Masquerade In Mexico (1945)

 

A down and out chorus girl (Dorothy Lamour) finds herself in Mexico without any money and no job. With the help of a taxi driver (Mikhail Rasumny), she passes herself off as a Spanish Contessa and gets a job as a nightclub entertainer. Enter a bullfighter (Arturo De Cordova), a banker (Patric Knowles) and his catty wife (Ann Dvorak) ... complications ensue. Directed by Mitchell Liesen (MIDNIGHT), this is an attempt at sophisticated comedy but the script seems warmed over and it needed actors with expert comedic timing (say, Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea) to make it work. What we get are Dorothy Lamour and Patric Knowles. Nothing against them, they're attractive and likable but their talents aren't specific enough for a farce like this. It's not an unpleasant way to pass the time but quite early on, you realize it will never rise above adequacy. The few songs and dance numbers are forgettable but the real stars of the film are Roland Anderson and Hans Dreier's art direction (that Spanish style country villa is a real beauty) and Edith Head's exquisite costumes. With Natalie Schafer, Billy Daniel and George Rigaud.