Amanti latini

Shallow time-filler, directed by the estimable Mervyn LeRoy (who must have been a bit embarrassed), this picture-postcard travelogue-cum-romance should have put Ricardo Montalban on the map as a huge matinée idol. Montalban never quite broke the ethnic barrier to become a Valentino-type player in Hollywood, and filmdom certainly missed a prime opportunity. Montalban swaggers and struts and exudes mucho charisma as a horse rancher in Brazil who falls for vacationing heiress Lana Turner. Semi-musical piece of Hollywood factory gloss entertains in its fashion, but you'll be ashamed of yourself in the morning. Turner is so aloof that even Ricardo fails to melt her icy exterior, but the South American flavor is amusingly captured and the picture looks good enough to eat. ** from ****

Nora Taylor (Lana Turner) is a tough businesswoman as the head of her late pioneering father's company. The wealthy tycoon fears that every suitor wants her for her money. Despite his greater wealth, she still has concerns about her boyfriend Paul Chevron (John Lund). She follows him to Brazil where she meets Latin lover Roberto Santos (Ricardo Montalban).

This is rather stale for the first third. Lana Turner is being cold and John Lund is playing a dud. I really don't like them stating their net worth. Ricardo Montalban does bring a Latino energy to the triangle and he does some singing. It's not that spicy although there is some good hot-cold chemistry going on. At the end of the day, I don't care about her enough and Roberto is limited. On top of that, I hate listing all the dollars.

Beautiful blonde Lana Turner (as Nora Taylor) worries men may want her because she is worth $37 million dollars. She is engaged to handsome blond John Lund (as Paul Chevron), who is worth $48 million dollars. It sounds like a good match, but Ms. Turner is still worried. When she was poor, a greedy boy stole all her marbles, she tells her analyst. Both Turner and Mr. Lund go to picturesque Brazil, where he plays polo. Turner wears expensive clothes and meets muscle-glistening Ricardo Montalban (as Roberto Santos). They are mutually attracted. Turner decides to hide her $37 million estate from Mr. Montalban, because she (now) thinks men are not interested in marrying beautiful and wealthy women. Honest. This story is as silly as it sounds. However, it is worth watching to see how the crew at MGM could pull out the big guns; in this case, for Turner and Montalban. The production always looks great.

***** Latin Lovers (8/12/53) Mervyn LeRoy ~ Lana Turner, Ricardo Montalban, John Lund, Louis Calhern

"Latin Lovers" is a tough movie to love. After all, the main character, Nora (Lana Turner), is very rich AND very arrogant. Through much of the film she seems to think she is entitled due to her money...yet she also is worried a man might want her for her money. Oddly, despite this, she is uninterested in marrying her long-time boyfriend (John Lund)...who is even richer than her.

When the boyfriend goes to Brazil to play polo, she follows and soon is smitten with Roberto (Ricardo Montalban). She worries he, too, wants her money. And, when she tells him she's loaded, he's thrilled...futher convincing her that all men want is her cash, not her circa 1953 hot bod.

In addition to Nora acting dumb and annoying through much of the film, the two men in her life aren't exactly prizes either--though you still often wonder WHAT they see in her! This is because Nora OFTEN gets angry and huffy and is as pleasant as a lion with a toothache. So, with some unlikable characters all you have left is the nice MGM gloss...which this one has in spades.

Ricardo Montalban stepped in as last minute substitute for Fernando Lamas for this film Latin Lovers. Originally meant as a follow up for the Fernando Lamas/Lana Turner version of The Merry Widow, the breakup between Lamas and Turner was not amicable. Lana just did not want to emote for the big screen with Lamas any more.

One thing Lamas did leave behind was possibly his singing voice. Ricardo had a couple of numbers to sing and he did not sing. If you've seen The Merry Widow or Rose Marie you know that Fernando Lamas did have a strong singing voice. What comes out of Montalban's mouth sounds an awful lot like Fernando Lamas.

Lana is a wealthy woman who worries all the time that men are interested in her for her money only. To be rich and have worries like that. She's going out with John Lund who's a bit richer, but he is such a titanic bore.

Things do pick up when on a trip to Brazil she meets Montalban who also has a few shekels though the family fortune is really in the hands of his grandfather Louis Calhern. What follows are the usual romantic games people play and is the outcome ever in doubt?

Also note in the cast are Jean Hagen as Turner's girl Friday and Archer MacDonald as the nerdy American embassy employee who is giving Turner lessons in Portugese. Sadly MacDonald would be dead in two years and by his own hand.

Latin Lovers is a pleasant if not taxing piece of romantic fluff.