Hot Pepper

I watched this because of Victor McLaglen who I knew best from "the Informer" and "Gunga Din." He was as delightful as was in these movies. I didn't know any of the other actors, but I found a host of wonderful ones here: Edmund Lowe, Lupe Velez, El Brendel, and Lilian Bond.

Edmund Lowe is a wonderful, handsome and witty leading man in the Cary Grant style. He has a great rapport with McLaglen. This was apparently the fifth movie where he played the character of Harry Quirt and McLaglen played the character of Jim Flagg. They make a great comedy team. Both like to insult each other and one-up each other, but underneath, there's a lot of affection. It reminded me of the relationship of Michael Caine and Steve Martin in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," which was a remake of the Marlin Brando-David Niven comedy "Bedtime Story." This movie seems to be a source for the comedy in those two movies. There are a couple of jokes between them that would later be part of Abbott and Costello routines, including the "ever ride a jack-ass,no, well get onto yourself" quip.

Lupe Velez is hilarious as a sexy Mexican woman. She makes lots of references to her irresistible sexuality. She's closest to Mae West in her self knowledge of her sex appeal. El Brendel plays a Swedish character named Olsen that he played throughout his career. He reminds me of Roman Polanski in "The Vampire Killers." He is shy and has a sweet disposition. When Lupe Velez tells him that she will love him until she kills him, he answers simply, "That's fair." Lilian Bond has a smart and sophisticated gold-digger style like Joan Blondell.

This is a smart and sexy pre-code comedy with lots of pretty women in their underwear or less. It is fast paced and delightful. I will have to find the other movies in the series, and look out for more movies with Edmund Lowe, Lupe Velez, El Brendel and Lilian Bond.