Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I'm very new at this blogging thing so I tried to think of something I'm passionate about that I would be willing to talk about for a long time. I love movies, old and new, so I decided to write movie reviews! I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to your feedback. By the way, the title of my blog, Flying Down to Hollywood, is a reference to the first Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie was Flying Down to Rio (1933). Because of that, I think the first movie I will review will be Flying Down to Rio (warning: there are some spoilers).

First some brief history: Flying Down to Rio was not originally meant to be a Fred and Ginger vehicle. It was RKO's attempt to break away from bankruptcy, so they picked big name actors such as Dolores del Rio to bring in the crowds. Fred and Ginger were actually 4th and 5th billed. However, when they danced the Carioca (seen here), the crowd gave a standing ovation and their appeal was evident.

This is not my favorite Fred and Ginger movie, if only because they are a very small part of the story. I think the Carioca is one of their funnest dance numbers. I love their earlier work because their style was still pretty raw - he was still pretty stiff and she was still pretty loose. The main storyline of the movie is, in my opinion, rather uninteresting. The nice guy (Raul Roulien) does not get the girl (Dolores del Rio), which in the end seems okay since the girl does not really deserve him. She seems much better suited for the smarmy playboy she ends up with (Gene Raymond). The story is pretty tedious and the saving grace of the movie are the few musical numbers within it. Vincent Youmans composed the music, so the music is excellent. However, if you're looking for a fantastic Fred and Ginger film, do not go to this one. Look into Top Hat, Swing Time, or maybe The Gay Divorcee first.