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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 28875
Released: June 13, 2006 |
| Our Price: $7.83 |
| Used Price: $6.00 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Betty Grable and Don Ameche fall in love but their fathers intervene. Includes classic performances by Carmen Miranda.
Down Argentine Way Reviews:
DOWN ARGENTINE REVIEW 
2009-06-25 -
I AM SO GLAD I GOT THIS DVD...DOWN ARGENTINE WAY. IT HAS AN EXCELLENT BIO ON BETTY GRABLE. HER DVD...THE DOLLY SISTERS...IS SENSATIONAL ALSO.
BETTY GRABLE AND DORIS DAY ARE AMONGST MY FAVORITE FOR BUILDING A DVD COLLECTION.
A Great Movie prior to WWII 
2009-06-09 - When I first saw this movie with my parwents and my younger brother in a first class theatre I was only 6 years old. I remember the late Betty Grable was extremel beautiful and Carman Miranda's funny Hat and singing her famous South American songs.
I saw this movie again some 3 weeks ago on Fox Movie Channel again, I could not resist the impulse to purchase this DVD. After I receieved this digitally remastered DVD.I viewed it several times again and again and I told myself this amount was well spent.
Hollywood can never produced such a charming mobie ant more.
splashy musical delight!
2009-05-24 - Alice Faye's loss was Betty Grable's gain when the resident female musical star at Fox took ill shortly before filming was due to start on DOWN ARGENTINE WAY. The unknown young chorus girl took on the lead role in Fox's lavish Technicolor treat, one of the most successful box office attractions in 1940, and cemented her position as the new face of Fox musicals.
Co-starring regular players of the period like Charlotte Greenwood, Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda (in her American film debut), the plot merely acts as an excuse for some of the most enjoyable musical sequences ever committed to film. Carmen Miranda performs "Bambu Bambu", "Mamãe Eu Quero", and "South American Way" (her numbers were actually filmed in New York where she was starring on Broadway in "The Streets of Paris").
Even in this earliest of American movie roles she's a complete joy, with her fractured English and infectious screen persona. Betty Grable proves herself admirably in her first starring role, singing and dancing with Don Ameche to "Two Dreams Met (Dos Sueños)". Technicolor bathes the 'exotic' locales in grand fashion--the film was primarily shot on the Fox backlot.
Betty Grable rocketed to fame following her breakout performance in DOWN ARGENTINE WAY. Alice Faye--with a young family--was beginning to wind down her career at this point, having earned raves for "Lillian Russell" in 1940, and with only a handful of films ("That Night in Rio", "The Great American Broadcast", "Week-End in Havana", "Hello, Frisco, Hello", "Four Jills in a Jeep", "The Gang's All Here") remaining on her Fox contract before she officially retired in 1944. It was Betty Grable's rapid rise to fame at Fox which largely caused her to walk away from the spotlight. Fox tried to groom the glamorous red-headed nightclub singer Vivian Blaine as a possible replacement for Faye, and starred her opposite Carmen Miranda in some musicals which replicated the typical Alice Faye plots (although most were in black-and-white), but she never quite clicked with audiences, who preferred Grable's Technicolor treats "Moon Over Miami", "Pin-Up Girl" and "The Dolly Sisters" over Ms Blaine's relatively obscure "Greenwich Village", "If I'm Lucky" and "Doll Face".
Splashy musical fun for the whole family.
Technicolor escape to the past & beautiful Betty
2009-04-05 - Filmed in jewel-like Technicolor, Down Argentine Way is the perfect escapism musical. Does it have anything remotely historically accurate? No (if you're looking for that, you aren't a fan of Twentieth Century Fox musicals). Does it have political correctness? No (you MUST be kidding!). Does it have the fabulous Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda and Nicholas Brothers and the ever-charming Don Ameche? You BET! And, as always, that makes it worthwhile. I've had the VHS for years and decided to upgrade to the DVD to get the extras ( A & E Biography channel profile of Betty Grable, photos and more). As of this writing, so many of Betty Grable's films are not available even on VHS, let alone DVD. Perhaps some day Fox will see that there's a market for these films and actually release them. Currently unavailable on either VHS or DVD are: Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe, Sweet Rosie O'Grady, When My Baby Smiles at Me, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, Call Me Mister and Coney Island. Be aware if you buy these - they are bootlegs.
They don't make them like this anymore!
2008-11-16 - Watching "Down Argentine Way" is to watch a genre of film that sadly is no more;and we are all the lesser for it.
These musicals/comedies/romancers have all but vanished from the Hollywood landscape.Moreover it serves to also remind us of what talents once roamed the studio landscapes and were at the beck and call of the producers.
His career was revived later in his life by Ron Howard who put him in his successful "Cocoon" pictures,but many later generations don't know that in the late 30s and 40s Don Ameche was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.As serious and good an actor as any his acting AND musical talents were amply showcased in pictures like this and others,like "One Night in Rio" or "Moon over Miami".And Ameche makes the most of every moment he has on screen.
Along with Ameche we have up and coming pin up queen Betty Grable.Already an established actress but with her star very much in ascendance here,Grable excelled in such musical diversions as this and her dancing and her pleasing vocals are all in their best form and shown off to great effect.
Along with the two main stars is a new South American talent from Brazil making her Hollywood screen debut,the vivacious Portugal born Carmen Miranda.Appearing in the smash Broadway production of "The Streets of Paris"(also her first appearance in the U.S. courtesy of theatre empressario Lee Schubert) and a local club simultaneously,she allotted what precious little time she had between performances,to appear in this film.Three of the songs she sang in "Streets","South American Way"(pronounced 'Souse' by Carmen),"Mamae eu Quero"(I want my Mama) and "Bambo de Bambu" were re-performed in the film for a broader and larger film going public.Carmens' powerful screen presence with those undulating hips,the alluring eyes and arm movements and her beautiful baiana(Bahian inspired costume),captivated the movie going public.Carmen performs two numbers almost back to back but what has always seemed strange to me is at the end of the film when all the main players come out for a small encore but Carmen is conspicuously absent.This would thanfully be corrected in the future.
50 years young stage and screen veteran Charlotte Greenwood also makes a grand appearance here.She was a real trooper,with much talent and known for her lithe long legs and eccentric high kicking,the latter seen briefly here towards the end of the picture.She does have a nice little musical spot though and she showed she could sing with the best of them.
Finally no 20th Century picture could ever be complete without an appearance by the incredible Nicholas Brothers dance team.The two terpsichorian terrors were just parachuted in whenever the producers of a picture felt that things needed spicing up;and what spicing! These two men perform the most jaw dropping dance routines,or should I say acrobatic turns,I have ever seen.Their standing flips and perilous looking splits never cease to amaze one when watching them.They gave new meaning to the words "show stoppers"!
With this new DVD release Fox has provided us with a wonderful print and transfer.The colours here are all crisp and very clean,with the contrast just right.Included is a photo gallery,audio commentary,the /95 A&E program "Betty Grable:Behind the Pin Up" and last but not least some 4 1/2"x6" Lobby cards from the movie.
All in all I recommend this fast paced,wonderfully acted and performed comedy/musical/romance to everyone.The plot involves race horses with Betty Grable falling in love with Don Ameche;a loosely based Romeo and Juliet story but with a much happier ending.But the plot is immaterial.What counts is the steller talents its' stars and supporting cast bring to the table;and what talent their is for ones eyes and ears to feast on.There is no better 88 minutes to spend than to spend it with this wonderful musical treat!
