French international jewel thief Pepe le Moto once again returns to the screen, after a 1937 French version and a 1938 Hollywood version: "Algiers". In the latter, French-derived Charles Boyer, as Pepe, sings one song in the streets of the Algiers Casbah(fortress and surrounding region). However, in the present film, we have 4 new songs, composed by Harold Arlen("Over the Rainbow") and Leo Robin. One of them: "For every Man, there is a Woman", was sung twice by notable film actor/singer Tony Martin, and by notable actress, singer and dancer Yvonne de Carlo. This song was nominated for an Oscar, but lost. In my opinion, the music, including a 'native' dance special or two, is an important reason to favor this film over "Algiers". It was just enough in quantity and quality, to spice up and complement the drama, without being too diversionary.
After stints in the US Navy and Army Air Force, in WWII, mostly functioning as a singer for bands, followed by several years mostly emphasizing making singing recordings, handsome Tony Martin wanted to reestablish his pre-war career, as a singing actor, preferably often as a leading man. For his starter, he chose to do a musical remake of the 1939 "Algiers", even establishing his own production company, in alliance with Universal. Although I much prefer him as Pepe over Charles Boyer, with the latter's very thick French accent, the film was not a financial success, and his subsequent film roles were few and far between. I thought he was good as the lead in "Two Tickets to Broadway". He was also among the mix of various MGM musical stars in the extravaganza ""Hit the Deck".
For the important role of the enigmatic duplicitous police inspector Slimane(Yes, he was very slimy!), we have the always charismatic Peter Lorre, who does a great job in his frequent scenes.
For the role of Pepe's live-in mistress, we have the first-billed Yvonne de Carlo. It can be justly argued that perhaps she should have played the more important visiting siren: Gaby. However, raven-haired, pixie-like Swedish Marta Toren, in her inaugural Hollywood feature film role, is acceptable. In fact, I think she is preferrable to Hedy Lamarr, in "Algiers", in this role. She will probably remind you of a mix of Audrey Hepburn and Eleanor Donahue, if you can imagine such, with a fuller face. Pepe was immediately dazzled by this new jet-set beauty, studded with jewels supplied by her rich playboy sugar daddy. Pepe brazenly seats himself next to her, accompanied by sugar daddy and Madeline. He soon asks her to dance with him, she accepts, at sugar daddy's irritation, and soon Pepe is wooing her. Yep, he was a fast worker!
Madeline is never explained. Like sugar daddy, she appears to be in her 30s. The 3 of them arrived on sugar daddy's large yacht: an odd-seeming threesome. My most plausible guess is that Medeline is sugar-daddy's sister. She seems friendly with Gaby, and tries to dissuade her from abandoning sugar daddy for Pepe. Gaby's, young, handsome, virulent sugar daddy is very different from the one in "Algiers", who is 60yo, very obese and ugly. Pepe must have had some very special pluses to pry her away from this sugar daddy! Also, unlike the one in "Algiers", who never accompanied Gaby on her several excursions into the Casbah, this pair usually accompanied her, serving as a partial deterrent to thievery of her several jewels on display. Unlike in "Algiers", talk is made of the frequent theft of jewelry and other valuables of visitors by Pepe and gang. Perhaps some of the proceeds from these thefts were distributed to the other Casbah inhabitants, thus partly explaining Pepe's near universal popularity with the Casbah people.
Unlike "Algiers", a police raid is staged, in which Pepe is captured and marched toward a Casbah exit. Along the way, various obstacles are emplaced, or the police are maimed, one by one, until none is left, and Pepe is free to rejoin Gaby, who is amazed, even after Slimane assured her of this outcome.
I find it amazing how stupid and careless Pepe is to be tempted to walk out of the Casbah without disguise, and with the police alerted, to buy a ticket on the plane Gaby has boarded to Paris, apparently not expecting to be arrested at some point. Also, as in the case with "Algiers", how could he be so stupid as to rush toward the plane as it took off, trying to catch Gaby's eye to show that he is, indeed, alive, in contrast to what Slimane had deviously told her. Ironically, he would be alive only for another few seconds, as he was shot, on the assumption he was trying to escape. He was the ultimate risk taker, and paid the ultimate price.
