Nancy Goes to Rio (1950)

There is "Magic in the Moonlight", as Ann Sothern and Jane Powell cast as mother and daughter is ingenious casting, just as Kay Francis and Deanna Durbin had been in the original version of this film, "It's a Date". Of course, the younger girl gets more focus here as far as story is concerned, and here, Nancy is a 17 year old drama student dying to follow in her mother's footsteps to become a musical star. Sothern starts off the film onstage in an extremely old fashioned operetta (very dated by 1950 standards) while Powell's finale is elaborate and seems a bit more up to date with its glamorous blue sets, bridges and beautiful fake trees sparkling onstage. They are both in love with the same man (Barry Sullivan) who believes that Powell is an unwed 19 year old expecting a baby. Of course, the complications are resolved in between musical numbers performed by Powell and the colorful Carmen Miranda, whose sole purpose here is to be Powell's confidante and flirt with Sothern's dashing widowed father (Louis Calhern).Miranda has one number wearing a hat made entirely out of cocktail umbrellas, and another where she deals with an obnoxious drunk. Powell and Scotty Beckett lead a chorus of youngsters in the title song which includes some silly rhymes but features a wonderful rhythm. "Magic in the Moonlight" (heard earlier sung in Spanish in "Bathing Beauty") is a sweet melody, first sung by Powell on stage, and later reprised as a duet with mama Sothern. Calhern gets to dance a bit, doing a neat little soft shoe as Powell and Sothern sing "Shine on Harvest Moon".While inconsequential as far as the MGM musicals go, it is colorful and diverting, and at times quite amusing. But it's nothing you haven't seen before, and basically harmless fun. It's most alive when the gorgeous ladies get to sing, nodding off a bit with the romantic plot which sometimes seems to be an afterthought around which the screenplay was written.

Every actor contributes significantly to this picture. Ann Sothern and Jane Powell deliver in ways they are expected to; and even Louis Calhern performs a number in a rare musical role. Barry Sullivan adds charm as the leading man, and Hans Conried, in a bit part, is letter-perfect as ever. But Carmen Miranda is the one that walks off with the movie, in two show-stopping numbers. Sidney Sheldon's script has a lot of humor in it. Filmed in glorious Technicolor with some good on-location footage of Rio, including the carnival and parade at night. This was a remake of Universal's earlier film It's a Date, where the young ingénue was Deanna Durbin, and the mother was played by Kay Francis (who did not sing).

This is a well-crafted musical, comedy and romance. It has an excellent selection of tunes and dance numbers. Jane Powell, Ann Sothern, Carmen Miranda and Louis Calhern all shine in their roles and musical performances. And Barry Sullivan gives an incomparable performance as he becomes immersed in the major comedy ploy of the film. "Nancy Goes to Rio" is a great piece of entertainment, from the music to the cast and acting, to the plot and humor. I can't spoil this — but the major humorous ploy somewhat into the film is so funny, I laughed out loud so hard that I had to stop the film and replay the DVD — and that happened several times as the ploy continued to develop through the rest of the film. I've not had that experience very often over the years with movies. Thinking about it afterward, I realized how well written and scripted this movie was to be able to carry on the comedy subplot so well for so long in the movie.The acting, singing, sets and script are all tremendous, and the very straight-faced hilarity just puts this film over the top. The color in the film is brilliant and solid, and the film quality is excellent for a 1950 movie. This was before the time of shooting on locations, but the stage sets for Rio locales and skyline were quite good and added to the film. I don't recall ever having seen this movie until I recently bought it to view and decide if I wanted to add it to my collection of musicals. I don't know how I missed it in the past, but I was happily surprised that I found this film. It's a true gem. Obviously not many folks have seen this film, from the low number of comments; so, it may not have made the TV movie reruns over the years. But if you enjoy good movies and like musicals and quality humor and entertainment, you won't want to miss renting or buying this film. I highly recommend "Nancy Goes to Rio" as a fun film for young and old alike. It just leaves one with a warm feeling of satisfaction at having seen something very funny, endearing and wonderful.

Sidney Sheldon wrote the screenplay based on an earlier film that starred Deanna Durbin, but this time tedium sets in rather early. In short, it's an uninspired remake designed to bring bubbly JANE POWELL, ANN SOTHERN, CARMEN MIRANDA, BARRY SULLIVAN and LOUIS CALHERN together for what is supposed to be a light-hearted romp.For a musical, there is too long a gap between dialog and songs and none of the songs are especially memorable. The sets are opulent, the costumes are tastefully designed with no expense spared on wardrobe, and the color is splendid. But the story is the one about a mother and daughter actress team who are both in love with the same man, unknown to each other, until the plot complications are straightened out.Whatever sparkle there was to the original B&W film has been dampened by a dull script, slow-paced direction and some coy performances from Sothern and Powell. Powell postures as a would-be actress but her artificial poses are contrived and obvious which makes Sullivan suspecting that she's a girl "in trouble" (when she's really rehearsing a part) seem a strain on credibility.Both Sothern and Powell are given the usual MGM glossy close-up treatment, but the silly plot defeats everyone.Rio is strictly a fabrication on an MGM sound stage. Only CARMEN MIRANDA's lively musical contributions make watching this worthwhile. That, and a nice, understated, low-key performance from the always reliable BARRY SULLIVAN saves the comic moments from being downright foolish.