Flying Down to Rio

Flying Down to Rio is a 1933 American <a href="/facts/Pre-Code_Hollywood/ABrQVqR8">pre-Code</a> <a href="/facts/Musical_film/GWjDGYnj">musical film</a> famous for being the first <a href="/facts/Fred_Astaire_and_Ginger_Rogers/mFrVqbnf">screen pairing</a> of <a href="/facts/Fred_Astaire/BX0hAvft">Fred Astaire</a> and <a href="/facts/Ginger_Rogers/xpdsDVPB">Ginger Rogers</a>, although lead actors <a href="/facts/Dolores_del_R%C3%ADo/aWdfPVV6">Dolores del Río</a> and <a href="/facts/Gene_Raymond/ubRjMJnz">Gene Raymond</a> received <a href="/facts/Top_billing/MkKNCkqE">top billing</a>. Among the featured players are <a href="/facts/Franklin_Pangborn/o21rqtY4">Franklin Pangborn</a> and <a href="/facts/Eric_Blore/5y1SDCf3">Eric Blore</a>. The songs in the film were written by <a href="/facts/Vincent_Youmans/u7QsPteq">Vincent Youmans</a> (music), <a href="/facts/Gus_Kahn/aJpXMw7K">Gus Kahn</a> and <a href="/facts/Edward_Eliscu/vRWcW6yt">Edward Eliscu</a> (lyrics), with musical direction and additional music by <a href="/facts/Max_Steiner/ymg3MEMj">Max Steiner</a>. During the <a href="/facts/7th_Academy_Awards/nWc2aMXK">7th Academy Awards</a>, the film was nominated for the new category of <a href="/facts/Academy_Award_for_Best_Original_Song/DzpS6KsM">Best Original Song</a> for "<a href="/facts/Carioca_(1933_song)/6VcGj23x">Carioca</a>", but it lost to "<a href="/facts/The_Continental_(song)/7JVwagpe">The Continental</a>" from <a href="/facts/The_Gay_Divorcee/TpVhzVYd">The Gay Divorcee</a>, the next Astaire and Rogers film (and their first with top billing).
The black-and-white film, which had a color-tinted sequence, was directed by <a href="/facts/Thornton_Freeland/2CCnclLy">Thornton Freeland</a> and produced by <a href="/facts/Merian_C._Cooper/pCKHdWWl">Merian C. Cooper</a> and <a href="/facts/Lou_Brock_(producer)/H1C64QYz">Lou Brock</a>. The screenplay was written by <a href="/facts/Erwin_S._Gelsey/cnJ8dvKa">Erwin S. Gelsey</a>, H. W. Hanemann and <a href="/facts/Cyril_Hume/o9S1qrdE">Cyril Hume</a>, based on a story by Lou Brock and a play by <a href="/facts/Anne_Caldwell/H05SYPzw">Anne Caldwell</a>. <a href="/facts/Linwood_Dunn/aWdrXXVu">Linwood Dunn</a> did the <a href="/facts/Special_effects/LHutf1pg">special effects</a> for the celebrated airplane-wing dance sequence at the end of the film. In this film, <a href="/facts/Dolores_del_R%C3%ADo/aWdfPVV6">Dolores del Río</a> became the first major actress to wear a <a href="/facts/Bikini/am49PWKx">two-piece women's bathing suit</a> onscreen.
The film follows composer Roger Bond as he falls in love with Brazilian woman Belinha De Rezende, although she is actually already engaged to a friend of Roger's. Roger's bandmate Fred Ayres and Ayres' companion Honey Hales support Roger through various musical misadventures.

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Flying Down to Rio