This short film is the the answer to the trivia question: what was the movie that Harpo Marx appeared in with Warner Baxter, Gary Cooper, Robert Taylor, Ida Lupino, Judy Garland, Leo Carillo, Andy Devine, Buster Keaton, and Chester Conklin (with Pete Smith in the background).

Part of it is familiar to us: a segment of it is in THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, when the career of Judy Garland is being talked about. Judy and her two sisters appear as the Gumm Sisters singing to Paul Porcasi (costumed like a Mexican) the tune "La Cucaracha". Even here Judy was given pride of place over the older girls, and appears to be leading the singing - a sense of things to shortly come.

The short (in nice Technicolor) is a kind of comic travelogue of a local yearly fiesta in the town of Santa Barbara, California, dealing with the history of the town's connections with Mexico. The MGM studio trotted out many of their stars and most of them do little cameo jokes (Baxter wearing a huge sombrero that Ralph Forbes finds him under, Cooper opening up a beer stein and using it - actually a lighter - to light his pipe, and Harpo guzzling down Mexican wine). Ted Healy pops up in a comic segment where he is pestered by a gate crasher who keeps asking him about movies he did not appear in (interestingly he says A NIGHT AT THE OPERA had the four Marx Brothers in it - he apparently does not realize Zeppo stopped appearing with his siblings after DUCK SOUP). Devine pretends he is Mexico's greatest bull fighter, and then (to his dismay) finds that Keaton is raising bulls and wants him to fight one. Keaton, by the way, gives a pretty good mock-Mexican accent when he talks.

One small piece of fluff (Carillo popping up to shoot up the proceedings in a good natured "Pancho" way is typical) it is easy to watch and forget, except the brief appearance of Judy and her two sisters with Mr. Porcasi.

Pete Smith worked for the shorts division of MGM and often narrated how-to films. Well, I cannot stand the guy's narration, as it comes off as very self-satisfied...and annoying. Smith makes jokes, most of which fall completely flat and the notion of less being more never occurred to the guy! Because he narrates this short, it clearly knocks off a few points...especially when he speaks Spanish in a rather dopey and insulting manner.

The film is a self-promotion film, the type MGM often filmed in color during this time. The purpose was to highlight a variety of their stars and thinly veil it in a visit to Santa Barbera for a yearly festival. During the course of the film, you see cameos by Warner Baxter, Harpo Marx, Ted Healy, Judy Garland, Gary Cooper*, Gilbert Roland, Leo Carillo, Robert Taylor, Andy Divine and many more. Several were likely chosen because of their Mexican-American heritage (Carillo and Roland) and no doubt Baxter was chosen since he'd already played The Cisco Kid in several films. The most interesting cameo to me was Ida Lupino, as this was before she became a star and underwent a HUGE makeover. In fact, you can't even recognize it's her until they say her name.

The overall film is extremely colorful (since these shorts were among the few pictures MGM made in full color),festive and plot less. For the average viewer, they'd be a bore but for old time movie fans they are a great opportunity to see many of your favorites.

*I have no idea why Gary Cooper keeps appearing in these films, as he worked mostly for Paramount and Columbia Studios. Maybe he just liked hanging out with the MGM starlets.

Louis B. Mayer actually splurged for color in this Pete Smith short, La Fiesta De Santa Barbara. The short revolves around MGM's recreation of the famous celebration in Santa Barbara, California with a number of MGM's contract players and others making a brief appearance.

Seen in the audience are such luminaries as Robert Taylor, Gary Cooper, Gilbert Roland, Edmund Lowe, and a whole lot more. In her only film appearance with her sisters, Judy Garland appears with them under her real name of Frances Gumm singing La Cucaracha.

Highlight for me is Andy Devine fighting a couple of guys in a bull's costume as per the Hispanic tradition of the Fiesta. Capping the whole thing off in the end is Leo Carrillo riding in something very much like the native costume he wore when playing Pancho on the Cisco Kid. This is real though for Leo Carillo actually was a descendant of the earliest settlers in California.

It's a pleasant enough short, especially for those who like to stargaze.