Tweet RIO RITA (1929)

[Danny Burk]

It's kind of funny but I simply signed up using a site ID and wanted to change it to my actual name but can't figure out how. Is there any way to change an ID on here?

You can PM me or one of the other mods, and we'll change it for you.

No offense meant here towards you Bapaig01, but when folks use a nom de plume without identifying their true selves I have no idea who they might be in real life...so I tend to regard those postings somewhat warily as the hidden identity seems to empower some folks to equivocate, troll, or in general act a bit more smart-alecky for their own good than the people who post using their rightful names or who clearly make their true identity known.

It's kind of funny but I simply signed up using a site ID and wanted to change it to my actual name but can't figure out how. Is there any way to change an ID on here? Suffice it to say that we've been talking a lot on facebook about Rio Rita, Ed.

As far as the film itself goes, I may well have some fairly significant news in the next few days. We'll see.

Yes folks it's true, Brian and I have been talking up RIO RITA quite a bit on FB these past few days. And yes again, all of the cut footage exists. If I weren't so busy packing films for our imminent move to Germany I'd go into all the details. Suffice to say a lot of it can already be found here on Nitrateville, if folks will look for the answers (or check out my W & W book for some of the answers). No need for further speculating...

All good news but let's hope WAC is pursuing all the elements and restoring it for DVD.... which is where this long thread started!

That's so exciting, Where? I'm gonna start looking on the site for info!

Okay I held off on this until I heard back from the Eastman House people. The reel they have has maybe 1 deleted Rio Rita number, a Daniels/Boles duet of "If You're In Love, You'll Waltz." I don't know if it is a different reel or what the deal is. They also pointed me to the Museum of Modern Art, but didn't they lose their print a while back? Either way I emailed them.

I have to be honest I was pretty disappointed in this news. Thought it might be all of the deleted footage.

It's good to hear that it survives, this is one of the prettiest songs from the movie.

"I'd Rather Have a Memory of You" is a song from the british cast, was in the original opening?

ACT 1
Song List Sung By
Siesta Time (in San Lucar) Chorus
The Best Little Lover in Town Ed Lovett
Sweethearts Rio Rita and Ensemble
River Song Rio Rita and Ensemble
ACT 1
Are You There? Dolly and Chick Bean
Rio Rita Jim and Rio Rita
March of the Rangers Jim, Sergeant McGinn, Sergeant Wilkins and Rangers
The Spanish Shawl Carmen and Serenaders
The Charra Dance Escamillo and Albertina Rasch Dancers
The Kinkajou Dolly and Ensemble
If You're in Love, You'll Waltz Rio Rita and Jim
Out on the Loose Chick Bean, Glorified Girls, Dancing Girls and Albertina Rasch Dancers
ACT 2
Yo Ho and a Bottle of Rum Ziegfeld Dancers
Following the Sun Around Jim
I Can Speak Espanol Dolly and Ed Lovett
Montezuma's Daughter Rio Rita and Albertina Rasch Dancers
The Jumping Bean Dolly, Ziegfeld Dancers and Albertina Rasch Dancers
Moonshine Chick Bean

Just found on YouTube a recording of Bebe singing "You'll Waltz," which I'd never heard; wonderful, even on a very scratchy 78, & doubtless more so as a duet with Boles.

I watched RIO RITA on Saturday night and, though I enjoyed it ( though not at all as much as some other recent early musicals I've watched), I'm wondering if at it's full 140mins, it wouldn't be just...waaaayyyyyy too long!!!

I watched RIO RITA on Saturday night and, though I enjoyed it ( though not at all as much as some other recent early musicals I've watched), I'm wondering if at it's full 140mins, it wouldn't be just...waaaayyyyyy too long!!!

Try it again in a short time...if it doesn't grow on you, I'll be very surprized; such has been the sequence with every one of those that later become my favorites. At full length, remember, there'd have been an intermission allowing you to stroll through the luxurious corridors of Radio City, Grauman's Egyptian, or wherever else you were seeing it.

