Der Weg nach Rio (1947)

Der Weg nach Rio: Directed by Norman Z. McLeod. With Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Gale Sondergaard. Two inept vaudevillians stow away on a Brazilian-bound ocean liner and foil a plot by a sinister hypnotist to marry off her niece to a greedy fortune hunter.

“Although Hope, Crosby and Lamour were teaming together for the fifth time in a Road movie, the format and style remain fresh, with a greater emphasis on song and a more rigid plot-line than in its four predecessors. The interplay between the three stars continues to be a delight, and Gale Sondergaard makes for a wonderful villain, whilst the Wiere Brothers almost steal the show as a trio of Rio street entertainers whom Bing and Bob persuade to impersonate the last three members of the five-piece all-American band that they have promised to deliver into Nestor Paivau0026#39;s nightclub. There are a number of hilarious set-pieces, particularly with Hope cycling on a tightrope, and a rousing and manic climax. As a result of all these fine features, u0026quot;Road to Riou0026quot; is only a notch down from my favourite Road picture, u0026quot;Road to Utopiau0026quot;.”