To the Sound of the Mambo
| To the Sound of the Mambo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Chano Urueta |
| Written by | Pedro Galindo Antonio Guzmán Aguilera |
| Produced by | Pedro Galindo |
| Starring | Amalia Aguilar Adalberto Martínez Rita Montaner |
| Cinematography | Agustín Jiménez |
| Edited by | Jorge Bustos |
| Music by | Jorge Perez |
Production company | Filmadora Chapultepec |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
To the Sound of the Mambo (Spanish: Al son del mambo) is a 1950 Mexican musical film directed by Chano Urueta and starring Amalia Aguilar, Adalberto Martínez and Rita Montaner.[1] The film's sets were designed by the art director Ramón Rodríguez Granada. It was shot at the Churubusco Studios in Mexico City and on location in Havana. It was produced as a Rumberas film, a genre popular during the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema.
Plot
Don Chonito Godinez (Adalberto Martínez), the wealthy owner of a business of Mexican enchiladas, flees Mexico to escape to the modern life and tries to find comfort in Havana. Don Chonito is convinced by a restoring called Maria La O (Amparo Arozamena) for days at a resort in the country. There, he coincides with his sister (Esther Luquín), a depressed American woman (Joan Page), a composer (Roberto Romagna) and two detectives (Joaquín García "Borolas" and Mario Garcia "Harapos"), which should give him some very important information. Under the administration of the Cuban singer Rita Montaner, and with songs and dances provided by her daughter Reyna (Amalia Aguilar), the estate which houses the complex, is a kind of cabaret that works all day. So the owners and all his friends (including the "King of Mambo" Damaso Perez Prado with full orchestra), Don Chonito decide to enjoy himself, doing nothing.
Cast
- Amalia Aguilar as Reyna
- Adalberto Martínez as Don Chonito
- Roberto Romaña as Roberto Dávila
- Rita Montaner as Rita
- Amparo Arozamena as María La O
- Esther Luquin as Linda
- Joaquín García "Borolas"
- Mario García "Harapos"
- Anabel Gutiérrez
- Joan Page
- Nacho Contla
- Damaso Perez Prado
- Juan Bruno Tarraza
- Dolly Sisters
- Beny Moré
- Los Tres Diamantes
- Pedro Galindo Galarza
- Chucho Martínez Gil
- Chelo La Rue & ballet
- Alberto Domínguez
- Yeyo
Reviews
The music of the Cuba Damaso Perez Prado could not go unnoticed in the Mexican cinema of the 1950s. Chano Urueta was the director responsible for giving life to this musical revue with a minimal plot, in which Roberto Romagna served as presenter, and the eccentric comedian Adalberto Martínez "Resortes" with the figure of Amalia Aguilar, rose like star in a film rife with musical numbers and attractive presences. The film is a document of great value for the musical rhythms of those days, with numbers of great artists like Rita Montaner and Perez Prado and the singer Pedro Galindo with mariachis, pianist Juan Bruno Tarraza and many others. Besides the music of Perez Prado, one also has the opportunity to see him as an actor, and watch "Resortes", Aguilar, Page, the voluptuous Dolly Sisters, and the young rising star Anabel Gutiérrez, enjoying the rhythm of the mambo.[2]
References
Bibliography
- Riera, Emilio García. Historia documental del cine mexicano: 1949. Ediciones Era, 1969.
- Wilt, David E. The Mexican Filmography, 1916 through 2001. McFarland, 2024.