Down Argentine Way [DVD] [1940]

She,s back , BETTY GRABLE the top moneymaking star in the history of motion pictures. back on DVD "Down Argentine Way" made in 1940 in gorgeous Technicolor show cases this Hollywood dynamo, with her Million Dollar Legs well displayed with support from Carmen Miranda, Charllotte Greenwood and Don Ameche, this DVD is the restoration edition, 20th Century fox had the best Technicolor photography in the 1940,s and this Grable starrer takes us into the realms of "Argentine" horse race community al'a Fox,s take on these matters, this DDVD with its sister DVD released in America "Pin Up - Girl" another Technicolor confection Betty Grable in Technicolor is a beauty to behold.

Fox's studio head,Zanuck, intended to capitalise on the excitement generated by Portuguese-born Brazilian singer Carmen Miranda in New York with her Latin-South American music. He proposed an Argentinian location filming with the established Fox stars.(Much was filmed in the Fox studios). Alice Faye announced shortly before the picture shoot that she didn't want to make the film (although her costumes had already been made and the script finalised). She went into hospital. The concensus was it was an appendicectomy which Alice later said was not the case. It did lead to the studio finding another blue-eyed blond good looker by the name of Betty Grable to take the lead role.

Two new actresses presented to the public on film for the first time seemed risky but they both became,as we now know, legendary. Down Argentine Way is a quickly moving,delightfully relaxing and and enjoyable film presented in 1940's Technicolor. An American heiress Glenda Crawford (Betty Grable) loves horses and wants to purchase a thoroughbred off Ricardo Quintana (Don Ameche). The problem is that Ricardo's father Don Diego Quintana (Henry Stephenson) refuses to have any dealings with the Crawford family due to an old feud (over a girl it later transpires) with Willis Crawford, the family head. In pursuit of her love of horses she flies to Argentina with her mother Binnie Crawford (Charlotte Greenwood) also interested in horses and racing. Glenda meets Ricardo and falls in love, the feelings later reciprocated by Ricardo. After an eye-catching dramatic and important horse race old family differences and squabbles are put to rest.

Plenty of singing and dancing. Charlotte Greenwood is solid as an actress but a revelation with her high-kicking dance and singing (Sing To Your Seniorita). Betty Grable dances excellently with glimpses of the famous legs and gives an overall attractive film debut. Don Ameche is a favourite leading man and delivers himself with a reasonable Spanish accent. Carmen Miranda opens the film with a song and a shimmy, subsequently to appear in a night club where she sings two numbers (Mama Yo Quiera and Bambu). Nothing to do with the storyline but she certainly makes an unforgettable impression on the viewer. The outstanding Nicholas Brothers again make an appearance with their best routine I can remember. Fast,flexible double-jointed dancing is remarkable.Sheer delight. An entertaining film poorly received in Argentina as portraying the native population in a patronising Hispanic way. It was, however, phenomenally successful for Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda (she even talks in later films!). The title song,performed by Don Ameche and Betty, was Oscar nominated. A vintage entertaining film.

"Down Argentine Way" is important historically: it was the first of a string of sensationally successful 20th Century Fox Technicolor musicals in the 40's: it was the first to be influenced by the "Good Neighbour Policy" designed to curry favour with USA's neighbouring countries, following the loss of European markets after 1939 - later movies in the series highlighted Brazil("That Night in Rio"), Cuba ("Weekend in Havana") and Canada ("Springtime in the Rockies"): it was also the film to make Betty Grable a star, after 10 years of undistinguished supporting roles in Hollywood - she was eventually to become Fox's top female star: and it introduced Carmen Miranda to a worldwide audience.
The lightweight story concerns a romance between an Argentinian horse-breeder (Don Ameche) and a New York society beauty (Grable) eventually overcoming the disapproval of Ameche's father (Henry Stephenson), but it is mainly an excuse for some colourful song and dance numbers (music by Harry Warren). Don Ameche reveals himself as the owner of a pleasant singing voice (and in Spanish, too!), Betty Grable shakes a mean hoof and looks luscious in colour (she got this break because Alice Faye was unavailable for the role), and Carmen Miranda sings two songs in a cabaret interlude as well as introducing the film with "South American Way". Her sequences were filmed in New York as because of her theatre engagements they could not be filmed in Hollywood.For this film she was in effect merely one of a number of speciality acts, a feature of musicals at the time, but she was so sensational that Zanuck took the unprecedented step of giving her star billing. Another speciality act featured the very talented Nicholas Brothers, one of their very best appearances. The comedy support is well handled by Charlotte Greenwood as Grable's aunt, Leonid Kinskey as an escort/gigolo, and J. Carrol Naish as a wily trainer. None of the main unit of course went anywhere near Argentina, only the second unit gathering some establishing shots of Buenos Aires, and in fact the film caused such offence by caricaturing Latin American types that it was initially banned in Argentina (so much for the Good Neighbour policy!). Everyone else loved it though! And it is still immensely enjoyable.
Extras include a featurette on Betty Grable, a still photo gallery, and small lobby card copies.