User reviews

Manolo Escobar vehicle is an agreeable and lively musical comedy with an enjoyable love story and a lot of songs . It deals with Manolo Andújar (Manolo Escobar) is an old bachelor who does't want to marry . In addition , Manolo Andujar is a successful and famous singer who has the first pop musical chart based on national sales . Manolo lives with his daddy Sr Tano (Antonio Garisa) and his aunt Flora (Rafaela Aparicio) who urge him to engagement marriage . Andújar has a girlfriend (Africa Pratt) but Manolo stubbornly turns down the marriage . However , one day , he meets a seller named Diana (María Kosty) who attempts to speak with him , but Manolo doesn't recognises her , and she results to be an old lover with whom he had a child (José Andrés) . Later on , both of them befriend , and , subsequently , Manolo and Diana fall in love again .

This is a joyful as well as entertaining Spanish musical comedy , regular but nicely realized by Luis Maria Delgado and well produced by Alfredo Fraile , an usual cameraman , and occassionally producer who financed most films starred by Manolo Escobar . This a diverting and feeling movie , though excessively sentimental , adding attractive musical numbers at charge of Manolo Escobar and in the final takes place the ordinary happy end . This is a charming story proceeded in simplicity and delicacy and the sunny , shining exteriors from Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain , providing a lot of chances of singing . The main role "Manolo" is played by himself in a phenomenal way , can be said that he is perfectly adequate to his measure . Of course , Manolo Escobar steals the show as a splendid singer in Spanish style . Here Manolo plays catchings songs , some of them composed by musician Gregorio Garcia Segura, such as : Morenita , No lo creas , Una hora de oro , Los que se quieren , Eres para mi ,Y no lo sabes, Rumba enamorada . He was one of the best known singers of Spanish folk songs both in Spain and internationally . There Manolo Escobar being well accompanied by a fine support cast , such as : Rafaela Aparicio, Antonio Garisa , Africa Pratt, Emilio Fornet , Fernanda Hurtado , Pepe Ruiz , Adrian Ortega , Luis Barbero, José Maria Tasso , among others.

The great Manolo Escobar started playing the flute and the piano in his early years. When he was 14, he moved from Almería to Barcelona with his brothers, working as an apprentice in various trades. He began his career in show business between Badalona and Barcelona's red-light district (currently known as El Raval), with the group Manolo Escobar y sus guitarras (Manolo Escobar and his guitars) . His siblings were guitarists who accompanied him on stage at the outset of his career. His brothers Salvador and Baldomero were also in the group . Being brother of the actors Baldomero García Escobar, Juan Gabriel García Escobar, Salvador García Escobar and the composers José María García Escobar and Juan Manuel García Escobar. Later, when the group started to become successful, Juan Gabriel, another brother, joined. Juan Gabriel and sister, Maria José, would later write songs for the group . In 1959 Manolo met the German-born Anita Marx, Escobar married her. They were married in Cologne, Germany, without knowing how to speak each other's language . They were married for 53 years until his death. He adopted her daughter, Vanessa and dedicated the song "Mi pequeña flor" (My little flower) to her. In 1962, he rose to fame with Canciones by Maestro Solano , his debut in Madrid and Barcelona, and the premiere of the movie filmed in the town of Arcos de la Frontera (Cádiz) : Los Guerrilleros . He starred a lot of films as a notorious singer , such as : Me has hecho perder el juicio , Entre dos amores , Me debes un muerto , En un lugar de La Manga , Juicio de faldas , Relaciones casi públicas , El padre Manolo , Un beso en el puerto , Mi canción es para ti , Pero... ¿en qué país vivimos? , La mujer es un buen negocio , Eva, ¿qué hace ese hombre en tu cama?, Cuando los niños vienen de Marsella , Donde estará mi niño , among others . Manolo Escobar wrote and sang successful and popular songs , such as : Mujeres y vino , La Minifalda , Mi carro , Que guapa estás , Soy un hombre de campo , El Porrompompero , Ni se compra Granada . And he sang his main recording : "Y Viva España," released in 1973, sold an estimated 6 million copies, making him one of Spain's best-selling recording artists . Even after , when the copla genre's popularity was in decline, Escobar topped record sales lists, and was one of the few artists who had his own company and show. In the early 1990s, he moved into his "Porompompero" chalet in Benidorm, named after his acclaimed song. He appeared in more than 20 films and recorded almost 80 albums , 24 of which are gold records. He also had a platinum selling cassette. His best-selling album was Y viva España , which sold 6 million (10 million in subsequent official reprints) copies . It was the best-selling album in Spain from 1973 to 1992 . Escobar died of colon cancer on 24 October 2013, at the age of 82.

It packs an atmospheric cinematography by John Cabrera , a British cameraman who photographed some international films , such as : Yellow Hair & the Pecos Kid , Tuareg , Hundra , Black arrow , Call of the wild , Conan , Trumphs of a man called Horse , Jaguar Lives! , Genghis Khan: The Story of a Lifetime , A man called Moon , and several others . The motion picture was middlingly directed by Luis Maria Delgado . He was son of filmmaker Fernando Delgado who directed ¨Currito De La Cruz¨ . Luis Delgado's film debut was ¨La Estrella Del Rey¨, though previously directed with Henri Decoin ¨El Deseo Y el Amor¨, with Dulio Coletti ¨Los Italianos Estan Locos¨ and with Fernando Fernán Gómez co-directed ¨Manicomio¨. Luis directed various kiddies films such as ¨Secuestro En La Ciudad¨, ¨Aventuras En Las Islas Cies¨, ¨Hamelin¨ a musical starred Miguel Rios , ¨Chispita Y Sus Gorilas¨ and ¨Loca Por el Circo¨ with Ana Belén . Luis Delgado made multitude of comedies , most of them written by playwright Juán José Alonso Millán , and mostly vehicles for known Farceurs or comedians as ¨Tip and Coll¨ in ¨Garbanza Negra Que En Paz Descanse¨ , Alfredo Landa in ¨Onofre¨ , ¨Guapo Heredero Busca Esposa¨ , ¨Cuando Cuerno Suena¨, ¨Alcalde Y Politica¨ , ¨Profesor Eroticus¨ , ¨Obsesiones De Armando¨, Paco Martínez Soria in ¨La Tia De Carlos¨ and Manolo Escabar in ¨?Donde Estará Mi Niño¿¨ . And he directed ¨Diferente¨ at his best and considered to be a real ¨Cult Movie¨. Rating : 4.5/10. Acceptable and passable , but only for Manolo Escobar fans .

