Celebrating Cinco Del Mayo - Fiesta (1947)

MGM, 1947

Starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, and Fortunia Bonanova

Directed by Richard Thorpe

Music and Lyrics by various

The other major event this weekend takes us south of the border to celebrate Mexico's victory over the French Army in 1862. Cinco Del Mayo is really more of a celebration of Mexican culture here in the US, which brings us to this movie. South and Latin American settings and culture were also popular in American films of the 30's and 40's after the market for US movies in Europe closed due to World War II. Studios responded with movies like this one that celebrated Latin American culture and heritage...including bullfighting, a major sport in Spanish-speaking countries. How well does MGM do in representing that culture? Let's begin with the birth of the twin son and daughter of famed bullfighter Antonio Morales (Bonanova) and find out...

The Story: Morales hopes for his son Mario (Montalban) to follow in his footsteps, but his real interest is music. Mario's twin Maria (Williams) is the real bullfighting protege, but her father largely ignores her. Maria is more understanding about her brother's love of music. She sends a copy of his symphony to famous conductor Maximino Contreras (Hugo Haas). Contreras is impressed and visits the family right before Mario's first bullfight. Morales doesn't want to distract his son and dismisses the musician. 

Mario is so furious when he finds out, he walks out of the bullfighting ring after his second fight and vanishes. Hoping to save face and her family's name, Maria takes his place. Contreras has his composition played on the radio to draw him out. It does the trick...but his return to see his sister play in his place nearly ends in disaster.

The Song and Dance: This may be Williams' most unique vehicle. MGM took many pains to make this as authentic to Mexican culture as possible, including location shooting in the real Mexico. The Mexican landscapes glow in brilliant Technicolor. This was Montalban's debut as a leading man and Williams' with her name over the credits, and he in particular isn't bad as a driven musician. Actual Mexican Bononova adds authenticity and lots of bluster to his role as the father who is so determined that his son follow in his footsteps, he ignores his real talents...and that his daughter is even more talented in the ring. Mary Astor is lovely as the concerned mother, too. (I also appreciate that Maria and Mario already have committed relationships when the story begins. The real focus is on their family and ambitions, not romance.)

The Numbers: Mario's big composition that we hear throughout the film is called "Fantasia Mexicana," but it's actually based on the Aaron Copeland piece "El Salon Mexico." If "La Bamba" sounds familiar, it's today best known for the 1958 version performed by Richie Valens and the later 1987 remake. Charisse and Montalban have a fiery dance routine with her swirling in a white gown with a stunning contrasting coral red petticoat. We also get "The Mexican Hat Dance" and "La Raspa."

What I Don't Like: MGM's drive for authenticity didn't extend to the actors. Only Bononova and Montalban are actual Mexicans. Despite being a vehicle for her, Williams is about as Mexican as a hamburger and seems a bit out of place. She only gets a very brief swimming sequence, making this one of her few vehicles where she doesn't spend a ton of time in the water. John Carroll as Williams' love interest has far less to do than Cyd Charisse as Montalban's sweetheart and comes off as so bland, you can understand why Maria is reluctant to go off with him. 

The Big Finale: This wound up being far better than I thought it would from the fairly absurd premise. Fans of Montalban or Williams who want to see her in a different light will want to give this one a look. 

Home Media: DVD only from the Warner Archives. 

DVD

DVD - TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Vol. 2

Rio Rita (1942)

MGM, 1942

Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Kathryn Grayson, and John Carroll

Directed by S. Sylvan Simon

Music and Lyrics by various

Our second Abbott and Costello vehicle takes us south of the border and across Culver City to a very different studio. Apparently, MGM originally wanted to hire them, but Universal snapped them up first. They placated their rivals by allowing them to make three movies with the duo, of which this was the first. MGM opted to drop them in this lavish remake of the 1929 RKO operetta hit with Wheeler and Woosley and Bebe Daniels as the title character; it was also Grayson's first leading role. How does the story of two guys who find themselves dodging Nazis in a Mexican resort look today? Let's begin with those two guys, Doc (Abbott) and Wishy (Costello) and find out...

