Pepe (1960)

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

Claude Binyon (writer)
Leslie Bush-Fekete (play)

Release Date:

March 1961 (Austria)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

A New Excitement in Screen Entertainment!

Plot:

The young Mexican Pepe's beloved horse is sold to Hollywood star Ted Holt, leading to Pepe's journey to Hollywood to get the horse back, and Pepe's encounter with half the stars working in Hollywood at the time. |

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Based On Play | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Cantinflas	...	Pepe
Dan Dailey	...	Ted Holt
Shirley Jones	...	Suzie Murphy
Carlos Montalbán	...	Rodriguez (auctioneer)
Vicki Trickett	...	Lupita
Matt Mattox	...	Dancer
Hank Henry	...	Sands Manager
Suzanne Lloyd	...	Carmen
Carlos Rivas	...	Himself, Actor, Cameo appearance
Maurice Chevalier	...	Himself, Cameo appearance
Bing Crosby	...	Himself
Michael Callan	...	Dancer
Richard Conte	...	Himself, Cameo appearance at Sands
Bobby Darin	...	Himself, Cameo appearance
Sammy Davis Jr.	...	Himself, Cameo appearance at Sands

Runtime:

195 min | 158 min (cut version)

Country:

Mexico | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Final film appearance of both Billie Burke and Charles Coburn who appear together in the same sequence.

Movie Connections:

References Some Like It Hot (1959)

Soundtrack:

Lovely Day

All-star hodgepodge

It seems as if the 195-minute print of this all-star oddity has forever been pulled from circulation. However the remaining 157-minute version is quite long enough. This movie has always been made fun of, but as misguided as it is, it is still entertaining, if only because it is so crammed full of guest appearances.

Here's who you get: Greer Garson trying to buy a prize horse; Edward G. Robinson playing himself though he is seen here as a famous film producer; Ernie Kovacs as an immigration inspector; William Demarest as a studio gate keeper; Zsa Zsa Gabor reading a copy of "The Interns" to promote Columbia's upcoming film version; Bing Crosby signing Cantinflas's tortilla and joining him in a few lines of "South of the Border"; Jay North playing Dennis the Menace; Billie Burke hitting Charles Coburn with a slingshot; Jack Lemmon dressed as Daphne from "Some Like It Hot" in a bizarre sequence involving a parking lot; Andre Previn at the piano while Bobby Darin sings a terrific number called "That's How It Went, All Right"; Michael Callan, Shirley Jones, and Matt Mattox doing a sizzling dance called "The Rumble"; Judy Garland (heard but not seen) singing "The Faraway Part of Town" on the radio; Ann B. Davis playing her "Shultzy" character from "The Bob Cummings Show" but here assigned to working as Edward G. Robinson's secretary; Donna Reed making cutesy banter with Dan Dailey about her then-current TV series; a trip to the Sands Casino in Las Vegas where we see Peter Lawford and Richard Conte standing around in the lobby, Sammy Davis Jr. doing impressions to "Hooray for Hollywood", Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin gambling, Cesar Romero hanging out at the slot machines, a dejected Jimmy Durante losing at cards, and Joey Bishop saying "son of a gun"; Hedda Hopper boarding a plane; a ghastly sequence in which a miniature Debbie Reynolds drunkenly dancing with Cantinflas on Dan Dailey's desktop to "Tequila"; a delightful moment when Dailey and Cantinflas join Maurice Chevalier in dancing to "Mimi"; Janet Leigh being surprised in the bathtub the same year as her "Psycho" shower; Tony Curtis getting pushed into an indoor pool; and Kim Novak giving advice on buying a wedding ring.

Somehow I find this hodgepodge strangely irresistible.