Myrna Loy's first sound film? Not by a long chalk. Myrna Loy's first starring role? Not by any means! Loy was not only the number one star of "State Street Sadie" (1928), she played the title role in this movie. Admittedly, it was not a 100% talkie, but Loy did speak in several scenes. Loy's first 100% talkie was her very next film, "The Midnight Taxi" (1928). Twenty films later, however, we find her in "Rogue of the Rio Grande". True, Myrna Loy was not the only Hollywood star to go from extra player to big star, from big star to player in a Poverty Row cheapie, and from Poverty Row back to big star, but she's certainly the only woman to then go from big star to colossal top-of-the-tree status. Amazing! Particularly as she hands out such a rotten performance in "Rogue of the Rio Grande", and to add to her demerits, her singing is unbelievably bad. She can't dance either, and to add to her woes, she is not only most unattractively costumed but very unflatteringly photographed as well! In fact, it's hard to imagine anyone recovering from their casting in this picture. Raymond Hatton managed it, but José Bohr, here making his first Hollywood film, was never heard from again (although he did star in the Spanish version of "Hollywood, City of Illusion" and he did become a famous director, writer, actor and producer of Spanish-language movies). I'll say this for "Rogue of the Rio Grande", it's such a bad movie that it's actually rather entertaining. I've watched it three or four times because every time I watch it, I find something new to marvel at. One wonders, for example, how any director, however incompetent, could waste time and money asking the photographer to focus his camera on extra players who don't play any roles in the action at all. So what's the point of showing us extended takes of these people? Why did the editor include this stuff? Presumably, his first cut ran only 30 minutes, so he padded the film out with any rubbish the photographer shot while adjusting focus or just playing around between scenes! As for Mr. Bohr, true he over-acts, but he certainly has plenty of personality. And on a lesser note, I also liked Carmelita Geraghty and Florence Dudley. Particularly, Florence Dudley. Available on a very good Grapevine DVD.
6 Reviews
And to think--Myrna Loy went on to be a star after doing THIS!
planktonrules18 January 2012
"Rogue of the Rio Grande" is the sort of film they just wouldn't have made much later than 1930. It's the sort of VERY archaic talkie that amazed crowds at the time but seemed very outmoded very quickly. Part of it is the quality of the sound and staginess of the production. Part of it is because the singing is pretty terrible and audiences of the mid-1930s came to expect much better than this.
The film stars Myrna Loy in her first talking role--and a few years before she became famous with the Thin Man movies. She's a Mexican lady who sings in an old-time cantina--and she makes up for her lack of singing quality by singing loudly! I am not sure if it's really her singing--but it isn't very pleasant--as it's very high-pitched and sound a bit like a Mexican opera as sung by someone with a mediocre voice. It's not terrible but it also isn't what folks today would think is good, either. But, at least Loy is rather pretty.
Much of the film consists of various Frito Bandito-like bandits chasing women and talking...a lot. It's very talky--just like so many of these early sound films. And, all of the actors seem VERY stereotypical--with very exaggerated accents and costumes that seemed BIG and almost, at times, comical (and Loy's was VERY comical). Beneath all this, there must be a plot--though it really was slow and didn't seem to get going for a very, very long time. It seems that el Malo (great name) is a baddie that the local law wants to capture. Now it's obvious to everyone but the law who el Malo is--and it seems that sooner or later they MUST catch on. But el Malo is very smart and like the Cisco Kid, you assume that this bandito will prevail by the end of the film. Unfortunately, by the time any discernible plot arrives, you also are pretty tired of the whole thing. Dull, poorly made in every way and not even good for a laugh. It's hard to imagine that Myrna Loy went on to a HUGE career after this sad little film.
The film stars Myrna Loy in her first talking role--and a few years before she became famous with the Thin Man movies. She's a Mexican lady who sings in an old-time cantina--and she makes up for her lack of singing quality by singing loudly! I am not sure if it's really her singing--but it isn't very pleasant--as it's very high-pitched and sound a bit like a Mexican opera as sung by someone with a mediocre voice. It's not terrible but it also isn't what folks today would think is good, either. But, at least Loy is rather pretty.
Much of the film consists of various Frito Bandito-like bandits chasing women and talking...a lot. It's very talky--just like so many of these early sound films. And, all of the actors seem VERY stereotypical--with very exaggerated accents and costumes that seemed BIG and almost, at times, comical (and Loy's was VERY comical). Beneath all this, there must be a plot--though it really was slow and didn't seem to get going for a very, very long time. It seems that el Malo (great name) is a baddie that the local law wants to capture. Now it's obvious to everyone but the law who el Malo is--and it seems that sooner or later they MUST catch on. But el Malo is very smart and like the Cisco Kid, you assume that this bandito will prevail by the end of the film. Unfortunately, by the time any discernible plot arrives, you also are pretty tired of the whole thing. Dull, poorly made in every way and not even good for a laugh. It's hard to imagine that Myrna Loy went on to a HUGE career after this sad little film.
Cut rate Cisco Kid
bkoganbing16 February 2021
Other than the presence of Myrna Loy with a tinny voice as a Mexican saloon singer there would not be much interest in this poverty row western quickie
today, God only knows Myrna Loy got stuck in this one.
