Rogue of the Rio Grande

Other than the presence of Myrna Loy with a tinny voice as a Mexican saloon singer there would not be much interest in this poverty row western quickie today, God only knows Myrna Loy got stuck in this one.

The title role in Rogue Of The Rio Grande is played by Jose Bohr who later became a big name in the cinema south of the border. No indication in this film as his character El Malo comes off as a cut rate Cisco Kid. The story has Bohr seeking out someone pulling off robberies in his name. Can't have any chiselers operating.

Loy is the cantina singer El Malo loves. She has more going for her than a tiny tinny singing voice.

But believe me you'd never pick tis women t be a future screen legend on the strength of Rogue Of The Rio Grande.

In this early talkie, José Bohl plays a Mexican bandit who robs a bank and then hides out with his posse. While at the local watering hole, he gets his girlfriend mad by becoming enamored with the nightclub dancer, Myrna Loy. Will he stick around and let the sheriff get him, or will he abandon his new love in search of safety?

As Carmita, Myrna Loy's Spanish accent was so horrid, I couldn't tell if she was trying to be Mexican or Chinese. She was in good company, though. No one else in the movie could act their way out of a paper bag. You might wonder why Myrna even became a star when she made movies like this. She was willing to be typecast as a femme fatale, prance around in her skivvies (or nothing at all), and in early Hollywood, that was a ticket to stardom. You don't have to watch this movie unless she's your favorite actress and you want to see everything she ever did. She looks really pretty in this movie, but all she does is dance and speak badly. José is handsome, but there are countless other Mexican bandit movies with handsome leading men you can watch. Try the Cisco Kid series.

"Rogue of the Rio Grande" is the sort of film they just wouldn't have made much later than 1930. It's the sort of VERY archaic talkie that amazed crowds at the time but seemed very outmoded very quickly. Part of it is the quality of the sound and staginess of the production. Part of it is because the singing is pretty terrible and audiences of the mid-1930s came to expect much better than this.

The film stars Myrna Loy in her first talking role--and a few years before she became famous with the Thin Man movies. She's a Mexican lady who sings in an old-time cantina--and she makes up for her lack of singing quality by singing loudly! I am not sure if it's really her singing--but it isn't very pleasant--as it's very high-pitched and sound a bit like a Mexican opera as sung by someone with a mediocre voice. It's not terrible but it also isn't what folks today would think is good, either. But, at least Loy is rather pretty.

Much of the film consists of various Frito Bandito-like bandits chasing women and talking...a lot. It's very talky--just like so many of these early sound films. And, all of the actors seem VERY stereotypical--with very exaggerated accents and costumes that seemed BIG and almost, at times, comical (and Loy's was VERY comical). Beneath all this, there must be a plot--though it really was slow and didn't seem to get going for a very, very long time. It seems that el Malo (great name) is a baddie that the local law wants to capture. Now it's obvious to everyone but the law who el Malo is--and it seems that sooner or later they MUST catch on. But el Malo is very smart and like the Cisco Kid, you assume that this bandito will prevail by the end of the film. Unfortunately, by the time any discernible plot arrives, you also are pretty tired of the whole thing. Dull, poorly made in every way and not even good for a laugh. It's hard to imagine that Myrna Loy went on to a HUGE career after this sad little film.

Decent little oater about El Malo, a quixotic Robin Hood type Mexican bandit who falls in love with a singing Myrna Loy. Superior talent (writer Oliver Drake among them), fine staging and good acting serve to make this a pleasant way to kill an hour or two.