The movie dealt with a hard working "every-man" named Inocencio (Moreno) who is seeking to find his place in the world in a poor community in (or around) Mexico in the late 1950's. Times are tough and his skills are not exactly refined so he tries to make a living at carpentry as a gofer. Needless to say, his lack of education (he can't read or write) hinders his prospects and he makes the decision to become a respectable member of the community. To do so, he enrolls in a local school, surrounded by children, and works mornings in a bank. His hard work and dedication are not universally well met and he often finds himself as the butt of jokes but he never quits, knowing that in time, he'll have the last laugh.

As he establishes himself, he earns the respect of his boss at the bank, even if his fellow employee's treat him like scum. He falls in love with a young lady while working for the bank but due to a villainous man that's going out with the banker's daughter (for her money, not her looks), Inocencio soon finds himself targeted by the guy. The man wants some good loving from Inocencio's girlfriend and she rejects his advances in favor of Inocencio's charm. Inocencio, unknowingly about to inherit a lot of money, is framed along with his girlfriend and only his complete honesty and good character may save him from those who would send him to jail for something he didn't do.

While this movie wasn't as openly funny as the previous release, it still had a lot of Moreno's canny wordplay that made him such a hit in Latin American countries. Much of the humor even translated well so that the double entendres were intact and the hidden meanings readily apparent. His "bumpkin in the city" antics were similar to those of such shows as The Beverly Hillbillies that were popular soon after to large-scale audiences and his ability to get people to empathize for his characters was well known. He never tried to take advantage of anyone in a harmful way although he did like chasing women as much as I do. That lent him some personality as well as a down to earth attitude as he stumbled through learning to be a better person, while putting up with the detractors who saw themselves as his betters.

I liked the show enough to suggest it as Recommended although this release wasn't as solid as El Bolero De Raquel in terms of humor or characterization. The remastered subtitles were a lot better than the ones Columbia had previously used (I saw the movie years ago) and for all its quirks, the show was a pleasant diversion from corporate made Hollywood releases.

Picture: The picture was presented in 1.85:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen color. The source print for this one had a number of scratches but most were small and not extended in length. There were the usual minor issues with grain and soft focus as well as a few minor artifacts but Columbia did a good job on this one overall.

Sound: The sound was presented in Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with optional English and Spanish subtitles. As with the picture, the sound was pretty solid for its age. The vocals and sound both fit in well although a couple of times I noticed it had some minor dropouts.

Extras: There were a few trailers and a paper insert with the chapter listing and other Cantinflas movies listed.

Final Thoughts: Like many of Moreno's movies, the tone could get a bit preachy in terms of his morality messages but, to be fair, he downplayed them enough that most people won't be bothered too much by them. His characters were always a touch rough edged but had their hearts in the right place so this helped make him very popular. He made no apologies for who he was or what he did and I hope these releases are successful enough to get more of his work released.