The Story: The two pet-store workers are stranded on the border of Mexico and Texas and are trying to get out. They stow away in the trunk of a car that belongs to popular singer Ricardo Montera (Carroll), who is on his way to the Hotel Vista del Rio for a major radio show. Wishy snags a basket of apples that turn out to be miniature radios. They belong to spies who infiltrated the hotel and intend to use the radio show to send coded messages. 

Rita Winslow (Grayson), the hotel's owner, is concerned about recent incidents and hires the duo as house detectives. She'd love for them to throw Ricardo out if the show wasn't a big deal. He was a childhood sweetheart, but left to start his career. The spies do finally get their hands on Wishy, Doc, and the codebook, but it's Wishy who finally has the last laugh.

The Song and Dance: Abbott and Costello are given the chance to see what they can do with a larger budget. While not one of MGM's blockbuster extravaganzas, this is still far above what Universal was doing with them at the time, with some genuinely funny set pieces like the knock-down, drag-out finale. The costumes are especially nice, with Grayson sporting gorgeous gowns and everyone in nifty modern Mexico-meets-Hollywood Latin fantasy costumes. Carroll, at the least, understood the turf - he played Zorro in a serial five years before - and partners Grayson well in "Long Before You Came Along." 

Favorite Number: We hear the title song over the credits and at the hotel, when Ricardo performs it. "The Rangers' Song" is mainly heard over the radio. The other major chorus number is the nifty "Brazilian Dance," with ladies in swirling ruffled Carmen Miranda-style dresses doing high kicks and big twirls for the crowds. "Long Before You Came Along" is the big duet for Rita and Ricardo after he finally gets a chance to really talk to her. "Ombres Legeres," aka "The Shadow Song," is Rita's big number at the party before the radio broadcast. Ricardo tries flirting with her, but she thinks he's chasing another woman and spreads among the other men.

What I Don't Like: First of all, as anyone who has seen the 1929 RKO Rita knows, this has nothing to do with the original Broadway show or the early sound movie besides the title song, "The Rangers' Song," two comedians and two operetta lovers south of the border, and more action than usual for a musical. I am going to admit that I actually prefer Abbott and Costello's stowaway side story over Wheeler and Woosley's slightly distasteful divorce plot, but the entire thing with the spies taking over the hotel is just too ridiculous, even for the early 40's. I think Abbott and Costello work better without MGM's frippery. Their largess and random songs get in the way more often than not, including a goofy spinning car in the beginning that doesn't pay off. 

The Big Finale: Once again, not this team's absolute best, but worth a look if you're a fan of them or Grayson.

Home Media: On streaming and DVD, the latter in a remastered edition from the Warner Archives.

DVD

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Fiesta (1941)

Hal Roach/United Artists, 1941

Starring Ann Ayers, Jorge Negrete, Armida, and George Givot

Directed by LeRoy Prinz

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's celebrate Cinco De Mayo, the day of Mexico's great victory against France in the Franco-Mexican War of 1862. While it's no longer a major holiday in most of Mexico, in the US it's still considered a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture. Hal Roach gathered many of the Mexican and Mexican-American actors working in Los Angeles in the early 40's for this feature length "Streamliner." How does the story of a Mexican lass whose boyfriend tries to win her love when she falls for a gold-digging radio star look now? Let's begin in town, right as Cholita (Ayres) is to return and wed her childhood sweetheart Jose (Negrete) and find out...

The Story: Cholita shocks everyone when she arrives with radio star Fernando (Givot) in tow and claims he's her fiance. Jose is crushed, but her uncle Don Hernandez (Antonio Moreno) suggests he and two friends of his pose as bandits to reveal how cowardly Fernando really is. Meanwhile. Cholita's friend wealthy friend Cuca (Armida) has her own heart set on Fernando...and he's not exactly saying no to her riches...

The Song and Dance: Colorful and charming for a low-budget comedy. Ayers was a star at the time with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and she gets to show off her luminous soprano in several numbers. Armida, who had been playing fiery senoritas since the early talkie era, steals the show as the rich lady who knows what she likes and doesn't care how much of a coward Fernando is or isn't. The Technicolor sets and costumes are gorgeous for a B-musical, with brightly patterned or pastel dresses for the ladies and fancy embroidered suits, sombreros, and woven ponchos for the men.

