Customer Reviews

That Night in Rio (Fox Marquee Musicals)

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That Night In Rio is a musical that features wonderful song and dance numbers by some really great stars. We get Carmen Miranda singing and dancing up a storm; Alice Faye sings a couple of songs that she was born to sing; and even Don Ameche sings very well! The color is wonderful--they did a fantastic job restoring this excellent film!

The action begins in Rio de Janeiro when Baron Manuel Duarte (Don Ameche) and his wife Cecilia (Alice Faye) attend a nightclub where Larry Martin (also played by Don Ameche) impersonates the Baron as part of his act. Indeed, Larry Martin does such a magnificent impersonation that stuffy Baron Duarte is so impressed he actually wants to go backstage to meet Larry Martin!

But first trouble sets in. Baron Duarte gets a telegram that a loan to fund his airline has been denied; and he depended on that cash infusion to keep his airline out of ruin. Baron Duarte goes off to try to secure another loan--and while he's away, his two top aides including Arthur Penna (S.Z. Sakall) hatch a plan to use Larry Martin to impersonate the Baron at a party. That way no one will suspect anything is wrong with the business until Baron Duarte can get an emergency loan and return to Rio. No one will ever know he left town.

Nevertheless, there's still the problem of keeping up appearances in the financial markets. The Baron always goes to his trading box and when he's not there one morning (because he's away to get that emergency loan), his arch business rival Machado (J. Carrol Naish) immediately smells trouble. Baron Duarte's aides panic but they manage to keep Machado at bay--for now.

Of course, from here the plot can go anywhere. Larry Martin has a jealous girlfriend named Carmen (Carmen Miranda) who has violent fits when she catches Larry with other women. Will Carmen cause trouble when Larry has to dance with the Baron's wife to keep up the charade? What about the Baron--will he get that emergency loan? And what about Cecilia, the Baron's wife--she's not completely happy in her marriage to the Baron--can anything improve the quality of their marriage? Will Machado and his business instincts cause huge business problems for Baron Duarte? No plot spoilers here, folks--you'll just have to watch the film to find out!

Carmen Miranda does great numbers including ""I Yi Yi Yi Yi, I Like You Very Much" and "Cae, Cae." Look for Alice Faye to sing "They Met In Rio" with a beautiful delivery; and Don Ameche sings a few lines as well.

The DVD includes a deleted scene, a wonderful bonus about Alice Faye's life and career after she left Fox and a restoration comparison. Great!

Overall, That Night In Rio is one of the stronger musicals from Fox filmed during the golden age of Hollywood. This movie is extremely entertaining and if you like classic musicals you're sure to enjoy this movie quite a bit!

"That Night in Rio" was a remake of the 1935 "Folies Bergere", with Ann Sothern, Maurice Chevalier and Merle Oberon. It was made yet again in 1951 with Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney and Corinne Calvert as "On the Riviera". The plot is simple. Don Ameche plays night club entertainer Larry Martin who is employed to imitate Baron Duarte (a dual role) by some bankers. In doing so, he must deal with the Baron's wife, Alice Faye, but keep at bay his fiery girlfriend Carmen Miranda. Complications ensue with Faye unsure who made love to her on "That Night in Rio" and the film was carefully watched by the Censors to ensure that adultery was not implied in any way.

Although the film is set in Rio de Janeiro, it looks much more like a night club in New York. There really is nothing to link it to South America except Carmen Miranda and the accents of some of the actors. Released, in 1941, the positives are some excellent numbers from Miranda, an entertaining dual performance from Ameche and the spectacular colour. Irving Cummings was often a director with a heavy touch and the farce moves quickly but maybe not quite quick enough. There is something a bit heavy and clumsy about the film and it maybe because Alice Faye is miscast as a baroness, serious and subdued much of the time. Her role is really a supporting one. When she plays with Don Ameche she has a twinkle but the rest of the time, she is lugubrious. Her appearance looks heavy too, not helped by the Travis Banton clothes which are fussy and overdone. She only has 2 songs too but one of them in particular, "They met in Rio", suits her deep delivery perfectly. Filmed with the normal loving close up of her face, slightly tilted up, she sounds superb.

Carmen Miranda sings two of her most famous numbers "I yi yi yi yi" and "Cae Cae" back to back. Her contract stipulated that the camera must not cut away from her when she sang so we watch her just as if she was live in a nightclub. She looks great. Her English was improving rapidly by now too and she has some funny lines which she mangles hilariously. She really steals the film. Alice Faye was on record as saying, affectionately, that when Miranda was on, you might as well go home because there was no way you could compete.

The film was a box office smash in 1941. The colour and costumes in particular were a tonic to the public. The DVD print is excellent but the colour is odd with dark hues which can be almost completely overcome by fiddling with the adjustments on your TV - colour/brightness/hue. The package includes the second half of a documentary on Faye in which her daughters appear and a deleted number which lasts until after the take has finished. You see Faye's mood change rapidly as she moves off camera which is amusing. The theatrical trailer included shows the technicolour deterioration which occurs without restoration - all browns and blues. There is also a set of stills on the set which show some candid shots of the cast and director.

