Customer Reviews

Down Argentine Way [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Down Argentine Way is a delightful, light fare type of early 1940s movie musical that should charm just about anyone who loves this type of motion picture. We get fine performances from great stars including Betty Grable, Don Ameche, Carmen Miranda and the incredible dancing Nicholas Brothers! The plot moves along at a good pace and the acting was quite convincing.

The action starts when horse lover Glenda Crawford (Betty Grable) and her mother Binnie Crawford (Charlotte Greenwood) are at the racetrack--once again. It seems the Crawford family has always loved horses and they race them, too. Glenda sees a fine race horse and she wants to buy the horse--trouble is, however, that the horse belongs to crabby Don Diego Quintana (Henry Stephenson), who harbors a long and somewhat silly personal grudge against Willis Crawford, the patriarch of the Crawford family.

Anyway, Glenda and Binnie go to Argentina after their first attempt to buy horses from Quintana doesn't go over very well. It's also not long before Glenda falls in love with Quintana's son Ricardo Quintana (Don Ameche) who is equally charmed by Glenda. The young couple tries to pass Glenda Crawford off to Don Quintana as Glenda Cunningham in the hopes that he will like her and then not care if she's a Crawford; but that too has its complications.

Meanwhile there's a horse bred for racing--will Don Quintana ever let the horse race? It's a flimsy subplot but the few horse races that we do see in this film enhance the action; and that's all right by me!

Look for some excellent song and dance numbers--remember, these plots were practically just excuses for the studio to film fabulous song and dance numbers. Rumor has it that after the public first saw The Nicholas Brothers dance they cheered so much the projectionist had to rewind the film to show their scene again! Charlotte Greenwood also scores big with her nearly unbelievable ability to kick way high with her legs as she merrily dances in another number. Betty Grable dances very well, too. In addition, this film marks Carmen Miranda's film debut; she sings a couple of songs during the movie as well as a brief tune at the very beginning of the movie. Carmen sparkles even when they weren't playing her up as much as they did in later films!

The DVD comes with a superlative extra on the life and times of Betty Grable. She really did seem like an especially sweet gal who actually didn't want too much out of life and enjoyed her private family life as best as she could. The quality of the still photos in the extra on Betty Grable is excellent. There is also a running but optional commentary for people who want to know what went on behind the scenes as this movie was being filmed. Great!

Overall, Down Argentine Way is a musical well worth seeing. I usually reserve five stars for a MGM musical; but this time Fox really did it up right! Fans of classic movie musicals cannot afford to miss this one!

I thought this movie would have a few fun Carmen Miranda numbers and not much else. It actually has very little of Carmen (but what's there is good), LOTS of goregous scenery, and even more gorgeous horses. Betty Grable is fine, Don Ameche does a Spanish accent surprisingly well, and Charlotte Greenwood adds class, energy, and pizazz as she always does. The plot is predictable but fun, and not entirely typical. Unlike some musicals, where you sit through most of it just waiting for the big production number at the end, this movie is packed with one interesting sight and sound after another, making it fly by in no time. Also watch for the amazing tap dancing by the Nicholas brothers.

Why doesn't Fox release any of Betty Grable's classics on DVD? This Technicolor blonde is suspiciously absent from the DVD market, and all her movies need to be released NOW. This title, her first starring role, is one of her best. This fun little Technicolor trip down to South America co-starring with Carmen Miranda and Don Ameche is a knockout, and few movies today can come close to that!

Grable was pulled from a Broadway show to replace an ailing Alice Faye in this musical/travelogue. And she made the most of her big break. Silly story about racehorses, but the moment Betty steps onto the dance floor and goes into the title number, the viewer is well and truly hooked.Her first major appearance in Technicolor,La Grable was a knockout - peaches and cream ... all over! Lively comedy, hot dance routines from the Nicholas Brothers, and the U.S. screen debut of the Brazilian bombshell, Carmen Miranda. Trivia note: columnists wrote of this as Grable's comeback movie - but it was only the start of her glittering 14-year reign at 20th CF as their top musical attraction. Well worth viewing.

This film was originally designed for Alice Faye, but she got appendicitis as the last minute, and Grable was substituted to avoid financial losses. While the film is very good and everything, it is obvious that it was more designed for Faye, the singer, than Grable, the dancer. While Betty has some good dance scenes, they seem to be rather thrown in haphazardly.

The plot centers around super-rich Grable, who is buying horses, and falling in love with Don Ameche, the owner of said horses. There are the usual romantic entaglements and problems, but eventually they wind up together. Charlotte Greenwood is excellent as Grable's aunt and provides most of the comic effect in the movie. Watch for her phrases with double meanings (no, not sexual ones) They're wonderful!

