Copacabana (1947)

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.