Directed by Irving Cummings • 1940 • United States
Starring Don Ameche, Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda

The film that made Betty Grable one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1940s and introduced American audiences to “Brazilian Bombshell” Carmen Miranda, DOWN ARGENTINE WAY is World War II–era Technicolor escapism at its splashiest and most deliriously entertaining. The story—in which an American heiress (Grable) on holiday in South America falls in love with an Argentine horse breeder (Don Ameche) against the wishes of their families—takes a backseat to the spectacular location shooting and parade of extravagant musical numbers, which include the larger-than-life Miranda singing the hit “South American Way” and a showstopping dance routine by the always amazing Nicholas Brothers.