See it, free, at YouTube. There is also an expensive DVD, but many complaints about it, so I would stick with the YouTube copy.
After stints in the US Navy and Army Air Force, in WWII, mostly functioning as a singer for bands, followed by several years mostly emphasizing making singing recordings, handsome Tony Martin wanted to reestablish his pre-war career, as a singing actor, preferably often as a leading man. For his starter, he chose to do a musical remake of the 1939 "Algiers", even establishing his own production company, in alliance with Universal. Although I much prefer him as Pepe over Charles Boyer, with the latter's very thick French accent, the film was not a financial success, and his subsequent film roles were few and far between. I thought he was good as the lead in "Two Tickets to Broadway". He was also among the mix of various MGM musical stars in the extravaganza ""Hit the Deck".
For the important role of the enigmatic duplicitous police inspector Slimane(Yes, he was very slimy!), we have the always charismatic Peter Lorre, who does a great job in his frequent scenes.
For the role of Pepe's live-in mistress, we have the first-billed Yvonne de Carlo. It can be justly argued that perhaps she should have played the more important visiting siren: Gaby. However, raven-haired, pixie-like Swedish Marta Toren, in her inaugural Hollywood feature film role, is acceptable. In fact, I think she is preferrable to Hedy Lamarr, in "Algiers", in this role. She will probably remind you of a mix of Audrey Hepburn and Eleanor Donahue, if you can imagine such, with a fuller face. Pepe was immediately dazzled by this new jet-set beauty, studded with jewels supplied by her rich playboy sugar daddy. Pepe brazenly seats himself next to her, accompanied by sugar daddy and Madeline. He soon asks her to dance with him, she accepts, at sugar daddy's irritation, and soon Pepe is wooing her. Yep, he was a fast worker!
Madeline is never explained. Like sugar daddy, she appears to be in her 30s. The 3 of them arrived on sugar daddy's large yacht: an odd-seeming threesome. My most plausible guess is that Medeline is sugar-daddy's sister. She seems friendly with Gaby, and tries to dissuade her from abandoning sugar daddy for Pepe. Gaby's, young, handsome, virulent sugar daddy is very different from the one in "Algiers", who is 60yo, very obese and ugly. Pepe must have had some very special pluses to pry her away from this sugar daddy! Also, unlike the one in "Algiers", who never accompanied Gaby on her several excursions into the Casbah, this pair usually accompanied her, serving as a partial deterrent to thievery of her several jewels on display. Unlike in "Algiers", talk is made of the frequent theft of jewelry and other valuables of visitors by Pepe and gang. Perhaps some of the proceeds from these thefts were distributed to the other Casbah inhabitants, thus partly explaining Pepe's near universal popularity with the Casbah people.
Unlike "Algiers", a police raid is staged, in which Pepe is captured and marched toward a Casbah exit. Along the way, various obstacles are emplaced, or the police are maimed, one by one, until none is left, and Pepe is free to rejoin Gaby, who is amazed, even after Slimane assured her of this outcome.
I find it amazing how stupid and careless Pepe is to be tempted to walk out of the Casbah without disguise, and with the police alerted, to buy a ticket on the plane Gaby has boarded to Paris, apparently not expecting to be arrested at some point. Also, as in the case with "Algiers", how could he be so stupid as to rush toward the plane as it took off, trying to catch Gaby's eye to show that he is, indeed, alive, in contrast to what Slimane had deviously told her. Ironically, he would be alive only for another few seconds, as he was shot, on the assumption he was trying to escape. He was the ultimate risk taker, and paid the ultimate price.
See it, free, at YouTube. There is also an expensive DVD, but many complaints about it, so I would stick with the YouTube copy.