With the success of "Down Argentine Way', came 'That Night in Rio',a better film. Historically, the US is wooing our neighbors to the South, who found some elective affinity with Europe fascism--especially the Argentina of Peron and the Brazil of Vargas. So, Hollywood armed with all the soft power it could command and came up with the time honored conceit of mistaken identity: Don Ameche plays Baron Durate the very rich banker man about town, skirt chaser who neglects his wife (Alice Faye) and the night club headliner Larry Holmes who has a hot tempered girl friend (Carmen Miranda). The film's opening number 'Chica, Chaca Boom Chic' explodes in the opening scenes with the vivacious Miranda, her alluring green eyes, her exotic hats and bare midriff and undulating hips. It sets the zest and good fun of the film. Jealous, suspicious that her man was cheating on her, she breaks out into rapid fire Portuguese that adds spice to the dialogue and enlivens a heavy handed script. Those blue bedroom eyes of Faye is as effective in conveying sexuality and emotion. And of course Ameche is in top form as the fashionable socialite Duarte and the crooner Holmes. CZ Sakail and the standard gold digger Leonid Kinsky and the old imitator of perceived accents of Latins J. Carroll Nash are on hand for laughs and dirty tricks. And if 'Chica, Chica Boom Chic' does set the toe taping there 'I Yi Yi Yi (I like you very very much) to set the body swaying or Cai Cai and Faye's plaintive song Boa Noite 'good night'. Like 'Down Argentine Way', in our age of incessant war and dumb down political despair, 'That Night in Rio' is a good temporary breath of mirth and merry making.

Poor Don Ameche must have felt like something of a doormat. In her first film Carmen Miranda stole the film from him and Betty Grable in Down Argentina Way. Now Ameche with new co-star Alice Faye got upended again by Miranda in That Night In Rio. Don Ameche if nothing else was a gentleman and one of the classiest men in Hollywood. He got his licks in That Night In Rio playing a dual role.If this plot seems familiar it was previously done as Folies Bergere with Maurice Chevalier and afterward by Danny Kaye in On The Double. Ameche is a prominent Brazilian financier who is married to Alice Faye and something of a cold fish. He's also a visiting American entertainer who is going out with Carmen Miranda and as part of his act does a dead on impersonation of the financier with a little more pizazz.Circumstances have Curt Bois and S.Z. Sakall come to the entertainer to have him impersonate the financier for 24 hours while the financier goes out of town for some really delicate business negotiations. The entertainer succeeds in arousing the sleeping woman in Faye and the sleeping tiger in Miranda with the impersonation. I think you can figure the rest out.Harry Warren and Mack Gordon wrote the score, but the songs that Faye and Ameche sing are barely noticeable. But I Yi Yi Yi I Like You Very Much and Chica-Boom-Chic became a staple of Carmen Miranda's nightclub act for the rest of her life. And the way she sings them, hey no one else has ever even tried to do those numbers, you can't possibly imitate that style.For Carmen Miranda fans who are still legion, the world over.

Charming,funny movie with Don Ameche playing two parts,a baron and a nightclub entertainer. The entertainer has Carmen Mirande for a hot-tempered girlfriend so it's fun already. Alice Faye plays the baroness looking lovely in her Travis Banton gowns. I especially liked the gold dress and magnificent ruby bib necklace she wears. Surprisingly,Alice doesn't sing much,on the DVD it shows a number that was cut. The film has a short running time so it's odd they cut it out. The numbers Carmen does are fantastic. The film is more of a romantic comedy with songs than an actual musical. I laughed out loud at scene where don Ameche carries Alice upstairs and film dissolves to hand thrusting in and out of a drum,seems Hitchcok wasn't the only one who could do suggestive scenes.

During a nice night out with his wife, Cecilia (Alice Faye), Baron Manuel Duarte (Don Ameche) watches a performance by entertainer, Larry Martin (also played by Don Ameche), who impersonates him...and he does it very well. Impressed by the performance, the baron goes backstage to meet the young actor. Little does the baron know that the actor chats with is wife. When the baron is missing for work, his associates hire Larry to impersonate the baron (and has no idea what he's doing either). And the rest is history.A comical 1940's film this is, also starring the one and only Carmen Miranda, who plays Larry's hot-tempered girlfriend, Carmen, who of course is also a singer at the club where Larry performs.What I love about the old films from the 1940's is the old fashion Hollywood glamour with the fancy dresses and evening gowns, etc., and not to mention, the fine jewelry the women wear (i.e. the baronesses anniversary gift from her husband). But it's a far cry from what you see today: Lack of long term kissing, sex, violence, and of course, swearing. Lots of music and ditsy characters.I found "That Night In Rio" quite delightful when I watched it on AMC. It was bubbly with a lot of really lighthearted music and comedy, and sophisticated fashions worn by Carmen Miranda and Alice Faye. I got a kick out of Carmen's hot-tempered character, who kept on throwing her shoes at Larry when he made her angry. Not to mention, Don Ameche was a brilliant actor who could play two different characters quite well, and can compare each of them onscreen. :)Good film...enjoyable for anyone who likes old movies! :)