I also like the relatively accurate casting. With the exception of Jose's two friends (played by Italian-American actors), Givot (who was Russian-born), Ayres (American), and the narrator, most of the cast are actual Mexicans and Spaniards. They add a layer of authenticity to the simple story. Several of the songs are even in untranslated Spanish.

Favorite Number: In fact, we open with one of those untranslated numbers, "El Ralajo," which Jose sings as he arrives to prepare for his wedding. Jose also gets "Ride Mi Caballeros" with his buddies when they pretend to turn bandits. His buddies Pedro (Nick Moro) and Pablo (Frank Yaconelli) claim to be "The Two Bravest Hombres In All Mexico"...when in reality, they're even bigger cowards than Fernando. 

Cholita claims "I'll Never Forget Fiesta" after she's arrived home, despite her father's disapproval of her new sweetheart. The Guadalarja Trio join Cholita and the chorus for the gentle ballad "La Golondria" as Cholita's uncle claims Jose has turned bandit. Cuca's "Never Trust a Jumping Bean" has goofy lyrics, but she's obviously enjoying it, wiggling her hips and having a great time with the catchy tune. "Quien Sabe" is is heard three times, as a number for Jose and the Trio, as a duet for Jose and Cholita, and as a chorus number for a group of lively gypsy dancers.

Trivia: Ann Ayers never made a big splash in films, but she eventually became a major soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and would sing in the opera-based film Tales of Hoffman.  

What I Don't Like: The story is pretty silly, and maybe even a little on the stereotypical side. It's fine for the 45-minute run time, but this isn't the place for you if you like your musicals on the darker or meatier side. Most of the "stereotypes" are ironically perpetuated by Jose's buddies Pedro and Pablo, the ones played by Italian-Americans. They were probably harmless in the 40's, but may mildly offend some folks today. Ayers is blank and dull when she isn't singing, and despite being seven years younger than Armida, looks at least a decade older. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough way to pass an hour when you're bored online if you can get past some of the more overt stereotypes. 

Home Media: Beware - several free sites have this instead of the 1947 Fiesta with Esther Williams, even if they have the 1947 version listed. (Among those with this under the wrong title are Flex and YouTube.) Amazon Prime currently has it for free under the correct listing.

DVD

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Holiday In Mexico

MGM, 1946

Starring Jane Powell, Walter Pidgeon, Roddy McDowell, and Ilona Massey

Directed by George Sidney

Music and Lyrics by various

We jump over the border from Southern California to Mexico to celebrate Cinco De Mayo and honor Mexico's independence with this story about a teenager trying to show her father how independent she is. This was Jane Powell's first movie at MGM, and it would set the standard for most of her vehicles through the rest of the decade - teen in exotic location helps her single parent find romance, while looking for love of her own. How well does the formula work south of the border? Let's begin with two animated birds who wonder why the telephone line at the home of Ambassador Jefferey Evans (Pidgeon) is always busy and find out...

The Story: The phone is always tied up because his teenage daughter Christie (Powell) is usually gossiping on it about her father and her friends. He has high hopes that she'll her old friend Stanley Owen (McDowell) as boyfriend material, but she thinks he's too babyish and considers herself to be too busy running her father's household. He shoves her into attending Stanley's sixteenth birthday party; she retaliates by giving Stanley one of his pipes. She's more interested in setting up a party for her father and the French Ambassador (Mikhail Rasuhmny). Yvette, the ambassador's daughter (Helene Stanley), has a crush on her father and begs to come.

Christine gets her own first crush on an older man when she asks pianist Jose Iturbi (himself) to play at the party. She also invites lovely Hungarian singer Countess Toni Karpathy (Massey), not realizing her father once had a relationship with her. The party is a success, other than she's so busy, she forgets to dress herself and misses half of it. She's not happy when her father starts spending more time with Toni and even drags Stanley to a nightclub to spy on them. She's thrilled when Iturbi is so impressed with her ability to run a household, he asks her to sing at his concert. She thinks he loves her, but learns the hard way that not every first romance turns out like we expected.

