Good movie but grossly overrated

Fantastic!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Bud and Lou tangle with Nazi spies in Mexico. The Nazis are led by suave Tom Conway. This is a loose remake of a 1929 Wheeler and Woolsey picture. I haven't seen that and likely won't anytime soon since I don't care for Wheeler and Woolsey much. This is also the first of three movies A&C did for MGM. None of these were among their best movies and this is easily the least enjoyable of the three. Nice cast backing up the boys but far too much focus on the bland romance between Kathryn Grayson and John Carroll, a poor leading man I've never been a fan of. He uses a particularly laughable Latin accent here. Also too much singing! And it's that "opera-y" type singing, too. You know what I mean - deep bass from the guy and high soprano from the girl. Not my thing. As for the comedy, it's pretty by-the-numbers Abbott & Costello material. A few good lines and gags but nothing for the career highlight reel. The car spinning gag ("Push the button!") is probably the movie's best scene and that's in the first twenty minutes. For die-hard A&C fans or fans of Ms. Grayson's singing. Everybody else would be advised to find one of the many superior Abbott & Costello films to watch.

Lesser A&C romp. The boys are in Mexico, where they get mixed up with Nazi agents.This was the boys first production at MGM and frankly it looks like the big-budget studio wasn't sure how to duplicate the team's surging success over at Universal. That whirling car- lift is a heck of an effect, but is more impressive than funny. Then too, operatic singer Kathryn Grayson seems an odd choice for musical interludes in a knock-about comedy. In fact, it's a more high-profile supporting cast than usual, with John Carroll (Ricardo) getting as much screen time as A&C.There are, of course, some amusing bits as could be expected from the duo (mainly the puns), but the Nazi part is left sketchy without the menace it should have provided Costello's brand of comedy. This also looks like a try-out for the Volusia dancers. Their costumes are eye-catchers, but this is their only movie credit. Of the three MGM productions (Lost in a Harem, {1944}), and (A&C in Hollywood, {1945}), this one in my view is the least. All in all, they really did belong at low-budget Universal where there was less concern with prestige.

During the 1920-1940s, MGM made a ton of wonderful films. However, when it came to comedies (especially comedy teams), they really were inept. Here is the track record: With Laurel and Hardy, Hal Roach Studios released films through MGM and MGM didn't touch the productions. When they did a MGM films without Roach, it resulted in THE AIR RAID WARDENS and NOTHING BUT TROUBLE--two of their worst films.With Buster Keaton, he was a genius during the silent era. His first MGM film, the CAMERAMAN, was pretty good. But, then they soon began making sound films, they got the brilliant idea of pairing Keaton (a brilliant physical comedian) with Jimmy Durante (a loud and brash comedian). This mix naturally didn't work and they all but abandoned physical comedy. This effectively ruined Keaton's solo career.With the Three Stooges, the studio didn't know what to do. So, they let them go after making a few bizarre films, like DANCING LADY, where the Stooges played solo acts in a Clark Gable and Joan Crawford film.With the Marx Brothers, although A NIGHT AT THE OPERA and A DAY AT THE RACES were classics, soon the studio put them in insipid formulaic films like THE BIG STORE and AT THE CIRCUS. Gone were their wild and crazy earlier style of films and many believe their films with Paramount (DUCK SOUP, HORSE FEATHERS and others) were their best and most consistent films.With Abbott and Costello, after a long string of very successful films with Universal, they were "loaned out" (i.e., bought for several films) to MGM. This resulted in three rather bland films. MGM decided the team was a flash in the pan and returned them to Universal--after which, the team went on to make many very successful films.So, the fact that I wasn't impressed with RIO RITA is no big surprise--the MGM folks simply had no idea how to make this type of film and spent very little making it. This is very surprising that with the success of Abbott and Costello in their previous films. That MGM (a very high-class studio) would make such a cheap looking film was amazing and it was much cheaper than the films the team did with a much smaller Universal Studios. For example, in the bad segment at the garage near the beginning of the film, you can see the seam in the "sky" and the sound is terrible--like they are filming in a warehouse--which is what they seemed to be doing throughout the film. To make things worse, they used very cheap background paintings. Why, oh why, didn't they do any location shooting? The total effect is pretty claustrophobia-inducing though still watchable.Aside from bad sets, the film features a lot of singing--and awful lot of singing. I guess the studio saw it more as a Kathryn Grayson and John Carroll film instead of an Abbott and Costello one. MGM can't completely blamed for this, as all but one of their previous films at Universal had too much music as well. As to the humor, while Bud and Lou seem game, the routines aren't particularly good or inspired. Having them in a very contrived plot involving Nazi agents in Mexico(!) also didn't help.Overall, watchable but that's all. A definite comedown from their prior films.

Abbott and Costello stranded in a petshop (this part was filmed after the film was completed as Kathryn Grayson's opening number was considered racist and was cut!!) and lose their jobs. They are stranded in a town. Oddly enough, they decide to go their separate ways!! I didn't like this idea. Bud and Lou are supposed to be partners (well for most of their films).They sneak into the boot (trunk) of famous crooner Ricardo Montera, as they wrongly assume he is going to NY. He is on his way to Vista Del Rio, A radio station in Texas to sing on a live broadcast. Rita, is a big star on the station and has eyes only for Montera, who they had a brief encounter with 10 years previously. He arrives next morning, with the boys still in the back of the car and immediately gets on his horse and rides off to the plains. He grew up with the rangers. Ricardo, not remembering Rita, meets up with her and comes on fresh to her (After a boring song). After, she reminds him who she is, the rangers then appear and they sing the only good song in the movie. Bud and Lou(after an absolutely hilarious - and I mean HILARIOUS!!) routine with the car, find themselves wondering around starving. After stealing fake apples used by the nazi owners (they are really radios), they are more hungry than ever. A waiter lays a table right where they are lying and they eat the food. After the waiters chase them away, Rita tells Lucette, also after Ricardo, that she sent them the food. She then employs the boys as house detectives. The boys have to get Lucette away from Ricardo and the manager has to get a broadcast out that night to fellow nazis in code. This is a hilarious, top Abbott and Costello comedy. There is a good background story and plenty left over for the boys to do many routines and wordplay. If only they made more films of this standard. They did make better films though. The only downside is the many songs. Kathryn Grayson performs a never ending opera number which slows down the pace. The rest of the songs, after 10 years of watching this movie (and STILL laughing) I can sit through.Look out for the best bit: Lou trapped inside a giant washing machine!! Abbott and Costello fans will certainly not be disapointed with this movie.There was something so special about the films they made in the early 40s that I just can't define! Wonderful!