mark.waltz
O.K. Take a look at Carmen Miranda in this film, especially in scenes without her head dresses or turbans. Even with them on, in close-up, you can see a serious resemblance to Fanny Brice, and her facial contortions prove that. As a performer and comedienne, she is flawless, and even though she pretty much never played a part other than herself, that itself is character enough. Now paired with Groucho in a rather lavish musical comedy, she gets two characters to play, one a Brazilian bombshell based upon herself, the other an alter-ego named Fifi she must live a second life as after both performers (of which only one really exists) is given a contract at Manhattan's exclusive Copacabana nightclub.Groucho is her agent/fiancée who has been trying without success to get her a booking, and this has them on the verge of being locked out of their hotel rooms. In fact, they still have to sneak in as the film begins, but somehow manage to get another night during which time a miracle occurs. It isn't the type of miracle Miranda would want because she's part of a double package demanded by the Copa's management, the other being Fifi. So for half of the film's running time, she must run around, perform one number as Carmen and another as the French Fifi, who always wears a veil covering her mouth. (Miranda's mouth is such that a child could tell that both women were the same person).There's the romantic young subplot of singing secretary Gloria Jean in love with Copa manager Steve Cochran while singer Andy Russell plays matchmaker. Jean and Russell get the romantic "Stranger Things Have Happened" while Groucho gets the comic "Go West, Young Man" which has an ironic conclusion that comes out of nowhere. Miranda though is the whole show, staging a fight behind closed doors between her and the non-existent Fifi, and delivering lines as if she was preparing a banana split from one of her own hats. The Miranda/Marx pairing is excellent which makes the absence of the other Marx Brothers acceptable on this rare occasion.
Lawson
While I prefer Groucho's humor the most amongst all three Marx brothers, it's just not the same without Chico and Harpo for Groucho to play off of. I had never seen Carmen Miranda in action, though I had long known of her being a performer with kooky hats. Now that I've seen her on screen, I think she comes across as a cross between Marlene Dietrich and Charo - a surprisingly fun mix. She's actually a good foil for Groucho, so I think it's the screenplay that doesn't play to their full potentials. It's still a fairly charming movie, with Carmen taking on the role of two different stage performers and Groucho providing zingers.
J. Spurlin
The eyebrow-wagging Lionel Q. Deveraux (Groucho Marx) is tired of dragging down the career of his fiancée, Carmen Novarro (Carmen Miranda), as the untalented half of their nightclub act and quits to become her agent. His powers of persuasion soon get the Brazilian singer a job as a featured performer at the Copacabana - twice over. She is forced to do double duty as herself and as Mlle. Fifi, a veil-covered Parisian chanteuse. The owner of the Copacabana, Steve Hunt (Steve Cochran), insists on romancing Mlle. Fifi, much to the frustration of Deveraux, who has already staked his claim to Carmen. Also frustrated is Anne Stuart (Gloria Jean), Steve's dutiful secretary, who is secretly in love with her boss. Another Copacabana singer, Andy Russell (himself), plays Cupid.An irritatingly stupid script, poor production values and almost no good lines for Groucho spoil this slight musical comedy. Andy Russell, who can sing but can't act, cancels himself out. Carmen Miranda fans may want to skip over everything except her numbers, which are good. Groucho fans may want to skip this altogether, unless they want to laugh at the awfulness of it all and imagine the sarcastic quipster delivering a scathing commentary track.
Petri Pelkonen
Groucho Marx plays an agent called Lionel Q.Deveraux, who only has one client, Carmen Novarro, played by Carmen Miranda.Lionel gets Carmen to perform at a club called Copacabana, but she has to perform there as a Brazilian and as a French singer.It's not so easy.Copacabana is a nice comedy musical with Groucho Marx.The movie offers you some very funny moments, even if it doesn't have the other Marx brothers.
AD
