| Los martes, orquídeas | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster[1] | |
| Directed by | Francisco Múgica |
| Screenplay by | Francisco Oyarzábal |
| Story by | Carlos A. Olivari Sixto Pondal Ríos |
| Starring | Mirtha Legrand Enrique Serrano Juan Carlos Thorry |
| Cinematography | Alfredo Traverso |
| Music by | Enrique Delfino |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Lumiton |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
Los martes, orquídeas (On Tuesdays, Orchids) is a1941Argentine black and whitecomedy film of theGolden Age directed byFrancisco Múgica and starringMirtha Legrand,Enrique Serrano,Juan Carlos Thorry andNuri Montsé. It won the Argentine Best Picture award for 1941. It was remade as theHollywood classicYou Were Never Lovelier (1942), starringFred Astaire andRita Hayworth.[2][3]
In a survey of the100 greatest films of Argentine cinema carried out by theMuseo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken in 2000, the film reached the 27th position.[4] In 2022, the film was included in Spanish magazineFotogramas's list of the 20 best Argentine films of all time.[5]
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.[6] 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 ofItalian origin, but to his dismay she accepts him as he is.[7]
The full cast was:[8]
Los martes, orquídeas was produced byLumiton studios. The script, written by Francisco Oyarzábal, was based on a simple yet effective story byCarlos A. Olivari andSixto Pondal Ríos.
Although the stars wereEnrique Serrano,Juan Carlos Thorry andNuri Montsé, the film introducedMirtha Legrand as Elenita, in her first leading role, which catapulted her to fame.[6]
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,[9] and remains a classic in the country's film history.
TheArgentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences gave a number of awards for the film:[10]
Columbia Pictures used the film as the basis forYou Were Never Lovelier (1942), starringFred Astaire andRita Hayworth.[2][3] It was also remade as themexican romantic dramaUna joven de 16 años ("A Sixteen Year Old Girl", 1963).[3]