Musical Monday: They Met in Argentina (1941)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
They Met in Argentina (1941) – Musical #837

Studio:
RKO Pictures

Director:
Leslie Goodwins, Jack Hively

Starring:
Maureen O’Hara, James Ellison, Buddy Ebsen, Alberto Vila, Robert Barrat, Joseph Buloff, Diosa Costello, Luis Alberni (uncredited), Fortunio Bonanova (uncredited), Chester Clute (uncredited), Victoria Córdova (uncredited), Betty Jane Rhodes (uncredited)

Plot:
Americans Tim Kelly (Ellison) and his colleague Duke Ferrell (Ebsen) are in Argentina on business to bid on land for oil. While he’s unsuccessful in his oil business, he tries to bid on a race horse, which is owned by Don Enrique de los Santos O’Shea (Barrat). Tim falls for his daughter, Lolita O’Shea (O’Hara). Don Enrique objects, because he doesn’t want his daughter to go to the United States.

Trivia:
• Jack Hively had to replace Leslie Goodwins when Goodwins was hospitalized with pneumonia during the filming, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
• The film’s plot was written by the film’s producer, Lou Brock
• The Argentina government wanted Alberto Vila to be featured in the film.
• Songs written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenzo Hart
• Only Hollywood film appearance for Uruguayan actor, singer Alberto Vila.
• First film appearance of Diosa Costello, who was in a total of three films.

Highlights:
• The “Cutting the Cane” dance number

Notable Songs:
• “North America Meets South America” performed by Betty Jane Rhodes
• “You’ve Got the Best of Me” performed by Buddy Ebsen and danced by Ebsen and Diosa Costello
• “Amarillo” performed by James Ellison, reprised by Alberto Vila
• “Lolita” performed by Alberto Vila
• “Cutting the Cane” performed by Diosa Costello
• “Never Go to Argentina If You Don’t Dance” performed by Diosa Costello and Buddy Ebsen

My review:
This week’s Musical Monday has a convoluted plot, sub par songs and a thankless role for Maureen O’Hara. However, its plot and music tie into a political initiative: The Good Neighbor Policy.

The film, THEY MET IN ARGENTINA (1941) follows two U.S. oil businessmen, Tim Kelly (James Ellison) and Duke Ferrel (Buddy Ebsen), who are in Argentina trying to purchase land. In the process, they decide to attempt to buy a race horse and Tim falls in love with Lolita O’Shea (Maureen O’Hara).

The plot frankly is silly and doesn’t matter. But what does matter is the heavy influence of the Good Neighbor Policy on THEY MET IN ARGENTINA.

From 1933 to 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to improve relations with South America through the Good Neighbor Policy, which focused on mutual respect, non-military intervention and being united against Nazi Germany. It also influenced fashion, music and entertainment. For example, musicians like Xavier Cugat and performers like Carmen Miranda became popular during this time period.

THEY MET IN ARGENTINA (1941) opens with Betty Jane Rhodes singing over the titles “North America Meets South America” with lyrics that tout “North America meet South America, there’s only one America now!” The song is hummed throughout the film and highlights the whole purpose of the film.

This film was an attempt by RKO to “woo” the South American film market, according to the American Film Institute. The Office of Inter-American Affairs, founded in 1940, may have also played a role in the making of THEY MET IN ARGENTINA. The film industry was one of the key avenues identified to improve North and South American relations by making films with Latin American themes, according to the AFI.

Also behind the scenes, the Argentinian government requested that Alberto Vila appear in the film, though he only appeared in a small, singing role.

However, if it was, it didn’t do a great job of it, because it’s largely a stinker. In addition, the film plays into stereotypes, with Puerto Rican performer Diosa Costello having a heated temper. And white actors, Robert Barrat and Hans Conreid, appear in brown face – though I’m unclear if Barrat is also supposed to be Irish?

Outside of the Good Neighbor Policy, it appears to be a waste of time for Irish actress, Maureen O’Hara. Up to this point, O’Hara’s film career started with high level-plumb roles: The lead in Alfred Hitchcock’s JAMAICA INN (1939) and Esmerelda to Charles Laughton’s Quesimodo in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939). This was followed by the lead in the play to films adaption of A BILL OF DIVORCEMENT (1940) and the ballet dancer who lands in the burlesque in DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (1940).
With such upward momentum, THEY MET IN ARGENTINA is odd casting, and O’Hara wasn’t pleased with the film role, according to her memoir.

I knew it was going to be a stinker; terrible script, bad director, preposterous plot, forgettable music,” O’Hara wrote – noting that she was furious that the film was a flop.

Unlike her usual roles, O’Hara’s character is mainly sweet and window dressing. She seems to stand around smiling and has very few lines, though she has top billing. Even worse, it’s a missed opportunity that O’Hara doesn’t sing at all, because she can sing!

However, following this film, O’Hara’s next film was HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), a future Best Picture winner directed by John Ford, so her career wasn’t on the downswing for long.

While O’Hara received top billing, Buddy Ebsen seemed to more of the film’s star. James Ellison, bland as usual, was … James Ellison. His character sings a song and I’m unclear if he was dubbed.

While this movie overall isn’t great, I will say Diosa Costello is a highlight with the musical numbers she performs. She belts out “Cutting the Cane” and it’s followed by a wonderful dance number. This truly is the highlight of the film.

While THEY MET IN ARGENTINA (1941) is far from a great film, it is also an interesting curio of Hollywood buying into the Good Neighbor Policy. But for better examples of this, I would recommend films such as DOWN ARGENTINE WAY (1940), WEEKEND IN HAVANA (1941), THAT NIGHT IN RIO (1941) or HOLIDAY IN MEXICO (1946).

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