who plays Larry's hot-tempered girlfriend, Carmen, who of course is also a singer at the club where Larry performs.What I love about the old films from the 1940's is the old fashion Hollywood glamour with the fancy dresses and evening gowns, etc., and not to mention, the fine jewelry the women wear (i.e. the baronesses anniversary gift from her husband). But it's a far cry from what you see today: Lack of long term kissing, sex, violence, and of course, swearing. Lots of music and ditsy characters.I found "That Night In Rio" quite delightful when I watched it on AMC. It was bubbly with a lot of really lighthearted music and comedy, and sophisticated fashions worn by Carmen Miranda and Alice Faye. I got a kick out of Carmen's hot-tempered character, who kept on throwing her shoes at Larry when he made her angry. Not to mention, Don Ameche was a brilliant actor who could play two different characters quite well, and can compare each of them onscreen. :)Good film...enjoyable for anyone who likes old movies! :)