The Kid from Spain (1932)

Eddie and his Mexican friend Ricardo are expelled from college after Ricardo put Eddie in the girl's dormitory when he was drunk. Per chance Eddie gets mixed up in a bank robbery and is ... See full summary »

Director:

Leo McCarey

Writers:

William Anthony McGuire (written for the screen by), Bert Kalmar (written for the screen by),

Stars:

Eddie Cantor, Lyda Roberti, Robert Young

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Eddie Cantor	...	Eddie Williams
Lyda Roberti	...	Rosalie
Robert Young	...	Ricardo
Ruth Hall	...	Anita Gomez
John Miljan	...	Pancho
Noah Beery	...	Alonzo Gomez
J. Carrol Naish	...	Pedro
Robert Emmett O'Connor	...	Detective Crawford (as Robert Emmet O'Connor)
Stanley Fields	...	Jose
Paul Porcasi	...	Gonzales (as Paul Porcassi)
Sidney Franklin	...	Himself - American Matador

Storyline

Eddie and his Mexican friend Ricardo are expelled from college after Ricardo put Eddie in the girl's dormitory when he was drunk. Per chance Eddie gets mixed up in a bank robbery and is forced to drive the robbers to safety. To get rid of him they force him to leave the USA for Mexico, but a cop is following him. Eddie meets Ricardo there, Ricardo helps him avoid being arrested by the cop when he introduces Eddie as the great Spanish bullfighter Don Sebastian II. The problem is, the cop is still curious and has tickets for the bullfight. Eddie's situation becomes more critical, when he tries to help Ricardo to win the girl he loves, but she's engaged to a "real" Mexican, who is, unknown to her father, involved in illegal business. While trying to avoid all this trouble, Eddie himself falls in love with his friend's girl friend's sister Rosalie, who also want to see the great Don Sebastian II to kill the bull in the arena.

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Plot Keywords:

mexican | college | bank robbery | bullfight | bank | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 November 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Er meydani

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 118 min (premiere)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jane Wyman's movie debut.

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Quotes

Gonzales: What's wrong with you? Your eyes? You need glasses?
Eddie Williams aka Don Sebastian II: Yeah, with beer in em.

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Connections

Referenced in Mickey's Gala Premier (1933)

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Soundtracks

"Untitled Instrumental"
(uncredited)
Composers unknown
Danced by Grace Poggi at the nightclub

User Reviews

Cantor Fights The Bull

Forced into Mexico by crooks, a nervous young man impersonates THE KID FROM SPAIN--an imaginary bullfighter -- to keep from getting arrested.

Follies star Eddie Cantor prances his way through this naughty pre-Code comedy. Rolling his eyes and clapping his hands, he uses every trick at his disposal to amuse and he succeeds quite nicely. Cantor never slows down, but, like a mischievous little boy, he seems forever looking for new trouble to explore. His climactic scene in the bullfighting arena remains his best remembered movie moment.

Robert Young seems an odd choice to portray a Mexican college boy, and his problematic courtship of pretty Ruth Hall is totally lacking in excitement, but fortunately it isn't given an inordinate amount of screen time. Polish comic actress Lyda Roberti makes a good foil for Cantor; her amusing face almost matches his own in stealing scenes and her singing & acting are delightfully offbeat.

The dastardly deeds are handled by two of the era's best bad guys--John Miljan as an evil matador and J. Carrol Naish as his grimy sidekick. In addition, Cantor gets to share comedy sequences with three funny fellows--Paul Porcasi as a harried border guard; beefy Noah Beery as Miss Hall's very stern papa & Stanley Fields as a dumb-as-mud killer.

Movie mavens will recognize diminutive Edgar ‘Blueboy' Connor as a bull trainer and a young Betty Grable as one of the chorus girls--both uncredited.

Busby Berkeley directed the movie's musical production numbers, including the opening scene in a girls' dormitory, which seems to serve no other purpose than to expose a good deal of female flesh. The film's conclusion seems a bit abrupt. The villains have not been punished and the Young/Hall romance is still unresolved, but Cantor seems quite happy so why quibble?