This is the first time the film has been commercially available and as part of the Alice Faye Volume 1 collection, it is good value.

I first saw this movie when I was about 7 growing up in Israel. Of course I didn't understand much, but the beautiful songs stuck in my mind. I have seen it many times over the years, and in my opinion it is the best musical ever made. It is a technicolor dripping masterpiece. Never in the history of films do we have such a collection of beautiful girls, romantic songs and dances, and outrageous escapism. Of course, you have to be at a certain age to enjoy it. If you were born after the war, we cannot do anything for you. But, for us old dudes this movie presents a wonderful journey to the elegant world of yesterday.

The release of the April/41 film "That Night in Rio" is one that is filled with great talents off the 20th Century lot,such as Don Ameche,Alice Faye,Carmen Miranda and everyone's favourite character actor of the time SZ Sakall.But even these Hollywood heavyweights just cannot raise the mundane plot anywhere than just slightly above the average.
The story concerns an American entertainer in a Brazillian nightclub,the Club Samba(!);one Larry Martin(Ameche).His girlfriend Carmen(Miranda) also works and sings there and she is a veerry jealous woman.In fact shortly after the film starts she is balling out Larry for the look he gave an audience member and a package that comes about the same time.She gets so mad she scratches him on the wrist but when she learns that the package was really a surprise for her she is immediately apologetic:"I'm so sorrry Lahrry-my temper".That night an important local and rich business man(with a playboy reputation)comes into the club and Larry impersonates him to a tee,one Baron Duarte(Ameche doing a double role),and with his lovely wife the Baroness Duarte(Faye).It seems the Baron has some on going financial difficulties with an airline he is involved with,and when he has to fly to Buenos Aires to secure a loan,his two assistants Arthur(Sakall) and Felicio(Curt Bois) hire Martin to impersonate him.
First Martin(for Duarte)appears at the local stock exchange and inadvertently buys up the last of the shares in the airline(that will potentially fold the next day).That night he attends a party at the Duarte's home and seems to be doing well as the Baron until an important local businessman wants to have a talk with him.Arthur and Felicio manage to ward the man off for awhile and even though the Baroness knows that Martin isn't her husband,there is still alot of chemistry between them.Just as things get to the boiling point the real Baron unexpectedly arrives back,just in the nick of time.He is filled in on the Martin angle just as the persistent businessman finally corners the real Baron in a room.Martin gets caught unable to get out of the room and has to listen to the two but when the businessman checks out a noise behind the blind,Martin is forced to once again trade places with the Baron.The Baron now behind the blind gets pulled out through an open window by his unwitting assistants.The Baron and his boys can do nothing but hope for the best.
Martin's luck holds out and next day the businessman drops around to the surprised Baron's office to present him with a multi-million dollar check for his airline.It seems Martin unknowingly negotiated a business deal and it has saved the Baron and his fortunes.The Baron through all this has not lost sight of how his wife has lit up when Martin is impersonating him;the Baron/person she would really like him to be.In the end he realizes what he has and the time he has wasted and he and his wife reconcile their love for each other.The film ends with a split screen with the Baroness and Baron on the left and Martin with Carmen on the right.
The movie takes many twists and turns as there are the typical continual mix ups between Martin(as the Baron)and Carmen,Carmen and the real Baron,the real Baron and the Baroness and the Baroness and Martin(as the Baron).Sometimes they know the others identity and sometimes they don't.The film tends to push this angle just a bit more than it should which can make it unnecessarily tedious.And because the plot is weak to begin with,the fact of the obvious play by Ameche of two people that are supposed to just look alike is also weakened.What off-sets this are the reactions of the Barons assistants.There is a running gag with Felicia and his twitching face when he gets nervous.At one point when things really heat up even Sakalls' face starts twitching;it's hilarious to watch.Also Miranda is delightful as usual and she puts a wide smile on the face as she gets her Latin temper up on several occasions,yelling away in Portuguese.There are several musical numbers in the film;Chica Chica Boom Chic,sung by Carmen and Ameche,Midnight Serenade by Ameche and Faye, Ci,Ci,Ci,Ci and I,yi,yi,I Like you Very Much by Miranda,Boa Noite by Faye and the split screen ending I referred to has a reprise of all the numbers.As a note the choreographer here is Fred Astaire's working partner of many years Hermes Pan.However the numbers like the film are again nothing but a little above average.
The best thing about this release is the restoration done by Fox.The colours are so clear and crisp that you would swear it was shot just yesterday,it's that good!Included on this DVD is a featurette on Alice Faye,still galleries,the trailer,a rare and interesting deleted scene with Faye and Ameche singing Chic,Chica Boom Chic while dancing,and a small booklet.
While a just a little above average musical/film, One Night in Rio is sure to delight fans of the main stars of the picture.The plots' reliance on a well trodden gag of constant mix ups of two people that look alike(played by the same actor)just doesn't come off as well as it should.The stars do their best but can only accomplish so much.Fortunately there are enough nice moments to recommend this release to you and the wonderfully restored picture is a definite bonus for your viewing pleasure.

