Rumba

If you didn't know George Raft (also known as the man who turned down Casablanca) got his start as a ballroom dancer, you've got to rent one of his early movies, in which he shows off his dancing skills. I picked Rumba because I thought any movie full of rumba dances couldn't be bad.

Well, the laugh's on me. This movie is really stinky. George Raft may be very handsome, and it's fun to see him flapping his legs during a few specialty numbers with the beautiful Margo, but if you're actually looking for a good movie, this isn't it. Carole Lombard costars as a society girl who accidentally annoys George by winning a lottery ticket he got swindled out of. Later when she sees him dancing at a nightclub, she likes the way he moves and asks for private lessons. That's about it. You can watch it if you want to, but have another movie handy for a double feature.

"Rumba" is George Raft's best Latino film and that's not saying much. He at least gets to play a New Yorker, albeit a New Yorker of Cuban descent hanging out in Havana because gangsters in the States are out to get him. That idea is actually more exciting than the events that play out.

Carole Lombard gets some strong closeups and looks lovely. She plays a bored socialite a little too well, never seeming to rise above ennui even when she's dancing. She gets some nice little bits of dialogue but mostly could have phoned this one in.

Because of his sensual Latin looks, Paramount seemed insistent on making Raft do the sensual Latin dances. Sure, he could dance the rumba OK, but it is nothing like the hot style of dancing that made him famous as the "fastest dancer in New York" back in the '20s. Only in the first dance number in "Rumba" do we get a very brief glimpse of this.

Overall, this is hardly an important film for anyone - but look fast: Ann Sheridan is among the mass of dancers.

RUMBA (Paramount, 1935), directed by Marion Gering, reunites George Raft and Carole Lombard, following their initial teaming of BOLERO (1934). Hoping to recapture the success of BOLERO, the studio came up with RUMBA, not a sequel but more of a rehash or follow-up story featuring its initial players in different character roles. Unlike BOLERO, RUMBA is seldom revived nor discussed. After a few revivals on public television in the 1980s, RUMBA has disappeared completely. As much as many might label RUMBA inferior to BOLERO, the film in itself gets by through its usual story, with the dancing being the highlight of the shortcomings of the plot, even though Raft and Lombard were no match the current dancing craze phase of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

The story opens in Cuba where Joe Martin (George Raft), an egotistic dancer accompanied by his dancing partner, Goldie Allen (Iris Adrian), finds that his lottery ticket bearing the number of 17171 has won $5,000. As he goes to collect his winnings, it so happens that Diana Harrison (Carole Lombard), an American socialite vacationing in Cuba with her fiance, Hobart "Harvey" Fletcher (Monroe Owsley), also has won the lottery bearing the exact same number. It so happens that Joe's ticket is a forgery sold to him by a corrupt peddler. While Diane is in the right, Joe holds a grudge against her. As Diane and company come to the Rolling Tar Club, they spot the dance act of Joe and Goldie. Feeling Joe needs the money more than she, Diana approaches Joe in his dressing room with her thoughts, but finds Joe's pride won't let him accept money, especially from a woman. After being dismissed from the club, Joe accepts Diana's wager that he couldn't form a dance act and club for himself. After meeting Carmelita (Margo) in a gift shop, Joe invites her to accompany him at a fiesta where he witnesses a new dance craze called the Rumba, with intentions of using it as his new dance act with Carmelita as his new dancing partner. Known for having a mind of an elephant, for that elephants never forget, Joe and his friend and newspaper reporter, Flash (Lynne Overman) join forces in forming El Elephante Club where Joe dances under a new name of Jose Martinez. Once again Joe meets up with Diana and party as patrons, with Diana wanting Joe to become her rumba dancing teacher. While slowly becoming attracted to each other, Carmelita breaks them up. Returning to New York, Diana's father tells her about Joe's involvement with the underworld with mobsters out to rub him out if he should return to New York. At the risk of his own life, Joe comes to New York anyway to perform his dance act, publicized as "The Dance of Death."

Other in the cast include Virginia Hammond (Mrs. Harrison); Paul Porcasi, Soledad Jimenez, Jameson Thomas and Akim Tamiroff. While Gail Patrick appears Patsy Fletcher, Diana's society friend, they would reunite as rival sisters in the comedy classic opposite William Powell in MY MAN GODFREY (Universal, 1936). As much as there were a couple of songs vocalized, done entirely in Spanish, only "The Rhythm of the Rumba" featuring its interpretation to the history of the Rumba dance from past to present, is a ten minute expansion to the five minute dance finale to 1934s BOLERO, and moderately staged.

Surprisingly short for 71 minutes, RUMBA did not earn a third Raft-Lombard collaboration to Spanish dance titles as TANGO or CARIOCA for example. Raft would dance again in his future films, but is better known and admired most for his tough guy image in playing gangster or detective types. As much as Lombard excelled best in comedy, she displayed her talent for heavy dramatics as well, namely RKO Radio's IN NAME ONLY (1939) and VIGIL IN THE NIGHT (1940).

To date, the availability of RUMBA can be found on DVD through Vintage Film Buff, accompanied by BOLERO, Raft's favorite movie role. Both worthy companion pieces of the two movies featuring the short-lived dance team of Raft and Lombard. (**1/2).

The team of George Raft and Carole Lombard who at the time this film was made were doing a little off set kanoodling had scored well in Bolero, so much so that Paramount decided another dance film was in order for them. Instead of in Europe like Bolero, Rumba takes place in Cuba and then New York City, taking advantage of the current dance craze sweeping the country.

Raft's a half Cuban, half American living down there because he fled the country to avoid some gangsters he'd run afoul of. He's dancing first with Iris Adrian and then with Margo, but rich heiress Carole Lombard sweeps him off his nimble feet.

Carole and George do a mean Rumba in the film as well. The ending here unlike Bolero is not as dramatic or tragic, but that in itself makes Rumba a lesser feature. Lynne Overman is around as a former newspaperman and Raft's manager. Overman is quite adept at creating a media frenzy for Raft, in fact his talents are what causes the climax to occur.

It's not as good a film as Bolero and the team of Raft and Lombard broke up off screen as well so no more films were made with the two of them. Still it's a pleasant enough film and a chance to see George Raft the dancer on screen.

I usually liked Carole Lombard but she seems a little fish-out-of-water in this rather confused romantic drama. She ("Diana") is visiting Cuba when she espies dancer "Joe" (George Raft). He's hardly a charmer but there are a few sparks before she tires of his attitude and heads back to New York. With his tail between his legs a little, he follows her there and the rest of this unremarkable drama follows the ups and downs of their temperamental romance, her relationship with fiancé "Hobart" (a competent Monroe Owsley) whilst engaging in two or three really quite extended dance sequences - especially towards the conclusion. There's not a jot of chemistry on display here from anyone and even the latin dance routines comes across more as damp squibs drawn out to fill screen time than the fiery and passionate affairs that are supposed to get temperatures rising and hearts fluttering. Indeed, sadly, the only things that may flutter here will be eyelids as you struggle to stay interested in this disappointing film. Lombard does show up, she puts effort in and that sometimes works - it's just her lacklustre co-star who just doesn't fit the bill so well.