La Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935)

Short subject; color; about 20 minutes.

"La Fiesta de Santa Barbara" contains the only existing recording of the Garland Sisters since 1929, and they appear in a tiny part of the film singing "La Cucaracha". A high point is seeing sisters Suzy (19, who used to be Mary Jane) and Jimmie (17), especially in their solos, and the harmonies of the group are definitely up to par with standards set by their time. This is the last time the Garland Sisters will ever sing together; Suzy would soon marry musician Lee Kahn, and Judy would be signed by MGM only two months later (curiously, the studio filmed this short and didn't notice her then).

Twelve-year-old Judy has a rich and mature voice, and the act obviously revolves around her at this point. She sings the longest solo, the whole first verse of "La Cucaracha", and though she is in the rough, she is definitely a gem. This is the first time Judy is filmed in color, and the last time until the "Wizard of Oz".

Apart from the Garland Sisters, the short has its good and bad moments. Masquerading as a celebration of Santa Barbara's Spanish heritage, it's politically incorrect to the max, making a mockery of Spaniards. Every sentence contains some superficial, ignorent jab posing as comedy, and curiously, Native Americans are represented in small numbers. There is a really lame bullfight that takes about 10 minutes to actually accomplish, and the bull is obviously an actor in a costume.

There are good points, too. The color is lavish for 1935, and the studio dancers do a couple of beautiful numbers. One ingenuitive girl even performs on her pointes, dancing on a table top, for a long period of time. Overall, the film's interesting and fun in a way, but I've yet to watch the whole 20 minutes without skipping at least something.

It is found as a special feature on the DVD of "For Me and My Gal".

You should watch this if: you are interested in seeing the Garland Sisters or the early three-strip Technicolor recordings, you like Spanish things (but you have a good sense of humor), you like to laugh at extreme corniness, and you love watching lush dance numbers.

This might not be a good idea if: you can't stand stereotyping or you're impatient (the Garland Sisters appear, I believe, about 14 minutes into it, and have a BRIEF part).

Rating: *
Judy Score: **