San Antonio Rose

Despite the title and movie poster, this isn't a western but a musical comedy. Heavy on the music. Nothing wrong with the quality of the songs but the quantity might test your patience. The better parts of the film are Eve Arden's constant wisecracks and the dimwitted duo played by Shemp Howard and Lon Chaney, Jr. No great shakes but watchable.

1941's "San Antonio Rose" is a delightful musicomedy 'B' from Universal's busy wartime era, an early credit for future horror star Lon Chaney, just a few months before "The Wolf Man" (which became the first film to drop the 'Jr.' from his name). Playing the bullying hoodlum Jigsaw Kennedy, Chaney gets teamed with former (and future) Stooge Shemp Howard, delivering a number of slaps just like Moe, or perhaps Bud Abbott. Working on behalf of a crooked nightclub owner, the two try to disrupt business for a rival club across town, but fail to reckon with the awesome Eve Arden ("take your gat and git!"). Much like Joan Davis in Abbott and Costello's "Hold That Ghost," the 29 year old Eve proves to be an expert scene stealer, and easy on the eyes as well (only singing a duet with Jane Frazee). The Merry Macs, better known for appearing with Ella Fitzgerald in another Abbott and Costello, "Ride 'Em Cowboy" (which began shooting just weeks after this film wrapped) enjoy their finest showcase here, introducing the popular "Hut Sut Song," which as kids we all heard in the concurrent Warner Brothers cartoon "Horton Hatches the Egg" (many will no doubt recognize "Hi Neighbor"). Charles Lamont would become one of Abbott and Costello's most prolific directors, and a good time was had by all, great fun for Chaney fans.

I saw the website rating for "San Antonio Rose" and thought it would be a good one to buy. I really enjoy musicals, especially if the music is good, and I thought the cast was intriguing and with some interesting possibilities. So it was a big letdown to watch and wait for something better.

I didn't mind that the story was half-baked, because most often with musicals you wait for the songs anyway - and this one was half-baked. But with a musical comedy the comedy is often funny, but not here. It's too late now, but Lon Chaney cannot do comedy. He and Shemp Howard are a slapstick team of bumbling crooks and it was painful to watch Chaney slap Howard around - not like in the 3 Stooges shorts. And Eve Arden, one of my favorites, tried her best but was given some wisecracks which were unfunny and lacked the acerbic bite she was famous for.

The music, however, was a mixed bag. Saving grace here was The Merry Macs, who were a treat to watch and hear. Having said that, they can't carry a movie by themselves but were just about the best part of the picture. They sang "The Hut-Sut Song", which I thought was the best number in the picture. Most of the rest of the score was forgettable, but as I said, this was a 'B' musical. If it comes on TV it is worth watching as it is a mercifully short 63 minutes.

Universal released this film shortly before America entered the war in 1941 but it has a feeling of escapist fare that would make a country or a G.I. forget his or her troubles even if for only 62 minutes. It's got an easy to follow plot, beautiful girls and the incredible singing of the Merry Macs, a wonderful singing quartet who made their most famous film with Abbott and Costello in Ride Em Cowboy (1942). The group has several delightful songs that would please any audience of any era in time. Lon Chaney Jr. and Shemp Howard are a poor man's version of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello (it's very probable that the writers used the comic duo as inspiration for this). Shemp is hysterical as a bumbling thug who can't seem to keep his mind off of the ladies. Eve Arden is a highlight as she delivers her lines with the skill of a veteran comedian. Pity that it's one of those seldom seen gems that languish away in deteriorating vaults that may never see the light of day again. If you are lucky enough to find it, grab it and just enjoy away. Don't look for Gone With The Wind but be prepared for an hour of wonderful singing and some good comic bits.

If "San Antonio Rose" is remembered today at all, it's for the spectacle of turning Lon Chaney Jr. And Shemp Howard into an ersatz Abbott and Costello. Maybe it was planned for A&C until their first starring film, "Buck Privates," became such a smash, and this would have been a step back. What it appears to be is a studio exercise in trying to figure out how to use a raft of new contractees. Chaney was new to Universal and was months away from scoring as its new horror star, which meant he was put in everything from comedies to Westerns to serials. Shemp was under contract as well, and stuck wherever he was needed. Robert Paige, another contractee, was a road company Dick Powell, and used as a signing leading man when needed. Then there's "The Merry Macs," three singing brothers named McMichael who were kind of a male Andrews Sisters. This film is something of a vehicle for them. The supporting cast features some comedy veterans in bit roles, including Three Stooges foil Vernon Dent; Bobby Barber, an underrated funnyman who would become Lou Costello's assistant and court jester; Charlie Hall, whose best work was with Laurel and Hardy; and acrobatic comic Frank Mitchell. As for Chaney and Howard, they come off more like a reversed George-and-Lennie duo, with huge Chaney the sharp one and diminutive Shemp acting like he's developmentally challenged. Chaney actually gets more laughs on his own. Bottom line: if you must watch the film, watch it for Eve Arden, who walks away with it through her trademark sass and timing.