"When this Cisco Kid does a job, he does it right."
I am really enjoying some these old movie posters, especially the above gem. "You hear what you see while enjoying..." Awesome!
One would think that a girl raised on Gunsmoke and Bonanza reruns would love Westerns, but oddly I don't. The only Westerns I actually like are Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the 2007 remake of 3:10 to Yuma. I'm a huge history buff, but the Old West just isn't my bag, so to speak.
All things considered, I fully expected not to like In Old Arizona. However, I found it to be quite enjoyable. It took a little time for me to get into the story, but the ending has a good enough payoff to redeem its flaws. The story follows the Cisco Kid, a lovable bandit with a substantial bounty for his capture. His love, Tonia, a fickle gold digger who cheats on him while he's away, gladly takes his money when he comes to call. She soon takes up with Army Sgt. Mickey Dunn, and the two hatch a plan to collect the bounty on the Kid's head.
My post-viewing research revealed that this was the first talkie filmed outside. It also made use of authentic locations, including Mission San Fernando in Los Angeles.* This makes Arizona stand out from the other 1929 nominees, which were filmed on sound stages. The on location shooting lends an authenticity to this film that the others just didn't seem to have.
While Arizona was ahead of its time in regards to production, it still retains elements that haven't aged well. The primary issue being that the leads, Warner Baxter and Dorothy Burgess, are white actors playing Latinos. The accents are bad stereotypes (this applies to the Italian barber, as well), and it appears as though Burgess is wearing a thick coat of foundation to darken her skin. Still, the film could have been much more offensive. In fact, I will give it props for using Latina extras and including several lines of dialogue that are completely in Spanish. (I cursed myself for not working harder in high school Spanish; it would have been nice to know what they were saying.)
Another issue are the "sound for sound's sake" scenes that pop up throughout. This is something I've noticed in the other early sound films I've watched.** Random mariachi bands, crying babies, sizzling ham and eggs... these no doubt thrilled audiences in 1929, but leave modern viewers scratching their heads. I imagine some 1950s 3-D movies would be viewed in the same light (and maybe a few current ones as well).
Finally, I'd like to leave you with the number one piece of trivia from this movie: Raoul Walsh, the original star and director, was forced to drop out of the movie because he lost his eye in a driving accident. A jackrabbit jumped through the windshield of his car, and safety glass wouldn't be introduced until the following year. Ouch.
*I mistakenly thought this was Mission San Juan Capistrano. My family recently visited Cap, which also features a small fountain courtyard beneath the mission bells, as is depicted in the opening scene of this film. I definitely want to visit the San Fernando Mission now, and highly recommend seeing San Juan Capistrano. It's a very gorgeous place.
**Particularly the opening scene of The Broadway Melody. It's a cacophony of sound.
