Picture Brides

The coming of the Production Code meant that this movie is little more than a salacious states-right B movie, with most of its smut in the line readings about the women sent down to the Brazilian jungle to marry White men at the mine. "It's all tattooed ladies and snake charmers," says one of the lovelies about the locals. "We're the snake charmers, baby, if you get what I mean," says Mae Busch.

Even though she's only 9th-billed, Miss Busch seems to be about half the movie, in full cynical comedy form. I think this movie plays better when I think of it as a comedy starring her, with an occasional melodramatic subplot. That would explain Alan Hale's almost Double-Dutch accent as the jovial villain of the piece. Dorothy McKail is top-billed as the mail order bride who doesn't know what's what, and Regis Toomey is the guy who marries her. Phil Rosen uses a lot of inert group compositions so he won't have to change camera set-ups that often and relies on his highly competent performers to get through the shoot as quick as possible.