Armida Movies
A sort of poor man's Lupe Velez, exotic Armida was the Mexican-born daughter of stage actor Joaquin Vendrell, who brought her to Arizona when she was a child. Working up a dancing act with her sisters, Armida later appeared with a young Ray Bolger in the Gus Edwards skit Ritz Carlton and toured vaudeville. In Hollywood from 1929, the diminutive (4'11") spitfire was discovered by John Barrymore, who co-starred her as Fidelia, the spirited gypsy dancer in General Crack (1929). Armida's dancing expertise would stand her in good stead in the future when, rarely the leading lady, she would grace not a few B-Westerns with a Mexican dance specialty or two. She was very busy during World War II as part of Hollywood's "friendly neighbor" policy, but her screen career was for all intents and purposes over by the early '50s. In between screen assignments, Armida appeared on stage in Sigmund Romberg's Nina Rosa and performed on radio with Rudy Vallee. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1951
Since Universal was out of the "B"-western business by 1951, many former Universal contractees were obliged to seek work elsewhere. Monogram's Rhythm Inn stars Jane Frazee, Kirby Grant and Lois Collier, Universal alumni all. It all begins when bandleader Dusty Rhodes (Kirby Grant) is forced to pawn his musician's instruments. It so happens that pawnshop clerk Eddie Thompson (Charles Smith) is an aspiring songwriter. Thus it is that band-singer Carol Denton (Jane Frazee) is able to sweet-talk Thompson into allowing the musicians to use their instruments after office hours, with the promise that the clerk's songs will be performed. Complications ensue when Thompson's girl friend Betty (Lois Collier), misunderstanding the situation, becomes jealous. Specialty numbers in Rhythm Inn are provided by the Anson Weeks orchestra, Armida, Jean Ritchie, Ames & Arno and the Ramon Bros. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Frazee, Kirby Grant, (more)
- 1949
The Gay Amigo was the second "Cisco Kid" theatrical entry produced for United Artists release by Philip N. Krasne. Duncan Renaldo, who would go on to portray Cisco in the popular 1950s TV series, stars in this outing, together with Leo Carrillo as his comical sidekick Pancho. Cisco and Pancho are wrongfully identified as bandits by a U.S. Cavalry sergeant (Joe Sawyer). Realizing that no one believes their innocence, the boys decide to pose as criminals in order to get the goods on the real crooks. Pancho has some wonderful moments as he holds up a stagecoach and fends off the amorous advances of a spinsterish passenger (Helen Servis), while Cisco enjoys a brief liaison with barmaid Rosita (Armida), the girl friend of the flustered cavalry sergeant. One of the better Krasne-produced "Cisco Kid" efforts, Gay Amigo tells its story in a brisk 62 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Duncan Renaldo, Leo Carrillo, (more)
- 1949
Superman and Dick Tracy star in Jungle Goddess--or rather, the actors who played Superman and Dick Tracy, George Reeves and Ralph Byrd. When pilots Mike Patton (Reeves) and Bob Simpson (Byrd) learn that the father of long-missing Greta Vanderhorn (Wanda McKay) is offering a huge reward for his daughter's return, they fly off to the African jungle where Greta's plane crashed many years ago. Mike and Bob trace Greta to a supersititious native tribe, where she reigns as queen. Bob has the misfortune to kill one of the natives, whereupon Greta condemns him to death. Eventually, the more sympathetic of the two pilots manages to make his escape, with Greta by his side. Filmed "in glowing Sepiatone", Jungle Goddess recently resurfaced as an object of derision on TV's Mystery Science Theater 3000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Reeves, Wanda McKay, (more)
- 1948
Yet another comic strip character -- Whitney Ellsworth's Congo Bill -- reached the screens in serial form courtesy of Columbia Pictures' penny-pinching Sam Katzman. But this intrepid jungle hero broke no new ground, to put it mildly. Played by a mustached Don McGuire -- a B-movie actor lacking somewhat in the charisma department -- Congo Bill again used the tired old plot about the search for a white Jungle Goddess, this time the possible heir to a 500,000-dollar trust fund. McGuire does manage to find the girl -- played by buxom Cleo Moore, who later gained fame in several exploitative film noirs of the 1950s -- but only after surviving attacks from a killer gorilla, an assortment of thugs, a runaway boulder, a shooting, and a stabbing, plus various other perils, none of them too exciting. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1945
