Rio Rita (1929 film)
| Rio Rita | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Luther Reed |
| Written by | Luther Reed |
| Based on | Rio Rita by Guy Bolton and Frederick A. Thompson |
| Produced by | William LeBaron Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. |
| Starring | Bebe Daniels John Boles Bert Wheeler Robert Woolsey Dorothy Lee |
| Cinematography | Robert Kurrle (Technicolor) Lloyd Knechtel |
| Edited by | William Hamilton |
| Music by | Victor Baravalle (director) Joseph McCarthy (lyrics) Harry Tierney (music) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | Original release: 141 minutes; Surviving reissue: 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $678,000 |
| Box office | $2,400,000 |
Rio Rita is a 1929 American pre-Code RKO musical comedy starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles along with the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey (Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in their first starring role in a film). The film is based on the 1927 stage musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous. The film was the biggest and most expensive RKO production of 1929 as well as the studio's biggest box office hit until King Kong (1933). Its finale was photographed in two-color Technicolor. Rio Rita was chosen as one of the 10 best films of 1929 by Film Daily.