Galopp ins Glück (1940)

Galopp ins Glück: Directed by Irving Cummings. With Don Ameche, Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood. An American girl on vacation in Argentina falls for a wealthy racehorse owner.

“u0026#39;Down Argentine Wayu0026#39; is notable for being the American debut of Carmen Miranda and the film that made Betty Grable a star. This said, while the casting seemed unlikely initially (for example Alice Faye was intended for the character played by Betty Grable), they mostly come off well and u0026#39;Down Argentine Wayu0026#39; manages to entertain enormously.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSure, while there is so much to enjoy for many it is also to see why others wonu0026#39;t connect with it. One says that one shouldnu0026#39;t see a musical for its story, which in a way can be seen as true seeing as even in the classic musicals the story tended to be not as good as the rest of the respective films. Here though the story is thin on the ground, feeling stretched and has its implausible stretches.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe romance between Don Ameche and Betty Grable has many moments of endearing charm, but that Grable replaced an indisposed Alice Faye due to illness makes the chemistry not quite as natural as it could have been. This may have been that Ameche and Faye had worked together a few times before and Grable was in her film debut, so didnu0026#39;t know Ameche as well.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHarry Stephenson on paper couldnu0026#39;t have been a more unlikely and dubious choice for his role and in the final product is for me quite badly miscast. He is not being remotely believable as a Argentinian, which did to me took away hugely from the rest of his performance, with an accent that is phoney at best and comes and goes quicker than one can down a can of fizzy drinks.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn the other hand, u0026#39;Down Argentine Wayu0026#39; looks great, with gorgeous use of colour and lavish production design. The songs are lively and infectious, no standards but itu0026#39;s the quality of the music itself and the way itu0026#39;s used that matters more and u0026#39;Down Argentine Wayu0026#39; succeeds in those areas.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026#39;Down Argentine Wayu0026#39;su0026#39; script crackles with wit, energy and charm and the film is rarely dull due to so much being so good. Ameche is as ever suave and charming and Grableu0026#39;s beguiling performance deservedly made her a star.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWith the exception of Stephenson the supporting cast work very well. Miranda is not in the film much and her scenes donu0026#39;t necessarily add much to the story and narratively may feel like padding, but she is absolute dynamite in her American debut and her two songs are two of the filmu0026#39;s most catchy. J. Carroll Naish is amusing, the Nicholas Brothers dazzle with their athletic dancing and Leonid Kinsky succeeds in making buffoonery not annoying, but the best supporting turn comes from a note-perfect Charlotte Greenwood.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn summary, not great but hugely entertaining, foibles and all. 7/10 Bethany Cox”