They Met in Argentina

Maureen O'Hara, James Ellison, Buddy Ebsen, Fortunio Bonanova, and by special demand Alberto Vila star in "They Met in Argentina," from 1941.

A Texas oil millionaire wants oil lands in Argentina, but when he doesn't get them he sends his representative (Ellison) after a famous race horse. Ellison falls head over heels for the daughter of the horse's owner (O'Hara).

What an annoying film. One rotten song after another - written by Rodgers & Hart? One of the great writing teams, and this music was unbearable.

The role played by beautiful Maureen O'Hara could have been played by a chimpanzee. O'Hara had a lovely singing voice and she didn't sing a note in this. And let's just say that James Ellison doesn't quite measure up to O'Hara's other leading men which included John Wayne, Tyrone Power, Rex Harrison, James Stewart, and John Payne.

The Argentinian government wouldn't allow the film to be released there unless footage of their big star, Alberto Vila, was added. It doesn't help.

A very disappointing film with nothing to recommend it. And what is the point of having Maureen O'Hara in a movie if you're not going to film in color?

Had this been done over at 20th Century Fox which was at this time doing a lot of Latin American based musicals we'd have seen technicolor the better to show off Maureen O'Hara's fiery red tresses. Darryl Zanuck would have gotten a better score out of Rodgers&Hart than what was written for RKO.

The threadbare plot consists of a couple of American cowboys in Argentina who are played by James Ellison and Buddy Ebsen. Ellison fails to get some oil leases from Don Robert Barrat. But he might be able to get both daughter Maureen O'Hara and a prize race horse from Barrat if he learns the customs of the gaucho culture and plays his cards right.

Sadly Maureen doesn't sing and Ellison doesn't try. Ebsen has some nice numbers with Diosa Costello and there are a few ensemble numbers. Why didn't they get a singing leading man God only knows.

They Met In Argentina doesn't stack up to what was being done with the same material over at 20th Century Fox.

American Tim Kelly (James Ellison) is in Argentina to work out an oil deal for his Texan tycoon boss. At a horse race in Buenos Aires, he has a bad first meet with local Lolita O'Shea (Maureen O'Hara). He takes a liking to the race horse Lucero. After Lucero beats his bosses' horse, he is ordered to buy it at all cost. Lucero is owned by Argentinian Don Enrique de los Santos O'Shea who happens to be Lolita's father. He befriends Texas cowboy Duke Ferrell (Buddy Ebsen). With the oil deal going bad, he needs the horse to appease his boss.

Nobody seems to have liked this movie. If this was meant to please the Latin American neighbors, it was a tone-deaf effort. The Americans are there to buy up Argentinian assets, talk American, and whisk away their women. I don't know why they didn't like this. The movie was scored by Rodgers and Hart. I'm sure that this is not their best effort. There are no hits to be had here. I love Maureen O'Hara, but she is suppressed in this movie. As hard as she tries, I don't see any chemistry with Ellison. I don't hate this, but it is falling flat.

James Ellison and pal Buddy Ebsen head down to Argentina to buy a famous racehorse from Robert Barrat. He won't sell, but Ellison begins to romance Barrat's daughter, Maureen O'Hara.

It's one of those movies made out of snips and snails and puppy dog tails; not everything works, but enough. Part of the reason seems to be that director Leslie Goodwins came down with pneumonia and Jack Hively took over for him. This resulted in things like the worst set of lyrics to Rodgers & Hart songs I've ever heard, Veloz doing mass Veloz-and-Yolanda dancing for the big dance number, Miss O'Hara not even trying to do a Hispanic accent. Still there's the deliberate comic mismatch of Ebsen and tiny Diosa Costello, and the well-shot and stunt laden game played by Ellison and the gauchos at the end. Even so, I doubt this movie contributed much to Pan-American relations.

A forgettable story about an American businessman's (Ellison) attempts to purchase a racehorse from a rich Irish/South American , and his lovely daughter's (O'Hara) attempt to hook him at the same time, is merely an excuse for a top-notch musical comedy show. Buddy Ebsen is particularly funny as Ellison's Texan companion, and he gets to show off some snappy dancing, too. The bits that have been written here make Ebsen sort of a low-budget Will Rogers, but he makes the most of the opportunities and comes out shining. The script comes loaded with good jokes, and Ebsen has some of the best delivery (in classic vaudeville style) in the business.

Rodgers and Hart contribute one of their least impressive scores -- only one or two good songs. They gave Ebsen a humorous cowboy ditty to sing (and he sings it poorly deliberately, let's hope), but their theme song ("North America.... meet South America" is but one of its blistering rhymes) is truly atrocious. There are also one or two more or less forgettable attempts by the songwriters to imitate the style of Jerome Kern in light operetta, sung by Ellison's rival for O'Hara's love. Since Ellison can't sing at all, SOMETHING must have swung the thing in his favor.....

A likeable film emerges from the somewhat messy stew thanks to good comedy writing and playing.