Down Argentine Way (1940)

58% of users liked it
(99 ratings)

Hollywood's handful of Technicolor cameras got a real workout on 20th Century-Fox's Down Argentine Way. Don Ameche stars as Ricardo Quintana, the charming son of a less charming Argentine horse breeder (Henry Stephenson). Betty Grable is vacationing American heiress Glenda Crawford, who "collects"… More Hollywood's handful of Technicolor cameras got a real workout on 20th Century-Fox's Down Argentine Way. Don Ameche stars as Ricardo Quintana, the charming son of a less charming Argentine horse breeder (Henry Stephenson). Betty Grable is vacationing American heiress Glenda Crawford, who "collects" horses as a hobby. Separated by a family feud, Ricard and Glenda must endure all sorts of setbacks and misunderstandings before crossing the romantic finish line. Filmed on location, Down Argentine Way served to introduce Brazilian bombshell Carmen Miranda, performing a variety of sizzling South American numbers with her own band. Also on hand are the Nicholas Brothers, whose show-stopping dance number has been spotlighted innumerable times in various "best of Hollywood musicals" compilations. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Irving Cummings
Written By: Darrell Ware, Karl Tunberg
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Classics

In Theaters: Oct 11, 1940 Wide
On DVD: Jun 13, 2006

Critic Reviews

Steve Crum, Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers
You want 20th Century Fox glossy musical? You have it here...and with Grable's legs.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
On the one hand there's Carmen Miranda; on the other everything else.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

This is a Comedy Musical that's very enjoyable, the color is outstanding no like the color enhanced movies of today. Also no computer generation of people in a scene if 200 people in the scene then 200 people on the set. The way films should be made old school; for sure. The… More
This is a Comedy Musical that's very enjoyable, the color is outstanding no like the color enhanced movies of today. Also no computer generation of people in a scene if 200 people in the scene then 200 people on the set. The way films should be made old school; for sure. The stars of yesteryear Don Ameche ( the first foreign actor I saw as a kid). A very young and beautiful Betty Grable (I can see why she was a pinup doll for WWII Bombers), and Carmen Miranda made a number of appearances just singing (Think she was just starting to get exposure in the US. A horse breeder travels to Argentina to obtain good racing stock where she falls in love and copes with a future hated father in law, A great film pure joy. 4 1/2 stars

Cast

            Don Ameche as Richardo Quintano

            Betty Grable as Glenda Crawford

            Carmen Miranda as Herself

            Charlotte Greenwood as Binnie Crawford

            Henry Stephenson as Don Diego Quintana

            Kay Aldridge as Helen Carson

            Leonid Kinskey as Tito Acuna

            Chris-Pin Martin as Esteban

            Roberl Conway as Jimmy Blake

            Gregory Gaye as Sebastian

            Bobby Stone as Panchito

            Charles Judels as Ambassador

            The Nicholas Brothers as Themselves

            Thomas & Catherine Dowling as Themselves

            Six Hits & A Miss as Themselves

            Edward Fielding as Crawford

            Fortunio Bonanova as Hotel Manager

            Armand Kaliz as Hotel Manager

            Frank Puglia as Montero

            Eddie Conrad as Anastasio

            Flores Brothers as Themselves

            J. Carrol Naish as Casiano

            Fayard Nicholas as Specialty

            Harold Nicholas as Specialty

            Elena Verdugo as Dancer

            Dorothy White as Dancer

            Bando Da Lua as Themselves

            Robert Conway
            
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