RIO RITA

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CREDITS

1942, 91 minutes, B&W.
Producer, Pandro S. Berman; Director, S. Sylvan Simon; Screenplay, Richard Connell and Gladys Lehman; Cinematography, George Folsey; Music Direction, Herbert Stothart.

CAST

Doc, Bud Abbott; Wishy, Lou Costello; Rita Winslow, Kathryn Grayson; Ricardo Montera, John Carroll; Lucette, Patricia Dane; Maurice Craindall, Tom Conway; Jake, Peter Whitney; Harry Gantley, Barry Nelson; Trask, Arthur Space; Gus, Dick Rich; Marianna, Eva Puig; Dotty, Joan Valerie; Julio, Mitchell Lewis.

SONGS

Ranger's Song; Rio Rita by Joseph McCarthy and Harry Tierney; Long Before You Came Along by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen; Brazilian Dance by Nilo Barnet; Ora O Conga by Lacerdo.

PLOT SYNOPSIS

"The bumbling boys get fired from their jobs at a pet shop and decide to make their way to the Big Apple by hiding in the trunk of a car with New York license plates. Unfortunatley, the driver, dreamy singer Ricardo Montera (John Carroll), is headed for a fiesta in a tiny South Texas town. After a long and exhausting ride, Bud and Lou find themselves mixed up. . .with Nazi spies, old flames, new friends, and a secret code book."
- Liner Notes from Turner/MGM-UA Laserdisc

NOTES

"Being 1942, and with the world at war, scenarists. . .updated the story to include fifth columnists, saboteurs and other such cloak-and-dagger characters, never losing sight of the fact that it was, fundamentally, a vehicle for Abbott and Costello."
- Clive Hirschhorn, The Hollywood Musical

"Like all Abbott and Costello entries. . .director S. Sylvan Simon has spaced the A&C nonsensities with a good sense of timing to properly break up the hoke. There are a couple of reprises on some of the business, but withal the 90 minutes pace well."
- Variety

"For masochists. They get the works in this one: Kathryn Grayson shrilling her songs from that quivering heart-shaped mouth, John Carroll acting virile, and Abbott and Costello acting funny. S. Sylvan Simon directed this pitiful version of a good old musical show."
- Pauline Kael, 5001 Nights At The Movies

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