I suppose I could take a leisurely stroll through the luxurious corridors of O'Regan Manor, while listening to the exotic wildlife sounds coming from the gardens......
I'll give it another go in a couple weeks or so. I found it pleasant but whereas I instantly warmed to Sally and The Broadway Melody, this one didn't quite do it for me.

I suppose I could take a leisurely stroll through the luxurious corridors of O'Regan Manor, while listening to the exotic wildlife sounds coming from the gardens......
I'll give it another go in a couple weeks or so. I found it pleasant but whereas I instantly warmed to Sally and The Broadway Melody, this one didn't quite do it for me.

What did you think of the last act when it was in color?

I suppose I could take a leisurely stroll through the luxurious corridors of O'Regan Manor, while listening to the exotic wildlife sounds coming from the gardens......
I'll give it another go in a couple weeks or so. I found it pleasant but whereas I instantly warmed to Sally and The Broadway Melody, this one didn't quite do it for me.

What did you think of the last act when it was in color?

Yeah, it looked nice. Not sure what else I can say.

I suppose I could take a leisurely stroll through the luxurious corridors of O'Regan Manor, while listening to the exotic wildlife sounds coming from the gardens......
I'll give it another go in a couple weeks or so. I found it pleasant but whereas I instantly warmed to Sally and The Broadway Melody, this one didn't quite do it for me.

What did you think of the last act when it was in color?

Yeah, it looked nice. Not sure what else I can say.

The last sequence was really nice example of early color. Rita's gowns were eye-popping.

Was Rio Rita ever technically 'lost'? Did it play on television. It's amazing that so much of the color sequence survives.

Here is a quite astonishing find on YouTube! It is a restored version of the entire 39 minutes of the Technicolor finale as 1929 audiences heard it. Someone has taken the time and trouble to marry up the Technicolor Footage with the Vitaphone discs so that we can actually see where the missing sections occur. Unfortunately whenever the picture portion dissappears we are left with a black screen which is where the missing footage was, but we can hear what they cut!!

The first cut comes early on! Only seconds into the Technicolor sequence. It seems to be Spanish music and kind of a "Yo ho Ho" number? ("Over The Boundary Line" I think?) Presumably featuring the Albertina Rasch girls? You can hear them tapping but we cannot see them.

Then later on (from what I can gather) from this (almost) complete 40 minute finale they have, more importantly, cut out 2 clips of Bebe Daniels singing a very emotional version of "Only In My Dreams - Jimmy" live on the set, almost crying as she sings, this highly emotional song comes just before she has to put on the white wedding dress. (Sorry I don't know the correct titles of these songs?)

Then we have another major cut number of a very downcast and depressed John Boles singing "I'll Spend my Days Chasing at The Sunshine" before we cut back to the Technicolor footage again....

The most interesting thing occurs at 26:02 to 27:55 ! We have ACTUAL Technicolor footage synchronised with the Vitaphone disc of 24 of the Albertina Rasch Girls doing a major tap number to the music of "We Need Each Other", they wear VERY revealing costumes that make them almost look topless, and are wearing HUGE blue ostrich feather head-dresses which look extremely effective. This footage appears to be from a different source to the TCM print! It runs for almost 2 minutes. I don't know where this footage comes from?

The whole "Restoration" allows us to see "Rio Rita" as it appeared in 1929, instead of in 1932... Enjoy!

A lot of time & trouble, no doubt, and technical proficiency...thanks to MissVitaphone. The "Bebe sobbing" cut seems a minor loss--would have vastly preferred to hear her singing; but the cut of Boles' excellent number is most lamentable. To me, however, the greatest losses by far are those of the Rasch dancers...both the "invisible" one & the murky (though still fabulous!) one. Now I understand the placement for the "topless" chorines depicted in certain Rio Rita artwork...which I'd previously assumed to be sheer fantasy on the part of the illustrator!