The Kid (Duncan Renaldo) masquerades as a government inspector in this pleasant, and pleasantly tuneful, Cisco Kid series entry. Learning that his old friends have been killed and Manuel Gonzales (Tito Renaldo) wrongly accused of cattle rustling by corrupt district officer Miguel Sanchez (George J. Lewis), the Kid assumes the identity of the murdered government official. In town, Cisco discovers Manuel's sister, Dolores (Lillian Molieri), whom Sanchez is brutally forcing to sing for her supper, but using his usual cunning and with a bit of help from sidekick Pancho (Martin Garralaga) and jealous cantina girl Pepita (Armida), our hero soon gets the goods on the villainous district officer and his chief lieutenant Torres (Francis McDonald). A rather obviously dubbed Renaldo joins Armida, Lillian Molieri and The Guadalajara Trio in warbling "Adios Amor", by Louis Herscher and J. Castelleone), and a couple of standard Spanish ballads. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Duncan Renaldo, Martin Garralaga, (more)
- 1945
Set on the Mexican border in 1850, Bad Men of the Border was the first of seven Universal Westerns starring handsome Kirby Grant, a former singer from Montana who had earlier acted under the name Robert Stanton. The series, Universal's last attempt at competing with Republic Pictures' many streamlined B-Westerns, also featured the bucolic Fuzzy Knight as Grant's sidekick. Grant and Knight are undercover U.S. marshals tracking down a gang of counterfeiters. To their surprise, they are soon assisted by a beautiful Mexican dancehall performer, Dolores Mendoza (Armida), who proves to be an undercover agent as well, in her case for the Mexican rurales headed by Captain Garcia (Francis McDonald). After much riding and shooting, the leaders of the ring -- ex-convict turned cantina owner Bart Breslow (John Eldredge) on the Mexican side and saloon owner Ace Morgan (Edward M. Howard) in Texas -- are captured in their underground hideout. In between the action, Armida found time to perform "And Then I Got Married," by Everett Carter and Milton Rosen, and "I Would Love You," by Jack Brooks and Rosen. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
PRC's Machine Gun Mama is the sort of comedy that tries to get laughs by invoking the name of Brooklyn. Wallace Ford and El Brendel play a couple of American dimwits who find themselves travelling through Latin America with an elephant. Why an elephant? So Wally and El can sell the pachyderm to a broken-down carnival, thereby making the acquaintance of Armida, who is the prettier half of a trick-shooting act. What we have here is essentially a two-reel comedy, inflated to 61 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armida, El Brendel, (more)
- 1943
Kelly (Eddie Quillan) is a tough little wiseacre who can't keep his fists to himself. As a result, he loses one job after another, much to the chagrin of his faithful girlfriend (Joan Woodbury) and loving mother (Mary Gordon). Finally, Kelly lands a job as a process server, leading to quite a series of comic and not-so-comic adventures. Based on a story by no less than Dore Schary (here billed as "Jeb Schary"), Here Comes Kelly is a remake of the 1933 Ray Walker vehicle He Couldn't Take It. The above the border. The film's title, incidentally, translates roughly as Jack Called Three Times, so it can be assumed that Sandrini's character name was Jack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Quillan, Joan Woodbury, (more)
- 1943
The seemingly ageless Eddie Quillan heads the cast of the Monogram musical Melody Parade. Eddie plays Jimmy Tracy, a nightclub busboy who hopes to become a big-time producer. Mary Beth Hughes costars as Anne O'Rourke, a hatcheck girl with singing aspirations. The arrival of supposed heriess Gloria Brewster (Irene Ryan) would seem to bode well for Jimmy and Anne's showbiz future-but alas, Gloria turns out to be a phony. Never mind: no matter how many complications and setbacks, it's a sure bet that Melody Parade will end with an elaborate, all-smiles production number. Providing extra chuckles are Irene Ryan's husband/vaudeville partner Tim Ryan, and the ineluctable Mantan Moreland. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Beth Hughes, Eddie Quillan, (more)