This Item was purchaded as a gist to my mother. She realy love to have this picture in her collection and remenber her old times.

A fluffy musical confection with Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Carmen Miranda and the rest of the Fox musical "gang", 1941's THAT NIGHT IN RIO is noteworthy for being Ms Miranda's first main speaking role in an American film. It's also marked by a particularly glamorous Alice Faye, dressed in some lush Travis Banton costumes.

Nightclub entertainer Larry Martin (Don Ameche) makes a specialty out of impersonating wealthy lothario Baron Duarte in his act. So when the Baron (also played by Ameche) is unexpectedly called away from Rio and can't appear at an important business function, who better to "replace" him than Larry? The ruse works perfectly...until the real Baron returns on the same night as Larry's performance, all hell breaks loose, and the Baron's wife Cecilia (Alice Faye) has no idea of whom she spent the night with!

Adding some laughs is the delicious Carmen Miranda as Larry's on-again, off-again girlfriend. This was her first big role following her debut in DOWN ARGENTINE WAY the previous year. She performs some of her most beloved numbers like "Chica Chica Boom Chic", "I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much)", and "Cai-Cai". Alice Faye only has two songs ("Boa Noite" and "They Met in Rio").

This film would later be re-made as ON THE RIVIERA with Danny Kaye and Gene Tierney.

I bought this title as a Christmas gift to my father who is a Carmen Miranda fan of long standing. I'm a fan too.

Don't expect any challenges from the story except to try to make sense of it. I guess this would be called "farce". The premise is absurd and so is the resolution, but that's not why you watch a movie such as this. You watch it to see the performers, such as Carmen Miranda captured here in all her Technicolor glory. In Brazil she was a national hero and in the USA she was the exotic but safe, south-of-the-border flavor that studios would add to movies and seemed to be much in vogue then.

As an actress she is limited but it's not like Don Ameche or Alice Faye do much of a stretch here either.

I really love movies starring Carmen Miranda. I have nine of them. Since Carmen Miranda grew up in Brazil and was a very successful performer there, I believe that Liriel Domiciano must have watched all of Carmen's movies and learned to perform in a similar way. In Carmen's movie, "Cocacobana", Carmen Miranda sings her well-known song, "Chico, Chico, Loco Bom! Also, Groucho Marx does an act where he sings high notes along with a flute. I have a video of Liriel Domiciano singing "Chico, Chico, Loco Bom using Carmen's words and singing along with a flute. Amazing!

aka Aquella Noche en R?o
(Comedy, Technicolor, 1 hr 30 min)
20th. Century Fox - U.S.A.

DIRECTOR: Irving Cummings

CAST:
Alice Faye (Baroness Cecilia Duarte), Don Ameche (As: Larry Martin & Baron Manuel Duarte), Carmen Miranda, S.Z. Sakall, J. Carrol Naish, Curt Bois, Leonid Kinskey, Frank Puglia, Lillian Porter, Maria Montez (As: Inez)

COMMENTS:
A splashy, well-produced remake of FOLIES BERGERE (1935), THAT NIGHT IN RIO stars Don Ameche in a dual role as entertainer Larry Martin and Baron Duarte, a wealthy businessman of whom the look-alike performer does an excellent impression.

The setting has been changed from Paris to Rio de Janeiro and there are new songs, but the plot is a virtual duplicate of the original.

With the airline that he owns in deep financial trouble, Duarte slips out of the country to try to make the needed arrangements to save his business. While he's gone, Larry is enlisted to masquerade as the baron so his enemies, most notably Machado (J. Carrol Naish), don't get wind of his absence.

Hilarity follows--particularly in the scene in which Larry has to bluff his way through a conversation in French (a language the baron speaks but the entertainer doesn't)--as Larry carries off the charade, though it doesn't take the baroness (Alice Faye) long to figure out that this guy isn't her husband.(He's entirely too nice and too romantic.)

After his return, the baron realizes that he will have to become a better husband if he is to live up to his wife's new, heightened expectations. Meanwhile, Larry's jealous girl friend, Carmen (Carmen Miranda), forgives the performer for what she considers to have been his grave indiscretion in the whole affair.

The sixth and final pairing for Faye and Ameche, who made a successful series of movies for Fox, THAT NIGHT IN RIO was Miranda's second US movie.

In her role of Inez the chorus girl, Maria has the chance of showing her Latin temper. Inez is the ex friend of Baron Duarte (Ameche), in scene when both are talking Miranda confuses Baron Duarte with her boyfriend Larry Martin creating a funny jealous scene for Miranda.

This was the first appearance of Montez in Technicolor showing her beautiful and natural red hair.

On LIFE magazine and other media, Maria had the same kind publicity they gave to Carmen Miranda and Alice Faye.

This is a comedic musical and a lot of fun if you enjoy the actors or musicals. It is funny and entertaining