The Song and Dance: Powell's first vehicle at MGM is a charming confection, beautifully showing off not only her gorgeous soprano, but Massey's as well. McDowell matches her well in one of his earlier roles as the slightly nerdy teen boy who wishes Christine would see him as more than a friend. Pidgeon is far more personable than the men who usually play Powell's fathers in these films; you really do feel his genuine affection for her, and their relationship is lovely and believable. MGM spared no expense on her first production, either, with lavish gowns for the ladies and stunning Technicolor sets.

Favorite Number: We start off with Christine singing "Italian Street Song" over the phone, not knowing it's the French Ambassador listening in. Xavier Cugat, his little dog, and his Orchestra play "Yo Te Amo Much - And That's That" amid swirling dancers in pink and green peasant dresses and tall hats. Massey sings the traditional folk song "Csak Egy Szep Lany" in peasant costume at a nightclub in Pidgeon's first flashback sequence, and she's ravishing enough to make you understand why she fell for her. 

Iturbi's first solo number is the "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor." It's done artfully, with the orchestra and Iturbi reflected in the smooth instrument. He and his real-life wife Amparo perform "Polonaise In A Flat. Opus 53" together for their grandchildren. "I Think of You" is the song Christine sings with Iturbi that causes her to fall for him. They later do "Les filles de Cadiz" together. "Ave Maria" is her number at the concert. For a kid singing with a hundred-piece orchestra in front of a huge audience, she performs beautifully.

Trivia: "Why So Gloomy?" a number Powell sings with a grumpy Asian boy, was filmed but cut. It exists in full and can be found on the "Musical Jukebox" disc with the 2004 That's Entertainment box set.

Powell and McDowell became close friends while making this movie; Powell later said McDowell was one of the only friends she had at MGM at this point. 

One of two movies with Fidel Castro as an extra; he supposedly is in the crowd scenes. 

What I Don't Like: Like most of Powell's vehicles from the late 40's, this is lightweight romantic comedy fluff that doesn't pretend to be anything else. It might be a little more realistic if Powell fell for any musician but Iturbi, who is a rather dull man with no personality beyond his piano playing. He's also old enough to be her grandfather (and has grandchildren), as several characters point out. Not to mention, all the Iturbi and Cugat in the world can't give this more than a drop of real Mexican flavor. It probably could have been set anywhere, swapping out Iturbi and Cugat for other localized orchestras and older musicians, without changing a beat. It's also way too long, with too many numbers that do nothing but pad out the story. 

The Big Finale: Charming way to pass two hours on TCM if you're a fan of Powell, McDowell, Pidgeon, or the MGM musicals of the 1940's. 

Home Media: Currently DVD-only from the Warner Archives.

DVD

You Were Never Lovelier

Columbia Pictures, 1942
Starring Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, Adolph Menjou, and Isobel Elsom
Directed by William A. Seiter
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

We're taking a trip down to South America today in honor of Cinco Del Mayo for the second of two movies to pair Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. This romantic comedy with music was based after a popular Argentine comedy; it wound up being a huge hit over here as well, including three Oscar nominations. How does the story of a dancer who finds himself tangled with an Argentinian beauty and her family look now? Let's start at the race tracks in Buenos Aires and find out...

The Story: In need of money after losing big at the tracks, American dancer Bob Davis (Astaire) goes to the owner of the Sky Room nightclub Eduardo Acuna (Menjou). His fussy receptionist Fernando (Gus Schilling) won't let him pass, but Xavier Cugat (himself) finds Bob a job singing at Acuna's daughter's wedding. Acuna has a rule that each of his four daughters must get married in turn. It's now Maria's (Hayworth) turn to marry. She hasn't found anyone she likes yet, to the despair of her younger sisters who have found beaus they wish to wed.

After Bob claims Maria has an icy personality, Eduardo writes love notes attached to orchids to fan her flame and put her in a more romantic mood. She has no idea who sent them, until she sees Bob delivering them for her father at the door and assumes it's him. Eduardo convinces Bob to try to steer her away from him in exchange for doing his dance at the club (at a later date). Bob's too charming for it to work, and he and Maria fall for each other instead. Now both men have to figure out how to keep up the deception without hurting Maria or muddling things further.