The world of boxing provides the framework for this romantic musical that tells the story of Baby and his manager who is also his sister. Baby is slated to fight Jerry O'Leary, but his sister won't let him because she is in love with the opponent. To ensure that the two do not fight, O'Leary's manager hires a seductress to keep Baby's mind off fighting during training. Fortunately the boxing commission learns of the scam and intervenes in the nick of time. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armida, Edgar Kennedy, (more)
- 1942
A real four-hanky picture, Always in My Heart was loosely adapted from the stage play by Dorothy Bennett and Irving White. Walter Huston is a tower of strength as MacKenzie Scott, a brilliant musician falsely convicted of murder and sentenced to Life. While Scott languishes in prison, his long-suffering ex-wife Marjorie (Kay Francis) raises their two children to adulthood. Out of respect for Scott, whom she still loves, Marjorie never reveals to the kids that their father is in jail, insisting instead that Scott has long since died. Enter Philip Ames (Sidney Blackmer), who falls in love with Marjorie and lavish expensive gifts on the children. It must needs be that Scott is proven innocent and pardoned, whereupon he journeys home to visit his grown daughter Victoria (Gloria Warren), now a promising singer. At first hesitant to reveal his identity, Scott is finally urged to do so by Marjorie, who has never really given up hope that her family will one day be reunited. In the midst of all these soap-operaish intrigues, some welcome comedy relief is provided by Borrah Minevitch and his Harmonica Rascals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kay Francis, Walter Huston, (more)
- 1941
Hal Roach's first Technicolor production was the 48-minute musical Fiesta. The story takes place on the Mexican ranch owned by Don Hernandez (Antonio Moreno), whose niece Cholita (Anne Ayers) is returning home to marry local caballero Jose (George Negrete). When Cholita arrives, however, she has a new fiance in tow: pompous radio star Fernando Gomez (George Givot). Unwilling to resort to anything as crass as physical violence, Jose spends the next four reels cooking up schemes to scare Gomez off the property. Like Roach's first "streamlined" musical All-American Co-Ed, Fiesta was directed by choreographer Leroy Prinz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Ayars, Jorge Negrete, (more)
- 1941
An entertaining amalgam of Universal contract players, leftover sets and stock footage, South of Tahiti stars Brian Donlevy, Broderick Crawford and Andy Devine as Bob, Chuck and Moose, three stooge-like sailors who land on a South Sea island. While Bob pitches woos at voluptuous native girl Melahi (Maria Montez in one of her earliest leading roles), Chuck and Moose try to plunder a valuable-and sacred--bed of pearls. Nothing much happens after this, except for a few dozen shots of gorgeous Universal starlets in various states of undress. H.B. Warner, who in his heyday played Jesus in DeMille's The King of Kings, brings a modicum of dignity to the proceedings as a native chieftan. Even at its weakest, South of Tahiti is slick and pleasantly amusing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Broderick Crawford, (more)
- 1940
In this comedy, actor Hugh Herbert plays six different roles. Only one of the roles is a man. The story centers around a dizzy music lover, who has grown rich through real estate deals. Also figuring in the story are a cab driver/performer, and a down-on-her-luck, aspiring singer. They meet when she hails his cab as she skips out on her former boarding house because she cannot pay rent. The cabbie takes her to his boarding house. All of the residents are struggling performers. Unfortunately, they are all about to be evicted as none of them can pay rent. All of the tenants put together a show to try to earn money. They then turn the house into a nightclub. It is just about to fold when the real estate tycoon arrives and is impressed. He then remembers that he owns the building. The kind tycoon gives the place to the cabbie and the singer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Herbert
- 1937
