Down Argentine Way (1940)

88 or 94 mins | Comedy-drama | 11 October 1940

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HISTORY

The working title of this film was The South American Way. Material contained in the Twentieth Century-Fox Produced Scripts Collection at the UCLA Theater Arts Library discloses that after writer Roman Romero drafted a preliminary outline for this film, studio head Darryl Zanuck decided that he wanted to make a "South American" Kentucky (a popular 1938 Fox film). Novelist John O'Hara also worked on a version of the screenplay, but his contribution to the final film has not been determined. According to news items in HR, an ailing Alice Faye was replaced by Betty Grable, and Cesar Romero, suffering from para-typhoid, was replaced by Leonid Kinskey. Another item in HR notes that J. Carroll Naish's success in a comedy role in this film prompted Fox to assign him to the 1941 film That Night in Rio. Modern sources include actress Elena Verdugo in the cast in a bit role and note that this may have been her first film. Down Argentine Way was nominated for Academy Awards in the Art Direction (Color) and Cinematography (Color) categories. Harry Warren and Mack Gordon's song "Down Argentine Way" was also nominated for an Oscar. ...

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The working title of this film was The South American Way. Material contained in the Twentieth Century-Fox Produced Scripts Collection at the UCLA Theater Arts Library discloses that after writer Roman Romero drafted a preliminary outline for this film, studio head Darryl Zanuck decided that he wanted to make a "South American" Kentucky (a popular 1938 Fox film). Novelist John O'Hara also worked on a version of the screenplay, but his contribution to the final film has not been determined. According to news items in HR, an ailing Alice Faye was replaced by Betty Grable, and Cesar Romero, suffering from para-typhoid, was replaced by Leonid Kinskey. Another item in HR notes that J. Carroll Naish's success in a comedy role in this film prompted Fox to assign him to the 1941 film That Night in Rio. Modern sources include actress Elena Verdugo in the cast in a bit role and note that this may have been her first film. Down Argentine Way was nominated for Academy Awards in the Art Direction (Color) and Cinematography (Color) categories. Harry Warren and Mack Gordon's song "Down Argentine Way" was also nominated for an Oscar.

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SOURCE CITATIONS
SOURCE
DATE
PAGE
Daily Variety
2 Oct 1940
p. 3
Film Daily
4 Oct 1940
p. 10
Hollywood Reporter
12 Mar 1940
p. 3
Hollywood Reporter
14 Jun 1940
p. 3
Hollywood Reporter
25 Jun 1940
p. 13
Hollywood Reporter
18 Jul 1940
p. 4
Hollywood Reporter
22 Jul 1940
p. 4
Hollywood Reporter
2 Oct 1940
p. 3
Hollywood Reporter
16 Dec 1940
p. 4
Motion Picture Daily
4 Oct 1940
p. 4
Motion Picture Herald
5 Oct 1940
p. 40
New York Times
18 Oct 1940
p. 25
Variety
9 Oct 1940
p. 16
CAST
PRODUCTION CREDITS
NAME
PARENT COMPANY
DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
DIRECTORS
2d unit dir
Asst dir
PRODUCERS
Assoc prod
WRITERS
Story
Story
PHOTOGRAPHY
Dir of photog
Dir of photog
ART DIRECTORS
Art dir
FILM EDITOR
Film ed
SET DECORATOR
Set dec
COSTUMES
MUSIC
Mus dir
DANCE
Dances staged by
Dances staged by
PRODUCTION MISC
Tech dir
COLOR PERSONNEL
Technicolor dir
SOURCES
SONGS
"Two Dreams Met," "Down Argentine Way," "Nenita" and "Sing to Your Señorita," words and music by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren.
SONGWRITER/COMPOSER
DETAILS
Alternate Title:
The South American Way
Release Date:
11 October 1940
Production Date:
began 24 Jun 1940
Copyright Info
Claimant
Date
Copyright Number
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
11 October 1940
LP10260
Physical Properties:
Sound
Western Electric Mirrophonic
Color
Technicolor
Duration(in mins):
88 or 94
Length(in feet):
8,500
Country:
United States
PCA No:
6471
SYNOPSIS

Young Ricardo Quintano voyages from Argentina to New York to sell some of his father's prize horses. Before leaving, Don Diego instructs his son that no steeds are to be sold to Binnie Crawford or any member of her family because her brother Willis cheated him years earlier. Upon arriving in New York, Ricardo falls in love with Glenda Crawford, but when he learns that she is Binnie's niece, he refuses to sell her the horse she wants to buy and hurriedly returns to Argentina. Perturbed, Glenda follows him, accompanied by Binnie. The couple meet again in Argentina, where they confess their love for each other, and Ricardo introduces Glenda to his father as "Miss Cunningham." Glenda encourages Ricardo to enter his father's prize jumper, Furioso, in a race, against Don Diego's wishes. Soon after, while attending a horse show, Don Diego discovers Glenda's true identity and disowns his son. His bad mood is then compounded when Furioso refuses to jump and runs off the field. To make up for the humiliating defeat of his father's jumper, Ricardo enters Furioso in the big race, and when the horse wins, Don Diego changes his mind about racing horses and about ...

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Young Ricardo Quintano voyages from Argentina to New York to sell some of his father's prize horses. Before leaving, Don Diego instructs his son that no steeds are to be sold to Binnie Crawford or any member of her family because her brother Willis cheated him years earlier. Upon arriving in New York, Ricardo falls in love with Glenda Crawford, but when he learns that she is Binnie's niece, he refuses to sell her the horse she wants to buy and hurriedly returns to Argentina. Perturbed, Glenda follows him, accompanied by Binnie. The couple meet again in Argentina, where they confess their love for each other, and Ricardo introduces Glenda to his father as "Miss Cunningham." Glenda encourages Ricardo to enter his father's prize jumper, Furioso, in a race, against Don Diego's wishes. Soon after, while attending a horse show, Don Diego discovers Glenda's true identity and disowns his son. His bad mood is then compounded when Furioso refuses to jump and runs off the field. To make up for the humiliating defeat of his father's jumper, Ricardo enters Furioso in the big race, and when the horse wins, Don Diego changes his mind about racing horses and about Glenda.

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Legend
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award

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The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.