The Song and Dance: A terrific cast and one of Jerome Kern's best scores makes this a vast improvement over the earlier Astaire-Hayworth vehicle You'll Never Get Rich. Menjou is a delight as Maria's stubborn, overprotective father, who wants to see his daughter married off as per tradition to someone who'll make him happy. I also like sarcastic Isobel Elsom as Maria's godmother, who was once in love with Eduardo herself. There's some wonderfully funny moments with the fussy secretary Fernando as well when he constantly tries to get Bob out of the office, with little success.

Favorite Number: The Oscar-nominated ballad "Dearly Beloved" shows up twice, first as a solo song for Astaire with Cugat's orchestra at the wedding, then as a brief, sexy dance for Hayworth after she thinks Astaire is the one for her. Astaire considered the Latin-tinged "Audition Dance" at the office to be one of his best, and it does make good use of the enclosed space. "The Shorty George" is a dynamic dance routine for Astaire and Hayworth at the club that radiates fun and is a joy to watch.

The big number here is "I'm Old Fashioned." Not only is it my favorite song from the score, but it gets a number worthy of it too, with Astaire and Hayworth dancing on the romantic patio of her family's home. It's gorgeous and lovely, and makes me wish Astaire went back for a third go-around with Hayworth.

Trivia: The rehearsal halls at Columbia were all full, so Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth worked on their complicated numbers together in a room over Hollywood Cemetary.

What I Don't Like: Not only is the story fluffy and rather silly, but it's very dated. Even the movie acknowledges how old-fashioned Eduardo's views on love and marriage were and are. While the costumes are appropriately glamorous, the sets don't really look much like Buenos Aries. This probably could have been set anywhere in South America - or anywhere on the globe - and worked just fine.

The Big Finale: Worth catching for Astaire and Hayworth and the fabulous music alone.

Home Media: The DVD is currently out of print, but you can find it on TCM and The Criterion Channel with a subscription.

DVD

Animation Celebration Double Feature - Saludos Amigos & The Three Caballeros

And saludos to all of you! In honor of Cinco Del Mayo, the Mexican celebration of independence, we're going to join Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, Goofy, and Panchito the Rooster in their exploration of the culture, music, and beauty...including feminine beauty...of Latin and South America. Why don't we join the Disney animators as they board a plane bound for Lake Titicaca and other points south to see how well these unusual animated anthologies hold up today?

Saludos Amigos
Disney, 1943
Voices of Clarence Nash, Pinto Colvig, and Jose Olivera
Directed by Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney and others
Music by Ary Barroso and others

The Story: The tale of Disney's animators traveling south of the border to soak up inspiration for their work is actually split into four shorts.

Lake Titicaca: Donald visits the title lake on the border of Peru and Chile, where he watches the locals at work and attempts to ride a stubborn llama at high altitudes.

Pedro: Pedro is a baby plane who must deliver the mail when his big daddy plane gets a bad cold. He finds it easy to fly over the Andes at first, until he runs almost headlong into Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America!

El Gaucho Goofy: American cowboy Goofy finds himself thrown into the Argentinian Pampas (grasslands), where he must learn to dance, catch a fast-moving rhea, and eat his barbecued meat in the gaucho manner.

Aquarela do Brasil: Rio De Janeiro native Jose Carioca is introduced in this lovely watercolor tribute to Brazil and Carnival.

The Animation: The Donald and Goofy shorts are pretty par for the course for this era. More care was put into "Pedro," with its rugged mountains and chilly snow storms, and the beautiful "Aqualera do Brasil."

The Song and Dance: "Aquarela" is by far my favorite of the four shorts. The watercolor animation is genuinely gorgeous, and the songs "Brasil" and "Tico-Tico no fuba" are as lovely and lively as the animation. Jose makes a nice, laid-back contrast to Donald, and he's voiced by actual Brazilian Jose Olivera to boot. While the animation isn't as creative, there are some fun gags in "El Gaucho Goofy" and "Lake Titicaca."

Trivia: Most versions of "El Gaucho Goofy" currently on DVD and streaming edit out a sequence of cowboy Goofy smoking a cigarette. Apparently, the unedited version can be found as a bonus feature on the DVD of the documentary on the making of these movies, Walt & El Grupo.