The title role in Rogue Of The Rio Grande is played by Jose Bohr who later became a big name in the cinema south of the border. No indication in this film as his character El Malo comes off as a cut rate Cisco Kid. The story has Bohr seeking out someone pulling off robberies in his name. Can't have any chiselers operating.
Loy is the cantina singer El Malo loves. She has more going for her than a tiny tinny singing voice.
But believe me you'd never pick tis women t be a future screen legend on the strength of Rogue Of The Rio Grande.
The title role in Rogue Of The Rio Grande is played by Jose Bohr who later became a big name in the cinema south of the border. No indication in this film as his character El Malo comes off as a cut rate Cisco Kid. The story has Bohr seeking out someone pulling off robberies in his name. Can't have any chiselers operating.
Loy is the cantina singer El Malo loves. She has more going for her than a tiny tinny singing voice.
But believe me you'd never pick tis women t be a future screen legend on the strength of Rogue Of The Rio Grande.
Stick with the Cisco Kid series
HotToastyRag18 August 2023
In this early talkie, José Bohl plays a Mexican bandit who robs a bank and then hides out with his posse. While at the local watering hole, he gets his girlfriend mad by becoming enamored with the nightclub dancer, Myrna Loy. Will he stick around and let the sheriff get him, or will he abandon his new love in search of safety?
As Carmita, Myrna Loy's Spanish accent was so horrid, I couldn't tell if she was trying to be Mexican or Chinese. She was in good company, though. No one else in the movie could act their way out of a paper bag. You might wonder why Myrna even became a star when she made movies like this. She was willing to be typecast as a femme fatale, prance around in her skivvies (or nothing at all), and in early Hollywood, that was a ticket to stardom. You don't have to watch this movie unless she's your favorite actress and you want to see everything she ever did. She looks really pretty in this movie, but all she does is dance and speak badly. José is handsome, but there are countless other Mexican bandit movies with handsome leading men you can watch. Try the Cisco Kid series.
As Carmita, Myrna Loy's Spanish accent was so horrid, I couldn't tell if she was trying to be Mexican or Chinese. She was in good company, though. No one else in the movie could act their way out of a paper bag. You might wonder why Myrna even became a star when she made movies like this. She was willing to be typecast as a femme fatale, prance around in her skivvies (or nothing at all), and in early Hollywood, that was a ticket to stardom. You don't have to watch this movie unless she's your favorite actress and you want to see everything she ever did. She looks really pretty in this movie, but all she does is dance and speak badly. José is handsome, but there are countless other Mexican bandit movies with handsome leading men you can watch. Try the Cisco Kid series.
A good hombre is hard to find
Spondonman6 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is an enjoyable early sound Western, complete with the usual stilted dialogue, staginess, often desultory camera-work, huge Stetsons and much personal integrity shown by the characters – great stuff!
Jose Bohr plays El Bueno, sorry, El Malo the moustachioed Robin Hood-type robber who is angry that the reward on his outlaw head is only 1000 pesos – or should that be dollars – and decides to do something to put the insult right. On the way he falls in love with a singer in a saloon played by the skinny Myrna Loy with a dodgy Spanish accent who is won over by his dazzling blinding smile, redresses a stagecoach robbery perpetrated in his name, and toys with the sheriff who's gunning for him. For anyone watching with a nervous disposition the good news is that Good wins out and although a few shots are fired no one gets killed in this – quite the opposite to the lovely films made nowadays in fact.
For anyone interested: it's very redolent of the superb Rio Kid series of stories written by Ralph Redway that ran in the weekly British story paper The Popular from 1928 to 1930. We've progressed so far that most people could perhaps condense even such a short film like this down to 30 seconds and still be able to follow it; I prefer it at what's left - 52 minutes, full of retrospective laughabilites but to me highly entertaining.
Jose Bohr plays El Bueno, sorry, El Malo the moustachioed Robin Hood-type robber who is angry that the reward on his outlaw head is only 1000 pesos – or should that be dollars – and decides to do something to put the insult right. On the way he falls in love with a singer in a saloon played by the skinny Myrna Loy with a dodgy Spanish accent who is won over by his dazzling blinding smile, redresses a stagecoach robbery perpetrated in his name, and toys with the sheriff who's gunning for him. For anyone watching with a nervous disposition the good news is that Good wins out and although a few shots are fired no one gets killed in this – quite the opposite to the lovely films made nowadays in fact.
For anyone interested: it's very redolent of the superb Rio Kid series of stories written by Ralph Redway that ran in the weekly British story paper The Popular from 1928 to 1930. We've progressed so far that most people could perhaps condense even such a short film like this down to 30 seconds and still be able to follow it; I prefer it at what's left - 52 minutes, full of retrospective laughabilites but to me highly entertaining.
Saturday Afternoon Fare
boblipton5 January 2003
Decent little oater about El Malo, a quixotic Robin Hood type Mexican bandit who falls in love with a singing Myrna Loy. Superior talent (writer Oliver Drake among them), fine staging and good acting serve to make this a pleasant way to kill an hour or two.
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