Also, watch for Carmen Miranda's film debut. Fox was a little uncertain about their new south-of-the-border commodity, and they didn't give her the LAVISH screen treatment and dance numbers they did in later films, but she does well as a nightclub singer. She also doesn't have any speaking parts, and her song is in Portuguese, but it features the debut of "Mama Yo Queiro" and "South American Way."

Basically, this film is enjoyable if you are a Grable or Miranda fan, but otherwise, there is little to hold it together. I rather think it would have been better with Faye, even if it did jump-start Grable's remarkable career.

Ricardo Quintana (Don Ameche) brings a group of horses to the States form his ranch in the Argentine Pampas where his father raises the thoroughbreds. Ricardo is supposed to sell the animals to a wealthy New Yorker and her mother. However, when he arrives, he disovers that the two families have a feud of long standing........Originally Alice Faye was to play the lead of Glenda Crawford, but bowed out due to illness; the part was given to Betty Grable, and the role did much to pave the way towards her stardom in Fox musicals. Grable was noted for her pleasant demeanor, peaches-and-cream complexion, shapely legs along with her simple but pleasant singing and dancing talents. This Technicolor delight from 1940 introduced the "Brazilian Bombshell", Carmen Miranda to movie audiences in America and she was a hit. By no means a beauty, she had energy galore and personality plus: here she sang SOUTH i.e."SOUSE" AMERICAN WAY, MAMA YO QUIERO & the forgotton BAMBU. There are acrobatic tap numbers done by the great Nicholas Brothers and the ever delightful Charlotte Greenwood wisecracks and does her celebrated amazing high kicks - which, once seen, are never forgotton! - in her SING TO YOUR SENORITA duet with Leonid Kinsey.

Down Argentine Way opens with the energetic and unforgettable Carmen Miranda, making her film debut. This wonderful Technicolor musical made Betty Grable a major star at Fox. Her star would shine for over a decade. Betty Grable and Don Ameche are brought together by their love of race horses and they would soon fall in love with each other. Charlotte Greenwood does a high-kicking dance number, but it is the Nicholas Brothers who steal the spotlight when it comes to dancing. Their dance routine is amazing. Carmen Miranda shines in a second song performed in a night club. This delightful Technicolor musical sparkles from the opening credits to the big rousing finale.

Typically escapist Technicolor Fox wartime musical with the handsome Don Ameche, the gorgeous Betty Grable, the marvelous Charlotte Greenwood and the glittering Carmen Miranda as herself. Set against a backdrop of horse racing and Latin America, Grable jockeys to buy a horse from Ameche and falls for his Latin charms. The plot is somewhat stronger here than in other Fox extravanganzas with serious consideration to the racing aspects of the story but there are musical numbers galore and Travis Banton costumes to match. The Technicolor is ravishing as is the photography. Laugh (or groan) at the cornball characterizations and stereotypical views of Latins as hustlers or Romeos but the film is justifiably beautiful to look at. And as usual, there's a joyous "feel-good" theme running throughout meant to bolster the morale of the Nation during WW2. Grable even wears a red, white and blue gown at one point. The DVD print is stunning. Very much a relic of it's era and a nostalgic reminder of what movies were about before TV. A collector's item for sure with lobby cards included and other extras.

This film could win just for the costumes alone. It's so colorful and beautiful. The story line is very good, and Bette Grable is more beautiful then ever. The tunes are catchy, and Don Ameche makes a very handsome leading man. It's a film well worth seeing.

Wonderful FOX musical with great Technicolor! Carmen Miranda's first U.S. film. Although she appears in only three numbers and has no speaking part she almost steals the show from Grable! The public wanted to see more of her and they did with Carmen making more musicals for FOX and becoming the highest paid actress in Hollywood at that time. Though her career was brief (only14 U.S. Films) she left a lasting impression. Grable shows off her gams and peaches and cream complexion with Don Ameche in this Argentine horse racing themed picture. Charlotte Greenwood does her traditional high kick number and other supporting cast members show their stuff...the Nicholas Brothers are superb! This time all the mini-lobby cards are there...unlike the "Weekend in Havana" DVD where only one was included in the beautiful packaging. However in the brochure one photo that was used was not from this film nor was Betty Grable in it that movie, it was Miranda's only top billing in the Fox Musical "Greenwich Village". All in all this is a terrific DVD...now lets hope for more Grable/Miranda films on DVD...FOX, what are you waiting for????