At 42 minutes, this is the shortest Disney animated movie to date.

What I Don't Like: First of all, it's too short. They could have added at least one more cartoon, maybe representing Columbia or Venezuela. "Pedro" has it's moments, but it's ultimately too cutesy. The Goofy and Donald segments feel more like their typical cartoons set in South America than something that really represents those countries.

The Big Finale: The short length and mostly comic shorts makes it an ideal introduction to South America and Donald Duck for younger children; animation fans and older kids may find more to enjoy in the follow-up The Three Caballeros (see below).

Home Media: The solo Gold Collection DVD is out of print, but not hard to find, and it's on several streaming platforms. I'd still recommend looking for it paired with the similar Three Caballeros (below).

DVD
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The Three Caballeros
Disney, 1944
Voices of Clarence Nash, Jose Olivera, Joaquin Garay, and Aurora Miranda
Directed by Norman Ferguson, Jack Kinney and others
Music by Agustin Lara, Manuel Esperon, and others

The Story: It's Donald's birthday, and he's gotten many gifts from his friends south of the border. The first gift is a reel-to-reel camera that shows three shorts:

The Cold-Blooded Penguin: After introducing several native South American birds (including the wacky Aracuan Bird), we go way south to Antarctica learn more about Pablo, a penguin who wishes to head to somewhere warmer. He's constantly thwarted in his quest, until he turns his igloo home into a raft. Even then, he runs into trouble when his home melts and starts to sink.

The Flying Donkey: A young lad from Uruguay discovers a donkey that can fly in the Andes. They become great friends, and he even enters the little fellow in a local race

At the conclusion of the shorts, we flip over to a pop-up book from Jose Carioca on Baia in his native Brazil, which introduces a beautiful live-action cookie singer (Miranda) and Donald's lusty overtures to anything female. After dancing with Yaya, Panchito the Mexican Rooster comes in to show Donald the Mexican Christmas tradition Las Posadas and dances native to Mexico and Latin America on a magic carpet ride. The movie ends with them singing the title song...and Donald's libido going wild, first on a trip to the beaches of Acapulco, then in a colorful, surreal finale that has pretty girls turning into flowers, cacti, and other Latin American motifs.

The Animation: The first two shorts are, once again, par for the course in this era. The rest is a lot more creative. The live-action/animation combination still looks pretty good to this day, particularly Don dancing with Yaya and chasing after all the girls at the beach in Acapulco. The finale is a stunner, with its blooming girls-into-flowers and swirling cowgirls who become cacti.

The Song and Dance: Wow, does this one get weird. It doesn't start that way, but by the end, you start to seriously wonder what kind of drugs were being consumed at the Disney studios in the 1940's. The work of Mary Blair, the Disney artist who would later go on to do animation for Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland, and Peter Pan and would help do the designs for the "It's a Small World" ride, is all over this movie, especially in the "Las Posadas" sequence and the finale.

And once again, I applaud Disney for its use of actual Mexicans and South Americans in this film, both behind the camera and the microphone.

Favorite Number: The title song is by far the most famous song from either of these films. Don, Jose, and Panchito are hilarious, especially when they're trying to figure out how to end Panchito's long final note! I also love the real-life folk dances in Mexico, with their colorful and fun native costumes, and that bonkers finale to "You Belong to My Heart."

What I Don't Like: That infamous finale really gets a little too weird, especially for what's supposed to be a goofy Donald Duck vehicle. Let's just say, if you're expecting anything like the relatively subdued Saludos Amigos or a typical Donald short, you'll probably be as baffled as critics and most audiences in 1944. Donald chasing after anything in a skirt may be a bit PG-rated for many audiences today as well.

The Big Finale: By far my favorite of the two "Donald South of the Border" films, if only for the creative animation and great music and dancing. If you're a fan of Donald too, enjoy truly deranged animation, or want to take a lighthearted-but-loony look at our neighbors in Latin and South America, this one is definitely worth a look.

Home Media: Once again, the solo Gold Collection DVD is out of print, as is the original DVD set featuring both films. If you love Donald or these movies, your best bet may be to stream them or look for the Blu-Ray set.

Blu-Ray - Saludos Amigos & The Three Caballeros
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