Copacabana

The thing that frequently gets me about films like this, is that we would ever have got dressed up to the nines for a evening/early morning of entertainment that is all so very rigid and regimented...... The thing that frequently gets me about films like this, is that we would ever have got dressed up to the nines for a evening/early morning of entertainment that is all so very rigid and regimented... The dancing routines are so very heavily choreographed and the size of the places - with a band, dancers and a spotlit leading performer - must have been most off putting for diner and entertainer alike. This one has quite a quirky storyline: Graucho Marx ("Devereaux") has just one act - Carmen Miranda - on his books but venue owner Steve Cochrane ("Steve") is looking for more, so Marx hits upon a plan whereby his star does her Brazilian samba act for some of the time, then upscales as the more elegantly alluring "Madame. Fifi" during the downtime - a recipe for a fast paced juggling act that Barnum would have been proud of. There are some gently amusing sub-plots as their success attracts Holywood producers; Gloria Jean ("Anne") tries to have her way with the unsuspecting boss and crooner Andy Russell gets a few numbers in too. As you'd expect, there are plenty of quippy one-liners from Marx, many of which still raise a smile 70-odd years later, but otherwise time hasn't really been kind to the rest of it. Miranda never did strike any chords with me; and though doubtless an hugely charismatic woman, her act was limited and her thick accent quite difficult to comprehend - it really was all about the fruit bowl with her. Both have some fun trashing the dressing room towards the end which is quite jolly, but the set-piece dancing elements are unremarkable and the story is, well, daft... Nothing not to like, really, but nothing much to remember either.