Francesc d’Assís Xavier Cugat Mingall de Bru i Deulofeu (or Xavier Cugat i Mingall for short, 1900-1990), was one of the more idiosyncratic performers to work on musicals at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, reliably introducing an element of camp to every film he appeared in.
Born in Catalonia, Cugat and his family emigrated first to Cuba, and then to the United States in 1915. His beginnings in show business were as a classical violinist. He took time out to work as a cartoonist, and then formed his own band, which ended up performing at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles. Specializing in Latin music, Cugat, clutching his signature chihuahua while conducting or performing, became known as the ‘King of Rumba’.
Cugat’s first involvement in a Metro musical was behind the scenes, working with Herbert Stothart and Clifford Grey on a couple of numbers for In Gay Madrid. Fourteen years later he made his debut on screen for Metro (having made a few musicals at Paramount), in Two Girls and a Sailor. Here, as on every other occasion, he played a fictionalized version of the band leader Xavier Cugat.
Cugat appeared in four Esther Williams vehicles: Bathing Beauty, On an Island with You, This Time for Keeps and Neptune’s Daughter. He also supported Jane Powell in Holiday in Mexico, A Date with Judy and Luxury Liner, and showed up in No Leave, No Love.
Edwin Justus Mayer (1896-1960) was a journalist and occasional playwright who, quite enterprisingly, wrote an autobiography when he was 25 and had achieved very little. From 1927 to 1945 he worked on a number of Hollywood films; in his own words, “I never gave up the stage, the stage gave me up. The pictures gave me a living and the theatre wouldn’t. I see no shame in using your professional weapons to make a living.” His crowning achievement was his final screenplay, for Lubitsch’s To Be Or Not to Be (1945).
Mayer had earlier been one of the three writers credited with the script for In Gay Madrid.
Edward Salisbury Fields (1878-1936) was, amongst other things, a popular playwright, several of whose comedies were adapted into films.
In the early 1930s Fields undertook writing projects for various Hollywood studios. Amongst these was a contribution to the screenplay for MGM’s In Gay Madrid.
Robert Howard Ober (1881-1950) was an actor with considerable stage experience when he started taking screen roles in the early 1920s. His most notable appearance was as John Gilbert’s brother in King Vidor’s The Big Parade (1925).
Although he never directed a film, Ober does appear to have been assigned some directorial tasks by MGM, one of which was to shoot retakes for In Gay Madrid after Robert Z Leonard had moved on to his next film.
Although born in Camberwell, Philip Sleeman (1891-1953) spent much of his film career playing Arabs and other eastern characters with names like Sheik Abdullah Pasha.
Sleeman made two appearances in Metro musicals, on both occasions having a good time. He was a patron in a cantina in In Gay Madrid and partying on the zeppelin in Madam Satan.
British-born Beryl Mercer (1882-1939) was a successful stage actor who had small roles in more than fifty pictures. Her place in film history depends on two maternal roles: as the mother of Lew Ayres’s character in All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and as the mother of James Cagnet in Public Enemy (1931).
In Gay Madrid was Mercer’s only appearance in an MGM musical.
British actor Claude Ewart King appeared on stage and in silent films in the UK, making his screen debut in 1912. After serving in the First World War, he emigrated to America, successfully continuing to work in both fields.
King’s most significant American credit was probably as Roger Balfour, whose murder and resurrection were the focus of Tod Browning’s lost film London After Midnight (1927).
King played Ramon Novarro’s disapproving father in In Gay Madrid, and followed this with uncredited appearances in Maytime and Broadway Serenade. His final MGM musical was the 1940 version of New Moon, where he played Monsieur Dubois.
* Edwin M Bradley names the film’s opening song as ‘Let Me Give You Love,’ though nothing in the lyrics suggest this as the title. Bradley would seem to have taken the name from contemporary press reports.
In a Madrid nightclub, playboy Ricardo watches Goyita sing [Give Me All Your Love (?)] while the women at another table gossip about him. Ricardo rushes backstage and embraces Goyita.
Ricardo (Ramon Novarro) listens to Goyita sing while the women behind talk about him
Meanwhile, Almadar, the self-proclaimed “greatest torero in all Spain”, arrives at the nightclub and demands that Goyita sing for him. Going backstage to fetch her, Almadar finds her in Ricardo’s arms. They quarrel and, back amongst the diners, a fight ensues.
Ricardo arrives home the next morning and tells the butler that he has been with the police all night. He gets into bed fully clothed to hide from his father, the Marques de Castelar, but the Marques sees through the ruse. Ricardo claims to have been in a taxi accident, but his father already knows the truth from the newspaper. Tired of his son’s behaviour, the Marques tells him he must leave Madrid and continue his law studies at the university at Santiago de Compostela. He is to board at the best student accommodation, the House of Troy.
Later, students arrive at the House of Troy [Santiago]. They see all Ricardo’s luggage and are told it belongs to the Marques of Castelar. They carry it to his room and three of them ransack the contents. Ricardo finds them going through his things, but they are reassured when he tells them he is not the Marques de Castelar. The students find his fur coat, which they decide to pawn, with Ricardo’s encouragement. Octavio comes in to complain about the noise, and says he will have nothing to do with Ricardo because of his bad reputation.
