The Devil on Horseback (1936)

This is a strange movie. Most of the cast members speak English with Spanish or French accents, there is a crypto-Lesbian, a crypto-Gay man, some serious senorita knife throwing (by the delightful Guatemalan dancer Blanca Vischer, whose line delivery is so astoundingly lame it is almost cult-worthy), a bizarre Samba-esquire ancient fiesta dance to the Moon (totally wacko), some glorious shots of a nice Mexican steam locomotive, an incredible singing performance by the remarkable Del Campo (WHAT A VOICE!), and more cute double-entendres than you can shake a stick at. (He: "My love for you is like a rushing river that can't be stopped!" She: "I'll dam it.").Oh, and the lead horse -- Del Campo's horse -- my god, what a beautiful animal. He's a tall black Arabian-style guy. A stupendous horse. There's a nice dun too, and a blaze-faced horse who doubles first as a bandito pony and later as an Army mount. Really, for horse fans, this movie is a treat because these animals are not from the usual Hollywood remuda -- these are some fine Mexican horses, well bred, well caparisoned, and very well ridden. If that black guy had been in America, he'd have been some Western star's steady ride very soon. As it is, this may be his only starring film. Kinda like Blanca Vischer.

A retired rebel breaks his government exile in order to meet a visiting Hollywood starlet. He's then talked into abducting her by her publicity-hungry manager (It doesn't take much convincing.) and brought to his hacienda. The charismatic rebel spends the next couple of days attempting to charm her, while competing with a coffee heir and contending with a jealous senorita.A mildly entertaining, lightweight romantic comedy, this has a few risqué moments (for 1936 anyway) and flirts around with the idea of one character possibly being a lesbian! There's also a a few interesting songs, that before long change into dance numbers as well, threatening to turn the film into a full-on musical.A frothy adventure, it would have benefited from some name stars.

For an early Western, this one has a lot going on. There's action, adventure, romance, and probably enough song and dance numbers to qualify as a musical. I don't think I've seen one before where the basic premise involves a staged kidnapping in order to drum up publicity for a touring movie star (Lili Damita as Diane Corday). It sounds like it could have been a Gene Autry theme, so maybe there's another one out there that I'll have to wait for to pop up.There's also a fair amount of comedy too, with some clever retorts like the one in my summary line. That one came from secondary character Jane Evans (Jean Chatburn), an aide to Miss Corday who when she let her hair down, was actually the best looking female in the picture. She's also on the receiving end of a line from Juan Torres (Juan Torrena), who gives her pair of slacks away while she's taking a swim - "Your pants, from now on you'll do without them"! Hmm, I think old Juan might have had more on his mind.I haven't mentioned yet that all this takes place in a fictional country that sounded something like Alturiz, but certainly a Mexican knockoff if there ever was one. Miss Corday finds herself in the middle of a romantic triangle involving her manager Gary Owen (Fred Keating), and the likable bandit Pancho Granero (Del Campo). Pancho's intentions are real regarding the actress, romancing her with love songs and sweet talk, and you get the feeling things might go his way at times. I was curious throughout why the real fiancée Owen never seemed to mind, although there was one very quick altercation between himself and Pancho. But they were buddy buddy immediately afterward. That angle was the most obvious head scratcher of the picture.There is a particular segment that's noteworthy, the Fiesta scene that included the most amazing costuming that fairly screamed for color. It was a well executed production number with lively song and dance that was probably the highlight of the picture. Soon after, the federales made their appearance to rescue Miss Corday, but that was all worked out without any fuss or bother. Owen got the girl, and the Robin Hood of Alturiz was left to consider all the rest of the pretty senoritas of the hacienda.

This film may no longer exist in the two-tone color process(Hirlicolor)as originally issued in 1936, however it does exist in black/white in 16mm format. The story line is curiously similar in parts to GAY DESPERADO filmed/released also in 1936. Ann Miller is fleetingly seen as a dancer. The film pushes the envelope with the portrayal of two gay characters: Jean Chatburn as Lily Damita's butch secretary and writer Tiffany Thayer perhaps just acting his natural sissy self. The movie progresses like a 'B" Western with a speedy plot resolution after a fairly enjoyable 72 minutes. Crane Wilbur's direction, story and screenplay all reflect his curiously bizarre and uneven talent.