This movie actually came out in 1981; not 1980. That was the year which was touted "The Year of Divorce" in Spain. Up to that point, divorce was not legal in this country. There was a lot of talk that it would be allowed by year's end (or by the next year). Naturally there were at least some Spaniards who were opposed to this landmark change. In ¿DÓNDE ESTARÁ MI NIÑO? (WHERE CAN MY SON BE?), I could hear these critics of divorce loud and clear.

Interestingly enough, I did not get much encouragement from other Spaniards about seeing this movie. I was an American exchange student at the University of Sevilla, Spain at the time. I was told by some college students that the star of this movie---Manolo Escobar------was a "has-been" singer, who was being given a second chance with this movie. The students also told me that the movie itself was quite "bad".

Be that as it may, I liked this movie a great deal! I overlooked their discouraging words because I knew that comic actor Antonio Garisa was in the cast. I loved him in HIJOS DE PAPÁ, another comedy which came out this same year. He did not disappoint me in ¿DÓNDE ESTARÁ MI NIÑO? either. I liked Antonio Garisa so much, that during my Easter break at the University, I made a trip to Madrid and saw Garisa perform live in a play: LA CASA DESHABITADA. By that time I was hooked, as a Garisa fan.

To give you a little background about this movie. It is described at this web site as a Comedy/Musical. I would say that it is a comedy with a few songs done by Manolo Escobar. I would then go one step further, and say that it is actually a comedy/drama.

Escobar's character is a man (also a professional singer) who has remained in touch with one of his ex-lovers who works in a retail store. He has befriended her son, who is less than ten years old. He and his ex-lover's son actually do a few things together (similar to what many American men do, when they volunteer for the Big Brothers organization.). He is totally unaware, however, that this young boy is HIS SON. The boy's mother does not tell Escobar's character this, because she is convinced that he does not love her (and she does not want him to feel "tied down", if he indeed has no feelings for her). Though generally a good man, we do see one scene where he reduces his ex-lover to tears via an insensitive remark (in all fairness, he probably would not have made that remark had he known that he was the father of her child).

Eventually it becomes too much of a burden for this woman to keep her secret entirely to herself. Though she does not tell Escobar the truth, in a weak moment she tells an older couple (friends or relatives of Escobar's character) that he is the boy's father (Antonio Garisa plays the husband of this older couple). Escobar has actually brought the boy into this older couple's home, several times. They have fed the boy, entertained him and looked after him. Garisa's character has even told the young boy:

"Llámame papá!!" ("Call me father"-----though grandfather would be more appropriate, given his and his wife's age).

The boy is a natural actor and delivers his lines so well; especially in scenes where he gets a bit smart with the wife from the older couple (played by Rafaela Aparicio, an extremely famous Spanish actress from screen, stage, radio and vaudeville; she appeared in 100 movies, in a career that spanned 60 years). When he gets fed up with her insistence that he take numerous baths, while in her home, he tells her:

"¡¡Pero es que soy moreno!!" ("But I'm telling you!.........I'm brown!!"----and we're not talking "Hispanic" brown here; this kid is not particularly dark).

Once Antonio Garisa's character is aware that the young boy is Escobar's son, he decides to take the bull by the horns and test the unsuspecting father. He tells Escobar that he is coming out of the closet as someone who had a son out of wedlock, and totally abandoned him (none of this is true, as he is just testing him). Escobar then angrily and piously gives Garisa a dressing down about how terrible he has been. Garisa, in mock shame, just goes along with this, and sheepishly pretends to be repentant. He surprises Escobar, however, when he tells him:

"You're wrong about the age that you guessed my son to be; he's younger than thirty or forty"

"Well twenty years old then?!?", Escobar asks.

"No; younger than that!"

By now Escobar is nearly shocked because Garisa is in his sixties. Garisa finally gives the boy's age as the same age as Escobar's son.

Later on, when the time is right, Garisa turns the tables and confronts Escobar that he has unwittingly been guilty of the exact same thing that he (Escobar) accused him of. He refers to the night when the young boy was conceived as "¡aquella noche loca!" (that crazy night!). He is also pounding a shot gun, on the floor, repeatedly, as he angrily and hilariously puts Escobar in his place. Garisa's character thinks the gun is empty. He is shocked however (and he shocks the whole house), when the gun goes off and blows a bullet through the ceiling! Rafaela Aparicio's character (his wife), hilariously runs downstairs, unhinged, unglued and SCREAMING after hearing the shot! (no one is hurt, of course)

Without totally giving away the movie, the film's only weakness is that it greatly oversimplifies the obstacles, that Escobar and his ex-lover have to overcome, once he learns that the boy is his son.........but I loved it anyway. I think we have all enjoyed movies which sugar coat reality.