The Kid From Spain
Director: Leo McCarey
Year Released: 1932
Rating: 3.0
Eddie Cantor and loyal pal Robert Young get kicked out of college because of hi-jinks involving Cantor drunkenly spending the night in a girl's dormitory ... which leads to Cantor getting accidentally involved in a bank robbery (whoops!) which leads to Cantor fleeing to Mexico ... which leads to Cantor being mistaken for a famous bullfighter. The colorful song and dance numbers - choreographed by the irreplaceable Busby Berkeley - are highlights, though the Mexican stereotypes and Cantor in blackface do make things a bit uncomfortable at times. As fun as Cantor's dumb-bunny shtick is, some of it is archaic over seventy five years later (though that's understandable) as the brilliant comedy of today won't be viewed the same way seventy five years from now. This seems to be a nice comedic warm-up for McCarey, who followed it up with Duck Soup and Ruggles of Red Gap, the latter being one of my favorite films.
