A college student mistaken for a matador must survive the bullring in this pre-Code musical comedy.
After witnessing a bank robbery, college student Eddie Williams (Eddie Cantor) flees to Mexico. Seeking refuge with his friend Ricardo (Robert Young), Eddie is mistaken for a celebrated Spanish bullfighter. This new identity complicates his affections for Rosalie (Lyda Roberti) while also drawing the attention of Anita Gomez (Ruth Hall). His masquerade eventually forces him into the bullring for a climactic showdown, where he must rely on his wits rather than his nonexistent matador skills to survive.
A prime example of director Leo McCarey’s work with the era’s great comedians, this film was a significant box office success during the height of the Depression. Its popularity was such that producer Sam Goldwyn was able to command more than two dollars a ticket, a considerable sum when most major features cost seventy-five cents. The film’s musical sequences, choreographed by Busby Berkeley, are a particular highlight; a chorus line of “Goldwyn Girls” includes fleeting appearances by future stars Betty Grable and Paulette Goddard. The combination of Cantor’s energetic performance and Berkeley’s inventive staging proved a potent formula for escapist entertainment.
Production Co: United Artists / 96 minutes / 1932
Director: Leo McCarey
Screenplay: William Anthony McGuire, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby
Main Cast: Eddie Cantor (Eddie Williams), Lyda Roberti (Rosalie), Robert Young (Ricardo), Ruth Hall (Anita Gomez), Noah Beery (Alonzo Gomez), J. Carrol Naish (Pedro), Stanley Fields (Jose), John Miljan (Pancho)
