Nancy Goes to Rio

Nancy Goes to Rio

Argentinean theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Produced by Joe Pasternak
Written by Sidney Sheldon (screenplay)
Story:
Ralph Block
Frederick Kohner
Jane Hall
Starring Jane Powell
Ann Sothern
Barry Sullivan
Carmen Miranda
Louis Calhern
Scotty Beckett
Music by Original Music:
Conrad Salinger (uncredited)
George Stoll (uncredited)
Musical Director:
George Stoll
Cinematography Ray June
Edited by Adrienne Fazan
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • March 10, 1950 (1950-03-10)
Running time
 100 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1,682,000[1]
Box office $2,866,000[1]

Nancy Goes to Rio is a musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1950. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Joe Pasternak from a screenplay by Sidney Sheldon, based on a story by Ralph Block, Frederick Kohner, and Jane Hall. The music was directed and supervised by George Stoll and includes compositions by George and Ira Gershwin, Giacomo Puccini, Jack Norworth, and Stoll.

The film stars Ann Sothern, Jane Powell, Barry Sullivan, Carmen Miranda, Louis Calhern, and Scotty Beckett.

Nancy Goes to Rio is a remake of the 1940 film It's a Date, also based on the story by Block, Kohner, and Hall, starring Deanna Durbin. Kay Francis and Walter Pidgeon starred in the roles of Durbin's mother and step-father.

Plot

On the closing night of a Broadway play, leading actress Frances Elliott (Ann Sothern) hosts a party attended by many guests, including her eccentric father Gregory (Louis Calhern), who is also an actor; her seventeen-year-old daughter, Nancy Barklay (Jane Powell), an aspiring actress; and Brazilian playwright Ricardo Domingos, who is considering starring Frances in his next play.

Frances eagerly pursues the part in Ricardo's play, and though she is virtually assured of the role, Ricardo asks her not publicize the news until a final decision is made. Later, Ricardo privately tells Frances' producer that Frances may not be right for the part and that he had a younger actress in mind. Then, when Ricardo meets Nancy, he instantly knows that he has found the perfect young woman for the role.

The next day, Frances sets sail for Rio de Janeiro, where she intends to vacation and devote herself to studying her lines. Gregory accompanies Frances to Rio, while Nancy, who is about to star in a small stock company play, goes to Connecticut. After observing Nancy's acting abilities, Ricardo offers her the part that he promised Frances. Nancy accepts the role, though she is unaware that Ricardo has already promised it to her mother.

Seeking the quiet she needs to study for the part, Nancy follows her mother and grandfather to Rio. On board the ship, businessman Paul Berten overhears Nancy rehearsing her lines and mistakenly concludes that she is a deserted wife and an expectant mother. Paul takes pity on Nancy and enlists the help of his business partner, Marina Rodrigues (Carmen Miranda), to counsel the young girl.

Nancy does not know that Paul is trying to help her and mistakes his paternal concern for a marriage proposal. She rejects Paul's apparent proposal, and bids him farewell when the ship reaches Rio.

Soon after she is reunited with her mother, Nancy overhears her rehearsing her lines and immediately realizes that they are studying for the same part. The revelation devastates Nancy and prompts her to bow out of the play. She does not tell her mother that she was set to star in Ricardo's play, and instead informs her that she came to Rio to get married.

Confusion abounds when Nancy later visits Paul at his office and tries to accept the marriage proposal she thought he had made. Paul is perplexed by her behavior, and still thinks that Nancy is pregnant and troubled. He sends her home to talk to her mother about her situation, but Nancy misunderstands him and thinks that he meant for her to discuss their impending marriage with her mother.

Marina follows Nancy to her mother's house, and privately tells Frances about Nancy's supposed pregnancy. The confusion is heightened when Frances misunderstands her daughter's anguish and concludes that she must be pregnant by Paul.

Frances demands a private meeting with Paul, during which he reveals his romantic attraction to Frances. Frances leaves Paul in disgust, but the situation is soon clarified when Paul tells Gregory that he had only just met Nancy on the boat. Gregory immediately recognizes Nancy's supposed predicament from the story of the play that Frances was reading, and explains the situation to Frances.

When Frances learns the truth about Paul, she changes her impression of him and they embark on a romance. After announcing her engagement to Paul, Frances withdraws from Ricardo's play and suggests Nancy as her replacement. All ends happily when the show opens in New York with Nancy in the starring role.

Cast

Production

Despite the title and some colorful second unit footage, the film was filmed mostly on MGM's soundstages.[2] The production makes use of lavish, elegant "New Look" gowns and colorful sets, typical of the top-notch MGM standards.

This was the final film of Ann Sothern's MGM contract; she soon moved on to appear in a series of television sitcoms.

Musical numbers

Critical reception

Although considered a minor musical in its time, Nancy Goes to Rio marked important transitions for three of the musical genre's most memorable stars. For Jane Powell, it was the last of the juvenile roles that had built her popularity at MGM. For Ann Sothern and Latin sensation Carmen Miranda, it marked an end to their associations with the studio.

"Nancy Goes to Rio is all that a light, glittering musical should be. Producer Joe Pasternak has framed his production with nine tunes and a group of production numbers" said the magazine Variety.[3] The Chicago Reader review that "a mother and daughter gold-digging team is a pretty perverse idea for an MGM musical, but Robert Z. Leonard's oblivious direction leaves it merely bland".[4]

"A few nice songs, some amiable clowning on the part of Louis Calhern and an eye-filling MGM production are the only ingredients worth mentioning", said Bosley Crowther for the newspaper The New York Times.[5]

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $1,839,000 in the US and Canada and $1,027,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $52,000.[1]

Home media

The film was released on DVD along with Two Weeks with Love as part of the Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 3. The set also included several other Powell films, such as Hit the Deck and Deep in My Heart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ↑ Powell, Jane (1988). The Girl Next Door...and How She Grew (1st ed.). ISBN 0-688-06757-3.
  3. ↑ "Review: ‘Nancy Goes to Rio’". December 31, 1949. p. Variety. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Film Search: Nancy Goes to Rio". p. Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  5. ↑ "MOVIE REVIEW: THE SCREEN - TWO NEW FILMS ON LOCAL SCENE; Nancy Goes to Rio,' With Jane Powell in Leading Role, at the Loew's State". Bosley Crowther. April 7, 1950. p. The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2014.

External links

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