Thursday Film Picks- Let’s Go Tropical

 

We just came back, Monday, from vacation in Quebec. We made our Neal visit to visit hubby’s Aunt and Uncle who live right on the Richelieu River about 20 min. from the Vermont border. They do have a little bit of heaven where they live with a nice breeze, hummingbirds, and very large boats driving past their home. We had one day where it was quite windy and cool but, otherwise, it  quite humid and now, here at home it’s downright tropical which I hate unless I’m by a pool sipping a pina colada. Since the Monday music was about the tropics, I thought I would continue with films set in the tropics.  Here are my picks…

1. DOWN ARGENTINE WAY-1940

This film made a star out of Betty Grable who became the It gal of the cinemas and the GI Joes of WW2. Her very shapely legs were insured for 1 million and she starred in many musicals, often taking place somewhere hot. Starring with her is Don Ameche, an amiable film star who often did co-star with her. In this film, he is the son of a wealthy Argentinian man who owns horses and instructs his son to go to New York and sell some horses but make sure never to deal with a family who took his money from long ago. Of course, Don meets Betty who is from this family and he decides against selling a horse to her. He goes back home but she follows bent on finding out what happened. Of course, they fall in love, dance, sing, meet Carmen Miranda and watch the Nicholas Brothers dance like no one ever could ever do. It’s a fun movie that heralded the many movies that were to take place in South America and Mexico. Argentina did not like this film because just about everything was wrong about their country but, even with glaring errors, it’s a fun movie that introduced Carmen and The Nicholas Brothers to a larger audience.

2. THE ROAD TO SINGAPORE-1940

This is the very first of the Road pictures that Bob Hope and Bing Crosby made together with the very lovely, “Sarong” gal, Dorothy Lamour. Dorothy was already known to audiences as the beautiful “native” gal from some South Seas island but I have yet to see some including “Hurricane”. This film has the 2 as best friends on a ship where they have been working and end up in New York where they find out they are to be married off which is the last thing they want. They take off and end up on some Island near Bali where they meet Dorothy Lamour who is being abused by her dance partner, Anthony Quinn. They save her from the lout and end upon the run. Bing’s dad is rich and he has tracked him down along with Bing’s fiancé creating further hijinks. I do love these road pictures that really went with the strengths of Crosby and Hope’s amiable quality they had on screen along with their ad-libs especially from Hope. Lamour knew how to deal with the 2 and still hold her own. It’s funny  and enjoyable.

3. SOUTH PACIFIC-1955

This is one of my favourite Rogers and Hammerstein musicals that not only has some great music, but takes place during World War 2 and deals with racism. You have the spunky Mitzi Gaynor ( who is still with us at 92 years young) as a nurse on an island with a bunch of navy men bored but still able to have fun. She meets French plantation owner, played by Rossano Brazzi and is very much attracted to him even if she wants to wash that man right out of her hair. On a subplot, you have John Kerr meet Bloody Mary’s daughter, played by the beautiful France Nuyen and they, immediately, (of course) fall in love but he can’t marry her because of his wealthy family’s prejudice as well as his own. Nellie ( played by Mitzi) finds out that her Plantation guy was with a woman before who passed away but they had 2 children and she was Polynesian. Nellie realizes she, too, has issues with her own racist beliefs. This is all set against the idyllic backdrop of these wondrous islands soon to turn ugly by war. It’s well acted including a funny part of a sailor with a tattoo of a ship on his stomach played so well by Ray Walston. 

So what tropical movies can you think of?