My Man and I

In the unforgettable "wild boys of the roads " (1933),Eddie who stands accused tells the judge about his plight ;the young actor was so convincing that he could effortlessly drive you to tears. Chu Chu did the same when he reads his letter to the president (of the US). Both believe in justice, both got a raw deal; people unfairly treated was a grave concern for the great William Welman : "the ox- bow incident"is certainly one of the most revolting films that has ever been filmed.

Chu Chu is proud to become an American citizen. He believes in the dream , in democracy and Lincoln's country cannot be wrong ; in direct contrast with him ,Nancy ,an alcoholic loser , has lost all her illusions ; but neither she nor the vilain,Ames ,can destroy Chu Chu's faith ,joie de vivre and hope for a better future .

The world can't be thoroughly black or white;even in his most desperate work, "ox -bow " ,seven people were the just against a maddening bunch ; Chu Chu is a good man who would not hurt a fly ,and the members of the jury (it's rare) do think it's a travesty of a trial ; and the way Chu Chu's friends torment Ames to awaken his conscience is pacifist, friendly persuasion, through and through ( going as far as to give a kitten to the wife)

Montalban ,Winters,Corey and Trevor are all excellent.

Don't read the online synopsis of My Man and I; it's inaccurate and will have you waiting for an event than never happens. Instead, just go into it knowing it stars Ricardo Montalban as a Mexican-American who gets some bad breaks. He's an extremely hard worker, has a constant positive attitude, and keeps a letter from the President, congratulating him on his recent citizenship, as his most prized possession. He's also pretty cute, so it's no wonder Claire Trevor makes a play for him even though her mean husband (Wendell Corey, who else?) has hired Ricardo for some farm work. An affair would get both of them in enormous trouble, so it's a good think he (almost literally) kicks her out of bed. He's drawn, instead, to Shelley Winters, a depressive alcoholic who keeps pushing him away. His charm wins her over eventually, but she's no good. Can she give up her tramp-y ways for a handsome, upstanding citizen?

I'd definitely recommend this obscure romantic drama, if only to respect its daring storyline at the time. Ricardo has two blondes fighting over a place in his bed, and in one scene, when he plants a big kiss on Shelley, she moans - what happened to the Production Code? There are some clever cuts away from the couple's smooches, like following his hat as it rolls across the floor, but I can't help but wonder if the studio thought those camera angles were necessary because audiences weren't ready for interracial kisses. In any case, this movie tried to make audiences ready, and even though it didn't do well at the box office at the time, we can still appreciate him - I mean the movie - now that the romance is no longer a big deal.

First of all, I highly recommend this film.

It has a good heart. It is (very) well acted. It has an intelligent, unusual, thought-provoking screenplay. And--above all--it depicts a slice of Americana that is almost completely overlooked by mainstream US culture: the world and feelings and relationships of Mexican immigrants in the white/gringo-dominated world of southern California in the 1950s.

I'm simply blown away by the cast in this well-hidden little jewel. Wendell Corey, often a kind of honking mouthpiece of insensitivity, brings a great deal of nuance to this thankless role. Claire Trevor's portrayal is also very subtly done (though there are great parts of her role where her feelings are more-than-obvious). Shelley Winters is fantastic, and I say this as someone who finds most of Ms Winters portrayals and performances near repulsive. She is absolutely brilliant and I don't think I've ever seen this particular character-type (the cynical, emotionally destroyed, sensitive whose only recourse is alcoholism) ever more convincingly portrayed.

And then there's Mr. Rourke...uh...excuse me...Ricardo Montalban. The man who normally smirks and flexes his way through roles--depending upon his (truly remarkably) good looks and his flashing smile. I never knew there was a real actor underneath that bronzed torso. Hats off to Bill Wellman (the director)! What an incredibly understated performance! This film is worth seeing just for Montalban's astoundingly effective work.

And just a word about the ensemble acting: there are many hispanic actors in this film and, sadly, I must say that I've never seen or heard of any of them, but all the other parts are played with great aplomb. (My only minor complaint is that the producers saw fit to hire the late, great Jack Elam to play Ricardo Montalban's cousin. Why, I simply have no idea, as they used hispanic actors for all the other major hispanic roles. Oh well--he does a fine job and is almost a convincing Mexican.) The story itself is simple. I'm not going to relate it here. It seems to take a real noir turn at one point, but stick with it. The ending may be a bit too Hollywood for some, but--hey--it was 1952 and it's not Sweden and it's not Ingmar Bergman, folks.

Check it out--you won't be sorry.

i was very surprised. the script was first rate. the story had a lot of twists and turns. seeing jack elam play a Mexican is reason enough to see this movie. was never much of a shelley winters fan but she was good. previously knew ricardo motalban as khan and the joker. he gives a very good performance but it is the script that is the key. some may call the story corny or idealistic but it still holds up today. the Mexican are portrayed very sympathetically probably much more so than the way they are perceived today. The movie is a commentary on the American dream circa 1952 but if you replace the mexicans with just about any non-elite group, including every day Americans it still is relevant

The ambitious Chu Chu Ramirez comes to America as a proud new citizen, only to be gypped out of money owed him by farmer Ames. At the same time, he meets downtrodden bar girl Nancy, whom he becomes romantically involved with. But her troubles are deep and difficult. Plus, farmer Ames frames him for an accidental shooting. Will Chu Chu somehow get the breaks he needs and deserves.

I'm not sure what the writers were trying to say here. It looks like something noble since Chu Chu (Montalban) is admirable in so many ways. Plus, he delivers nice little speeches about the virtues of America, suitable for the Cold War, McCarthyite year of 1952. But much of this, however well intentioned, is undone by a turgid script and an absolutely awful performance by Shelley Winters (Nancy). Her constant whining and sour expression (not a single smile) for 90-some minutes almost had me reaching for the "off" button. I realize she's a hard-luck gal, barely surviving at society's lower reaches, but did she have to spread it on so relentlessly and so thick. It made me think the sensible Chu Chu must be some kind of masochist to put up with it. Hers has got to be one of the dreariest turns in Hollywood annals.

At least there's the well-cast iceberg Wendell Corey as the heartless farmer Ames, and a de-glamorized Claire Trevor as his faithless wife. I was expecting their dark pairing to explode at any moment. At the same time, holding the film together is a handsome Montalban, quite winning as the ambitious immigrant. Looks to me like this was a B-production from Dore Schary's brief tenure as MGM head, when he tried to steer the studio away from Louis B. Mayer's relentlessly sunny film fare. Certainly, the settings and photography here are about as bleakly gray as possible. Maybe with a better, more focused script and a less dreary Nancy, the movie might have succeeded in its good intentions. But as things stand, the overall result lacks impact of any discernible kind.