Gene Autry and his sidekick, Smiley Burnette, are suspected of cattle rustling in this action-packed Republic Pictures Western directed by former actor Mack V. Wright. Actually, Gene and Frog (Burnette) had been chasing a couple of real cattle rustlers, Apache Kid (Max Hoffman Jr.) and Black Jim (Charles King), when they discovered the bodies of two lawmen. Realizing that the rustlers killed their pursuers, our heroes get the bright idea of masquerading in the apparel left by the outlaws. Heading for the border, things get even more complicated, but Gene and his pal manage to stay alive and catch the secret leader of the gang, Joe Stafford (Monte Blue), the supposed upstanding head of the cattlemen's association. When they're not chasing down rustlers, Autry, Burnette, and Al Clauser and his Oklahoma Outlaws perform "The Old Home Place," "Mexicali Rose," and the title tune, all by Sol Meyer, Jule Styne, and Raoul Kraushaar. Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm was partially filmed on-location in Lone Pine, CA, where the production took advantage of a terrific real-life storm. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1937
The cattle rustlers in Border Cafe, a modern-day western from the RKO B-unit, are Eastern gangsters headed by none other than that old reprobate J. Carrol Naish. After having landed in jail for drunken driving for the umpteenth time, young Bostonian Keith Whitney (John Beal callously leaves his fiancé (Marjorie Lord) behind and takes off on a whim for Verde, Texas, where he inhales huge amounts of scotch and plays the honky tonk. In the mistaken belief that his son is operating a cattle ranch, Senator Whitney (George Irving) announces his arrival in Verde but Keith is rescued in the nick of time by Tex Stevens (Harry Carey), a leathery cattle baron who has taken a liking to the youngster. Things get dicey when New York gangster Rocky Alton (Naish) arrives to extract protection fees but Keith, who has taken to the wide open spaces like the proverbial fish to water, saves the day for all and sundry. Dumped on the B-Movie market with little fanfare in June of 1937, Border Café marked the screen debut of Marjorie Lord, mother of screen actress Anne Archer. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Carey, John Beal, (more)
- 1935
In this western-style musical, a rakish gaucho rides off across the Argentine pampas to Buenos Aires in search of his stolen horse. Once there, he soon engages in hot pursuit of a lovely singing señorita. Soon he discovers that her manager just may be the thief he has been looking for. Keep a sharp eye out for a young Rita Cansino (later known as Rita Hayworth) in an early performance as a dance hall girl. Songs include: "Zamba" (Arthur Wynter-Smith), The Gaucho" (Buddy De Sylva, Walter Samuels), "Querida Mia" (Paul Francis Webster, Lew Pollack), "Love Song of the Pampas," "Veredita," and "Je t'Adore" (Miguel de Zarraga, Cyril J. Mockridge). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Ketti Gallian, (more)
- 1935
Perhaps Mascot Pictures' The Marines are Coming would have been more credible had it been made 10 years earlier. Stars William Haines, Esther Ralston and Conrad Nagel are game, but all three are a bit long in tooth for their characters. In a throwback to his silent films, Haines plays a wise-guy marine, while Nagel is his more-serious best friend. Both men vie for the attentions of cute blonde Ralston, but South-of-the-Border tootsie Armida complicates matters. Everything is resolved after an exciting battle between the U.S. Marines and a gang of Mexican bandits. William Haines retired from films after The Marines are Coming, going on to a highly successful career as a Hollywood interior decorator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Haines, Esther Ralston, (more)
- 1930
A well-staged battle between two wild horses became the centerpiece in this early musical Western starring diminutive Mexican actress Armida. She plays the owner of a hacienda who takes in a fugitive (Don Terry) from the Mexican authorities. Terry, of course, is completely innocent in the charge of horse stealing and gets a chance to clear his good name when Armida's ranch becomes a target for the real rustlers. Produced by the penny-pinching Lester F. Scott, Jr., Border Romance came complete with a sentimental theme song written by Will Jason and Val Burton. Scott, however, wanted his money's worth and the theme, according to the New York Times was "heard on the sands of the desert, in adobe huts, at fiestas, during horse raids and after every meal!" ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1930
