I enjoy George Raft's films but will be the first to admit that his acting range was pretty limited. If you wanted someone to play a smooth and handsome dancer, he was great. The same is any film where he played a gangster...he was great. But otherwise, Raft was pretty limited. In "The Trumpet Blows", inexplicably, Raft plays a Mexican...and he seems about as Mexican as an order of Chop Suey!
The story begins on All Saints Day (commonly referred to as The Day of the Dead) in Mexico. Pancho (Adolph Menjou) is visiting a grave that supposedly he's buried within long ago! Let me explain. Many years ago, Pancho was a wanted bandit. But he faked his death and settled down to a life of respectability. Now, after visiting his faux grave, he and his buddy (Sidney Toler) head to pick up Pancho's brother, Manuel, on the train. It seems that Manuel was in the United States getting an eduction...and he inexplicably lost all trace of his Mexican accent in the process!
Soon after his arrival, Pancho tells his younger brother that he has picked out a good bride for Manuel. Unfortunately, Manuel soon falls for a woman that Pancho is smitten on...and Manuel then does what any decent brother would do...he runs away to become a bullfighter! What's next? Plenty!
What follows is very poorly written....a bit soap opera-like but also with a lot of plot elements...perhaps too many...and too many which just didn't make much sense. I enjoyed watching the film but will quickly admit that Raft, though nice looking and looking Latin, sounded all wrong for the part AND the writing was at best fair. Still, as I said, I enjoyed it and see it as a flawed time-passer.
The story begins on All Saints Day (commonly referred to as The Day of the Dead) in Mexico. Pancho (Adolph Menjou) is visiting a grave that supposedly he's buried within long ago! Let me explain. Many years ago, Pancho was a wanted bandit. But he faked his death and settled down to a life of respectability. Now, after visiting his faux grave, he and his buddy (Sidney Toler) head to pick up Pancho's brother, Manuel, on the train. It seems that Manuel was in the United States getting an eduction...and he inexplicably lost all trace of his Mexican accent in the process!
Soon after his arrival, Pancho tells his younger brother that he has picked out a good bride for Manuel. Unfortunately, Manuel soon falls for a woman that Pancho is smitten on...and Manuel then does what any decent brother would do...he runs away to become a bullfighter! What's next? Plenty!
What follows is very poorly written....a bit soap opera-like but also with a lot of plot elements...perhaps too many...and too many which just didn't make much sense. I enjoyed watching the film but will quickly admit that Raft, though nice looking and looking Latin, sounded all wrong for the part AND the writing was at best fair. Still, as I said, I enjoyed it and see it as a flawed time-passer.