''Los martes, orquídeas'' (''On Tuesdays, Orchids'') is a 1941 Argentine black and white

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Francisco Múgica Francisco Múgica (10 April 1907 – 1985) was an Argentine film director, film editor and cinematographer. He was born and died in Buenos Aires. Múgica initially began his career in film as a cinematographer in the mid-1930s but by 193 ...

and starring Mirtha Legrand,

Enrique Serrano Enrique Serrano (1891–1965) was an Argentine actor and comedian in the 1940s and 1950s. He appeared in many films of the 1940s and 1950s including '' Muchachas que estudian'', '' Asi es la vida'' (1939). He starred in some 40 films between 193 ...

Juan Carlos Thorry Juan Carlos Thorry (June 28, 1908, in Coronel Pringles – February 12, 2000 in San Antonio de Padua), born José Antonio Torrontegui, was an Argentine film actor, tango musician and director. Best known for his work in tango films in the Ci ...

and

Nuri Montsé Nury Montsé (December 25, 1917 – December 26, 1971) was a Spanish-Argentine film actress of the 1930s and 1940s. She made over 20 appearances in Argentine cinema from 1936 to 1946.Nury Montsé // Diccionario de actrices del cine argentino 1 ...

. It won the Argentine Best Picture award for 1941. It was remade as the Hollywood classic ''

You Were Never Lovelier ''You Were Never Lovelier'' is a 1942 American musical romantic comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. The supporting cast also features Adolphe Menjou, Xavier Cugat and Adele Mara. The music was co ...

'' (1942), starring

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

and

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

.The return of ''Los martes orquídeas'', but without Mirtha
06-02-2018, ''

La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal '' Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argentina. Its motto is: "''La Na ...

'' In a survey of the 100 greatest films of Argentine cinema carried out by the

Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken is a museum of cinema of Argentina located in Buenos Aires. It was established on 1971 and holds a collection of 65,000 reels of film. History The Cinema Museum of the City of Buenos Aires was created on O ...

in 2000, the film reached the 27th position. In 2022, the film was included in Spanish magazine ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó a ...

''s list of the 20 best Argentine films of all time.

Synopsis

Elenita, the youngest of four sisters in a well-off family, is a shy, romantic and lonely lady. To try to bring her to life, her father sends her a bouquet of orchids each week, so she will think she has a secret admirer. At the same time, her father hires a young, unemployed actor to pose as the wealthy suitor. Comic situations start to slowly develop, as he dresses in fancy clothes, rides a horse and attends a party thrown by Elenita's family. By the time the ruse comes to light, the young couple have fallen in love and decided to marry. The father expects that his daughter will reject the young man when she learns he is poor and of Italian origin, but to his dismay she accepts him as he is.

Cast

The full cast was: *

* Felisa Mary * Mirtha Legrand (as Elenita) *

Ana Arneodo Ana Arneodo (1898 – 1977) was an Argentine actress of the 1940s and 1950s. Arneodo made her appearance in film in 1939 and made some 24 appearances between then and 1958, appearing in films such as the 1942 film ''Adolescencia'' alongsid ...

* Silvana Roth *

Zully Moreno Zulema Esther González Borbón, better known as Zully Moreno (October 17, 1920 in Villa Ballester, Buenos Aires – December 25, 1999 in Buenos Aires), was an Argentine film actress of the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema (1940–1960). She ...

* Juan Mangiante * Eva Guerrero * René Pocoví * Horacio Priani *

Domingo Márquez Domingo Márquez was an Argentine actor. He starred in films like '' The Best Father in the World '' (1941), '' Los martes, orquídeas'' (1941), ''Filomena Marturano'' (1950), and '' The Fire Girl'' (1952). He had a minor role in the acclaimed Sil ...

* Alfredo Jordan * José Herrero * Jorge Salcedo

Production

''Los martes, orquídeas'' was produced by Lumiton studios. The script, written by Francisco Oyarzábal, was based on a simple yet effective story by Carlos A. Olivari and

Sixto Pondal Ríos Sixto Pondal Ríos (April 8, 1907 - September 29, 1968) was an Argentine screenwriter, poet and dramatist. Rios was born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. Although most of his film work took place in Argentina, the 1948 film ''Romance o ...

. Although the stars were

and

, the film introduced Mirtha Legrand as Elenita, in her first leading role, which catapulted her to fame.

Reception

''Los martes, orquídeas'' was considered the best comedy that had been made in Argentina to date. It launched the career of the young Mirtha Legrand, and remains a classic in the country's film history.

Awards

The

Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences The Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences ( es, Academia de las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas de la Argentina - AACCA) is an industry association in Argentina founded in 2004. Each year the Academy present the '' Premios Sur'' ...

gave a number of awards for the film: *Best Film: Lumiton *Best original story: Pondal Sixto Ríos and Carlos Olivari *Special mention: Mirtha Legrand

Remakes

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

used the film as the basis for ''

'' (1942), starring

and

. It was also remade as the mexican romantic drama ''Una joven de 16 años'' ("A Sixteen Year Old Girl", 1963).

References

Sources

* * * * * *

External links

*
''Los martes, orquídeas''
at Cine Nacional {{DEFAULTSORT:Martes, Los, Orquideas 1941 films 1940s Spanish-language films Argentine black-and-white films Films directed by Francisco Múgica 1941 comedy films Argentine comedy films