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Storyline
Banana Company executive Steve Case on a Caribean plantation group tries to convince his former co-worker Nick Butler to take over the plantation No 7. But he is on his way to Chicago, to take over a job as a manager for another company himself. He has also troubles with US night-club singer Lee Donley, whom he wants aboard a ship back to the US, and rebel Rosario. He is able to get Nick to the plantation, but is he able to keep him there or will he leave it in a few days with Gloria, the wife of the former exectutive of No 7, Mr. Anderson ? Written by
Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>
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Did You Know?
Trivia
For the plantation scenes, 950 banana trees were planted over 5 backlot acres at Warner Bros. Studios.
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Goofs
In the gunfight scene between Butler's group and Rosario's group, Rosario shoots Butler and Butler appears to be grabbing his right arm as he goes down. In the next shot, he is now tending to his wound on his left arm. Later in the scene, after they catch Rosario, Rosario bumps Butler's hat as he walks by.
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Quotes
Mr. Steve Case:
[
after hearing Rosario has escaped]
Don't tell me that Donley dame had her mob down here there and rescued her too?
Police Chief Juan Rodriguez:
Oh, she's safe under key and lock.
Mr. Steve Case:
She better be, and she's out of town on that boat, or you'll be on the next one, medals and all!
Police Chief Juan Rodriguez:
Mr. Case, I must remind you I was elected by the people.
Mr. Steve Case:
Yes, and they're finally wise to you. Bet those brass buttons the next time they go to the polls, they'll throw you right out of office.
Police Chief Juan Rodriguez:
Mr. Case, I don't believe in a Third Term.
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Connections
Version of
Blowing Wild (1953)
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Soundtracks
"Mi Caballero"
(1940)
Music by
M.K. Jerome
Lyrics by
Jack Scholl
Sung by
Ann Sheridan (uncredited) in the hotel bar
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This was the final film for James Cagney and Pat O'Brien who in my opinion invented the buddy film. O'Brien would be leaving Warner Brothers the following year and the two of them would not get together in another film until Ragtime in 1981 in which they both had small parts.
It's a typical fast paced comedy for both of them, they were incapable of doing anything else together. O'Brien slowed down when he was in a clerical collar and Cagney when he was doing a nostalgic film, but together the lines go at light speed.
Except when Ann Sheridan is concerned. Director Bill Keighley always slowed the pace for Sheridan because he didn't want anyone to miss some of her tart sayings. She has some of the best lines ever in her career. Typical being when she tells O'Brien that the stork that brought him must have been a vulture. Or when she's constantly one upping Helen Vinson who made a career of playing the other woman.
O'Brien is the hardnosed manager of a tropical fruit company and he's in big trouble because a local Sandinista type bandit leader, George Tobias, is wrecking his operations. Another distraction is Ann Sheridan whose redheaded beauty he figures is too much of a distraction to the men where redheads are scarce. Notice how O'Brien tells the local authorities what to do. More truth than humor in that situation.
He's desperate enough to hire back his number one troubleshooter James Cagney who gets the job done, but always gets himself in a jackpot where women are concerned. He's taken a fancy to Sheridan and she him.
A couple of other reviewers have pointed out the obvious similarities between this and The Front Page. The first film version of that classic play is the one where Pat O'Brien made his screen debut as the ace reporter. However he did it on Broadway in the role of the editor which he's playing here.
Perhaps this might be better described as another version of His Girl Friday. I can't say remake because both films came out at the same time. Sheridan comes off the same way as Rosalind Russell does in His Girl Friday, but Keighley also wants to accent her sensuality as well as her sharp tongue. He succeeds admirably because no woman in their previous films quite put off both Cagney and O'Brien the way Sheridan does.
The woman sure had oomph.