Shot on just the one set crowded with sombreros and flamenco dresses, this tinny studio-bound Hal Roach streamliner is very much a throwback to the early Technicolor musicals 'La Cucuracha' (1934) and 'Dancing Pirate' (1936), and further back still to the concluding Technicolor portion of the 1929 'Rio Rita'.Despite singing a song with the preposterous title "Never Trust a Jumping Bean", of the two femmes the tiny Armida far outshines top-billed opera star Anne Ayars (who looks considerably older than Armida despite being seven years younger). And Armida has two ranches! There's very little plot to speak of, although a brief comic interlude when a character falls into a tub of flour and is taken to be a ghost reminds us that this is a Hal Roach production.

In the late 30s and early 40s, the Hal Roach Studio switched from making comedy shorts to longer-length B-movies. Most were about an hour long, though I have no idea why "Fiesta" is only 45. Regardless, it's a strange Hollywood version of life in the Mexican countryside--one that is very sanitized and full of happy peasants and singing.When the film begins, the big boss-man of the town announces a fiesta because his daughter, Cholita (Ann Ayars) is returning. However, everyone is a bit surprised when she shows up with a fiancé-- especially since poor Jose thought she was his. Soon this fiancé proves to be a real drip so Jose decides to play a trick on him and pretends to be a bandit. Can he possibly win back Cholita or is the woman destined to be married to a haughty jerk?This is a musical with a rather thin plot. The opening number is very nice but I had no idea what they were singing about as it was in Spanish. The second number, however, was awful, as the woman singing lead had a voice high pitched enough to cause dogs to bark and glass to explode! Apart from this, the rest of the songs are okay and the film a mildly entertaining affair if you have very low standards and expectations. Kind of like silly fluff, really.

Remember when W.C. Fields, introducing twins, claimed that one was the world's largest midget, and the other was the world's shortest giant? Well, this film could be called either the cinema's longest short, or the cinema's shortest feature, take your pick. And it's actually pretty good. It's all about a young girl who returns from Mexico City with her new fiancé, only to have her old boyfriend, who has been waiting for her to return, try to scare the pompous man off. Yes, it all happens in less than 50 minutes, and includes several fun musical numbers including the silly but entertaining "What do you do with a jumping bean?", as well as several numbers in Spanish.Throw in some colorful costumes and houses that look like the Munchkinland set from "The Wizard of Oz" and add on some nice color photography (which resembles the MGM Travel Talks series), and you have a pleasant little musical feature. The cast is pretty adequate, but the choreography by LeRoy Prinz is most memorable. Anne Ayres is about as realistic as a Mexican girl as Charleton Heston was as a Mexican man in "A Touch of Evil". The stereotypes of the pleasant peasants, people of such good nature that they have to force themselves to lie in order to go to confession, and then go back to confession to confess that they lied about lying, is rather silly. Some of the comical moments seem a bit forced, but what else can you expect in a Hal Roach comedy? Simply enjoy the music and the color.

The funniest thing about this colorful teeny weeny delicious pinyata of a musical is that it is 45 minutes... and it is quite funny anyway.. The best thing about it is the incredible color...Technicolor...and eye-popping art direction. It is exquisite to watch. The story? ...remember this is a 45 minute movie now.... someone turns up at the fiesta with some radio bozo and the village decides to get rid of him so she can marry someone who loves her. This takes 44 minutes. Inbetween opening and closing doors there is what seems like 55 songs and an incredible amount of parading and twirling about in the village square...which is the one big set...with rooms and doors and verandas from each side. In fact it looks exactly like the wonderful style of 20s cinemas designed by John Eberson called Atmospherics which looked like a Spanish courtyard complete with steps and balconies and a twinkling cobalt blue sky with stars overhead. Made independently in 1940, FIESTA is a charming situation comedy for rural audiences in delicious color and with authentic looking costumes of an infinitely beautiful variety. I would easily say this film is one of the most beautiful early color films yet seen... if you have seen MGM's $3 million dollar YOLANDA AND THE THIEF made in 1945 or THE PIRATE in 1948, or other as expensive big studio lush fantasy films, this small budget pic is easily as spectacular in its modest way. I have never seen the colour 30s pix LA CUCURACHA or THE DANCING PIRATE but I would suggest this lovely dance musical belongs in that bracket of tech productions. I would certainly say it was made for country and suburban audiences. What it lacks in running time it makes up for in lavish screen detail. It's not about much, but who cares? it is absolutely gorgeous to see and funny to boot. Kids would love it. 45 minutes!