Comedian Frank Fay and director Michael Curtiz reportedly despised one another at sight, and their mutual animosity tends to seep through every frame of Under a Texas Moon. The vainglorious Fay is cast as Don Carlos, a gay caballero ("gay" meaning "carefree") whose serenades every senorita he meets. When a group of ranchers post a $7000 dollar reward for the capture of the Bad Man of the Pool (Fred Kohler), a notorious bandit, Don Carlos passes himself off as a daring cattle rustler and promises to bring the Bad Man to heel within 10 days. Characteristically, he spends nine of those ten days romancing such lovelies as Raquella (Raquel Torres), Lolita (Myrna Loy) and Dolores (Armida). All of this was played for laughs, but Frank Fay's special brand of quiet put-down humor didn't play quite as well on screen as it did on stage. Under a Texas Moon was originally released in Technicolor, but try finding a color print today. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Fay, Raquel Torres, (more)
- 1930
Though one would never know it from the title, Wings of Adventure is essentially a western. Rex Lease stars as aviator Dave Kent, who crash-lands in Mexico with his comedy-sidekick mechanic Skeets Smith (Clyde Cook). Here he is captured by a band of rebels, whose captain La Panthera is in love with heroine Maria (Armida). Begging Dave to rescue her from La Panthera's clutches, Maria leads our hero out of the bandit's headquarters, whereupon they board his repaired plane and fly off to the nearest U.S. Cavalry camp. This results in yet another crash, albeit one played for laughs by the ubiquitous Skeets Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clyde Cook, Rex Lease, (more)
- 1930
Having already made a successful transition to talkies, canine star Rin-Tin-Tin remained on the Warner Bros. payroll throughout 1930. In On the Border, Rinty plays a police dog living at a lavish California hacienda near the Mexican border. The villainous Farrell (Philo McCullough) decides to use the house as a rendezvous point for his thriving alien-smuggling operation. But Farrell is foiled by Dave (Dave B. Litel), a border cop posing as a bum, and (of course) by Rin-Tin-Tin. The femme lead is played by Mexican song-and-dancer Armida, some ten years before she was "officially" discovered by Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rin Tin Tin, Armida, (more)
- 1929
This costume drama is the first all dialog film in which Barrymore appeared. He plays a mercenary who will serve anyone who pays him. He is currently working for the Austrian Emperor. His mission is to abscond with the crown of the Holy Roman Empire. En route, the hero marries a gypsy and leaves her to await his return in Vienna. While he is off doing the king's bidding, the Austrian ruler begins dallying with his wife. This enrages the mercenary who upon his return, seeks to dethrone the king. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Barrymore, Lowell Sherman, (more)
- 1929
Basically a filmed vaudeville presentation, The Show of Shows was Warner Bros.' entry in the "all star, all talking, all singing and all dancing" sweepstakes of 1929. Though slightly better than MGM's Hollywood Revue of 1929, the Warners entry pales in comparison to Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 and Paramount on Parade, due mainly to the film's master of ceremonies, the insufferable Frank Fay. Some of the individual acts seen in Show of Shows were pretty good, notably Winnie Lightner's delightful Singing in the Bathtub (a spoof of Hollywood Revue of 1929's Singin' in the Rain) and John Barrymore's brilliant rendition of Richard III's soliloquy from Shakespeare's Henry VI. Also easy to take was "Floradora Sextette," featuring such luminaries as Myrna Loy, Patsy Ruth Miller and cross-eyed comedian Ben Turpin, and "Eight Sister Acts," including such Hollywood siblings as Dolores and Helene Costello, Sally Blane and Loretta Young and Shirley Mason and Viola Dana (also teamed in this number are Ann Sothern and Marion Byron, who were not sisters). But for the most part, the acts are on a par with "Skull and Crossbones," a boring production number showcasing entertainer Ted Lewis, and "Recitations," a one-joke affair in which three different anecdotes (related by Frank Fay, Louis Fazenda, Lloyd Hamilton and Bea Lillie) are melded into one. Show of Shows was originally released in two-color Technicolor but now exists only in black in white, save for the "Chinese Fantasy" number featuring crooner Nick Lucas and Warner Bros. contractee Myrna Loy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
