Down Argentine Way (1940)

Director:

Irving Cummings

Writers:

Rian James (story)
Ralph Spence (story)
(more)

Release Date:

11 October 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Musical | Drama

Plot:

American girl (Grable) on vacation in Argentina falls for wealthy racehorse owner (Ameche). Lots of scenery and musical entertainment...

Plot Keywords:

Argentina | New York City | Male Female Relationship | Love | Racing

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Don Ameche	...	Ricardo Quintana
Betty Grable	...	Glenda Crawford, aka Glenda Cunningham
Carmen Miranda	...	Herself, Carmen Miranda
Charlotte Greenwood	...	Binnie Crawford
J. Carrol Naish	...	Casiano
Henry Stephenson	...	Don Diego Quintana
Kay Aldridge	...	Helen Carson (as Katharine Aldridge)
Leonid Kinskey	...	Tito Acuna
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Esteban
Robert Conway	...	Jimmy Blake
Gregory Gaye	...	Sebastian, the Headwaiter
Bobby Stone	...	Panchito
Charles Judels	...	Dr. Arturo Padilla, the Ambassador
Fayard Nicholas	...	Specialty Dancer (as The Nicholas Brothers)
Harold Nicholas	...	Specialty Dancer (as The Nicholas Brothers)
Thomas Dowling	...	Specialty Dancer
Catherine Dowling	...	Specialty Dancer
Pepe Guízar	...	Specialty Performer (as Pepe Guizar)
Flores Bros.	...	Specialty Performers
Bando da Lua	...	Specialty Performers (as Carmen Miranda Band)
Edward Fielding	...	Willis Crawford
Eddie Conrad	...	Anastasio, the Sleepy Chauffeur (as Edward Conrad)
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Hotel Manager
Armand Kaliz	...	Hotel Manager
Frank Puglia	...	Señor Montero
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Six Hits and a Miss	...	Six Hits and a Miss, a Specialty (credit only)
Lowden Adams	...	Westchester Waiter (uncredited)
Nino Bellini	...	Doorman at Carmen Miranda's (uncredited)
Eugene Borden	...	Club Rendezvous waiter (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Franco Corsaro	...	Man at Racetrack (uncredited)
Andre Cuyas	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Jean Del Val	...	Señor Rufino (uncredited)
Aloysio De Oliveira	...	Bando da Lua member (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Joe Dominguez	...	Motorcycle Officer (uncredited)
Juan Duval	...	Man at Racetrack (uncredited)
Oswaldo de Moraes Eboli	...	Bando da Lua member (uncredited)
Thornton Edwards	...	(uncredited)
Paul Ellis	...	(uncredited)
Eddie Hall	...	Applauding spectator in stands at Horse Show (uncredited)
George Humbert	...	Martinez (uncredited)
Hélio Jordão	...	Bando da Lua member (uncredited)
Carl M. Leviness	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Fred Malatesta	...	Horserace Loser at Fiesta (uncredited)
Francisco Marán	...	Ship's Officer (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Nightclub / Dance Extra / Racetrack Stands Extra (uncredited)
Alberto Morin	...	Race Bettor (uncredited)
Afonso Osório	...	Bando da Lua member (uncredited)
Armando Osório	...	Bando da Lua member (uncredited)
Stênio Osório	...	Bando da Lua member (uncredited)
Paul Portanova	...	(uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway	...	Extra (uncredited)
Julian Rivero	...	(uncredited)
Aníbal Augusto Sardinha	...	Banda la Lua Member (uncredited)
Rafael Storm	...	Señor Vallergo (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Head Horse Groom (uncredited)
Elena Verdugo	...	Bit (uncredited)
Lucio Villegas	...	Señor Gonzales, Racetrack Official (uncredited)
Dorothy White	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Frank Yaconelli	...	Horserace Loser at Fiesta (uncredited)

Directed by
Irving Cummings

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rian James		story
Ralph Spence		story
Karl Tunberg		writer
Darrell Ware		writer

Produced by
Harry Joe Brown	....	associate producer
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Cyril J. Mockridge		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Ray Rennahan		(director of photography)
Leon Shamroy

Film Editing by
Barbara McLean

Art Direction by
Richard Day
Joseph C. Wright

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Travis Banton

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lynn Shores	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Saul Wurtzel	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Don B. Greenwood	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Music Department
Emil Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Nick Castle	....	choreographer (as Nicholas Castle)
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor director
Morgan Padelford	....	associate technicolor color director
Geneva Sawyer	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (USA) (laserdisc)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #6471)

Filming Locations:

Argentina

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Alice Faye was set to play the role of Glenda, but she fell ill with appendicitis and was replaced by Betty Grable. Although Miss Grable was making films for 10 years, this was the role that made her a star. Cesar Romero contracted para-typhoid and was replaced by Leonid Kinskey.

Quotes:

Glenda Crawford, aka Glenda Cunningham: Excuse me, I've got to go see a man about a horse.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tiovivo c. 1950 (2004)

Soundtrack:

Mamãe Eu Quero

Grable, Miranda, Nicholas Bros. Technicolor, this film has it all!

Of its genre, one of the greatest musicals ever. Betty makes male hearts swoon (and that's not all)! Any questions as to why she was number one with our boys overseas? Carmen is a firecracker and the Nicholas Brothers have never been duplicated. This film was much more about the players than the meat of the film. Meat-wise just a bunch of fluff, but performance-wise and production-wise, excellent!