Follia messicana

What a nice little surprise this was, and great showcase for Dolores del Río. The premise of a magazine critic (Pat O'Brien) being taken to Mexico while drunk by his business partner (Edward Everett Horton) to avoid being married (to Glenda Farrell) is a little silly, not unlike other screwball comedies. It's made interesting by Horton trying to set O'Brien up with del Río in order that he forget Farrell, not remembering that O'Brien once panned del Río in a review and she'd like to get even with him. The little cat and mouse game she plays, assisted by her shrewd manager (Leo Carrillo) who regularly takes advantage of foreigners, is entertaining, and director Michael Curtiz moves things along well.

We also get the incomparable Busby Berkeley and a couple of entertaining musical numbers in the second half of the film. The first of these, 'The Lady in Red' includes wonderful vocals from Wini Shaw, sexy shimmying from the chorus, and an extended ballroom dance routine by Tony De Marco and Sally Craven (later his third wife), who were nearly as good as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, if not on a par with them. It's definitely one to watch. The second, "Muchacha' is also pretty wild, with horses prancing up a staircase in addition to del Río singing and dancing.

del Río is charming throughout the film, and it's refreshing that her character is intelligent, erudite, and elegant. She's a beauty in her evening gowns and the two-piece bathing suit that she helped pioneer, which we see plenty of in a long scene at the pool. She was on her way out of Hollywood a few years later which is a shame, though it really makes me want to check out her Mexican films from the 1940's. I may be rounding up a bit because of her and Berkeley, but they made the film for me.

Caliente was a stylish resort destination for the film community in the 1930's, and this film attempted to capitalize on that exotic fact for movie audiences. Very little of the film takes advantage of its sultry locale, however. The film is mainly concerned with Rita, a beautiful Mexican dancer, who is infuriated after Larry, a theater critic, savagely pans her dancing after failing to catch her act! She sets out to show him, and of course they fall in love. There is a good supporting cast, especially Edward Everett Horton as his usual nervous fussbudget. The two musical numbers were staged by Busby Berkeley. "The Lady in Red" is sung by a chorus of studio cuties and by the wonderful Wini Shaw (and a novelty chorus or two is sung by the delightful Judy Canova, doing her "country hayseed" character). The "Muchacha" number is one of Berkeley's typical sprawling numbers and makes good use of Dolores Del Rio's beauty and horses riding up a staircase! Pay attention to Del Rio in the scene at the pool. She wears what's believed to be the screen's first two-piece bathing suit. Just one look at her stunning beauty will make you long for the days when Hollywood was known for goddesses like Del Rio, Dietrich, Lamarr, Garbo, etc.

Glenda Farrell has a business of breach-of-promise suit against men. Her latest incipient victim is magazine publisher Pat O'Brian. So editorial assistant catches him while he's drunk and takes him to Agua Caliente -- with location shooting -- and contracts with Leo Carillo to have niece Dolores Del Rio steal him.

All of which is an excuse for misunderstandings, jokes, and two Busby Berkeley numbers: Wini Shaw singing "The Lady In Red", with Judy Canova doing a yodeling reprise; and Phil Regan singing "Muchacha", with many surprising rhymes. I much prefer the former song, although the self-mocking vignette for the latter makes it my new favorite Berkleley piece.

It's all typical musical nonsense, and doubtless was promoted as a working holiday for the cast and crew south of the border at the popular resort. Its success was promoted during the silent era by the legality of drinking. Afterwards, by gambling. A few months after this movie cam out,t he Mexican government outlawed the gambling.

Larry MacArthur (Pat O'Brien) is a hard-drinking fast-talking magazine editor. His publisher Harold Brandon Shanghais him to Mexico to sober him up and escape his gold-digging girlfriend Clara. He is about to run back home to marry the three-time successful gold-digger. Brandon recruits Mexican dancer Rita Gómez (Dolores Del Río) to seduce MacArthur although the men seem to have forgotten that MacArthur had written a scathing review of her. She certainly hasn't.

Busby Berkeley did the big musical numbers. This showcased Mexican entertainer Dolores Del Río to the American audience. I do like the starting premise. I just wish that she does more to get back at MacArthur. The possibilities are endless. She could get embarrassing photos of him. She could steal all his money. She could leave him stranded in the desert. It's endless. So she gets to whip him once. First, it's not that imaginative and it's a bit violent. It needs to be funnier.

Pat O'Brien, part time critic and full time boozer, gets pulled away to Caliente in Mexico by his friend Edward Everett Horton to avoid getting married to gold digger Glenda Farrell. But it's out of the frying pan into the fire.

Dolores Del Rio has a Spanish dancing act that O'Brien savagely panned one night after attending her performance stewed to the gills. That hurt her career and when she sees him on her home turf, she's going to get a little vengeance. She and father/manager Leo Carrillo.

Of course if you can't figure out where this plot is going by now, you haven't seen too many old films. But the plot is just an excuse to string together four Busby Berkeley numbers, including the big hit that came out of the film, The Lady in Red.

Dolores Del Rio, what a beauty she was. Hard to believe anyone could have panned her dancing. She sang beautifully as well. When she got her first big break in American cinema in the silent version of Ramona, she recorded the title song and even though the screen was silent, her record sold quite a bit, such was the allure she conveyed.

Of course Pat O'Brien was his usual fast talking promoter, though slowed down a bit due to hangover. He didn't contribute anything musical here, but he's always a pleasure to watch.

Phil Regan did some vocalizing including the elaborate Muchacha finale number. The DeMarcos danced, Wini Shaw sang, and Judy Canova in her screen debut reprised a hillbilly version of The Lady In Red to a flustered Edward Everett Horton. It was quite a funny moment.

In Caliente is not the best of the Busby Berkeley Warner Brothers musicals, but it's still good entertainment.