Then Ernesto Rivas arrives with an invitation for Ricardo from his father. Ricardo explains to his housemates that the Marques is his father, and assures them that he was amused by what they did. Octavio insults him and leaves.
Ricardo objects to having a picture in his room, until he learns it is Antonio, who died bravely in an illegal duel. He learns that the motto of the house is Above All, Honour [Santiago].
DoñaConcha (Beryl Mercer) defends young men sewing wild oats to Carmina (Dorothy Jordan) and the disapproving Don Rivas (William V Mong)
Later, Ricardo is to visit Senor Rivas and his daughter, Carmina, who has been told about his reputation by Octavio. Her aunt, Doña Concha, tells her there is nothing wrong with a few wild oats. Ricardo arrives with Ernesto and hears Carmina playing the harp. She asks him if he will not find Santiago dull compared to Madrid. Later, when they are talking alone, Ricardo wonders why Carmina does not like him. She tells him that standards of conduct are different in Santiago.
Octavio arrives and Ricardo learns that he is Carmina’s fiance. Ricardo explains that he is unable to stay for dinner because of a prior engagement at a student dinner. Ernesto has also been invited, but Octavio reveals the dinner is to be held in a wine shop and Rivas tells his son not to go.
Later, at the dinner, Ricardo is telling his friends how provincial and self-satisfied Carmina is when Ernesto enters and overhears. Ricardo rushes after him and persuades him that, in fact, he likes Carmina very much, but that she hurt his vanity. They return to the table [Smile While We May].
In Madrid, Goyita receives a letter from Ricardo, asking her to come to Santiago.
Later, at a costume ball, Ricardo helps his friend Corpulento serenade a girl [Into My Heart], but gives away the deception when he is distracted by seeing Carmina. He sings to her and she is pleased, though pretends not to be. Ernesto tells Ricardo that his sister thought the serenade was wonderful. At Ernesto’s insistence, Ricardo dances with Carmina. He takes her into the garden and asks if they can be friends. Carmina agrees, and when Octavio comes to remind her they are to dance, she refuses to go in.
Octavio tries to provoke a quarrel with Ricardo, and Carmina decides to go home. Ricardo prevents Octavio from following her and pushes him into a fountain.
Ricardo prepares to push Octavio (Herbert Clark) into the fountain
Back in her room, Carmina turns a picture of Octavio face down. Ricardo sits on the branch of a tree outside her room and serenades her [Dark Night]. On her balcony, he rips off Octavio’s betrothal bracelet, declares his love for Carmina and compels her to say she loves him before he will let her return to her room.
Doña Concha, who was chaperoning Carmina, returns from the ball and hears Ricardo singing outside. Carmina refuses to admit she likes Ricardo and says he followed her home, to which Doña Concha replies that that shows how interested he is. She tells Carmina that Octavio is not a suitable husband, but that Ricardo is. Carmina says Ricardo is too sure of himself and her aunt advises her to make him less sure of himself by playing hard to get.
Much later, Ricardo complains to Ernesto that all his letters to Carmina are returned unopened, and Ernesto tells him she pretends to be out when he calls at the house. To Ricardo’s surprise, Goyita arrives at the house; he has forgotten he invited her. Then, the Marques de Castelar’s car pulls up outside. Ricardo hides Goyita in his wardrobe. Ricardo has told his father in a letter that he is really in love with Carmina and the Marques approves. Inside the wardrobe, Goyita does not like what she is hearing.
The Marques has brought a betrothal bracelet for Carmina. Ricardo tries to persuade his father to go for a walk and the Marques reveals he has already been to the Rivas house and seen Carmina. He has arranged the marriage with her father, but Ricardo tells him he is no longer sure that Carmina is in love with him. The Marques laughs this off. Ricardo tells Goyita to stay in his room while he goes out with his father.
Carmina is getting ready to greet Ricardo when he and the Marques arrive. She continues to be off-hand with him. Back in Ricardo’s room, Goyita is spotted by Octavio.
Senor Rivas sends Ricardo to meet Carmina in the garden, where she finally acknowledges she loves him; she is wearing his bracelet. Octavio arrives during dinner and tells Rivas about Goyita. Ricardo is called to the library, after which the Marques hears shouting. Octavio states that Ricardo has come straight from the arms of a disreputable woman and says he can prove it. They all go to Ricardo’s room, where Goyita is waiting in her underskirt. She tells the Marques she is there because Ricardo asked her to come. Carmina hears everything and returns Ricardo’s bracelet. The Marques will not listen to any explanation, and leaves. Ernesto slaps Ricardo, meaning there must be a duel.
Carmina confesses her love to the wounded Ricardo
The next morning, Carmina learns about the duel and rushes to stop it, but she is too late. Ricardo fires into the air and is wounded himself. Carmina spurns Ricardo until she sees that he is hurt, when she begs his forgiveness and tells him she loves him. Later, Ricardo and Carmina are married [Santiago].
