Castillos en el aire


1h 22m 1938

Film Details

Also Known As
Castles in the Air
Release Date
Jan 1938
Premiere Information
Los Angeles opening: 6 Apr 1938
Production Company
Eddie Le Baron Productions
Distribution Company
Monogram Pictures Corp.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 22m
Film Length
8 reels

Synopsis

Lolita Álvarez, a shy, day-dreaming typist in a large European bank, enters a newspaper contest and wins a trip for two to Hollywood. Meanwhile, Alberto Guzmán, an executive in the same bank, is assigned by the bank's director, Don Pedro, to go to New York on business. Although they work for the same bank, Lolita and Alberto have never met, but soon they are both on board an ocean liner bound for New York. Lolita is accompanied by her maiden aunt, Gertrudis, while colleague Feliciano Roncallo travels with Alberto. Before dinner on the first night out, Lolita contrives to be seated at a table next to one occupied by a prince, but the seating arrangements are changed and Alberto and Feliciano are seated at the prince's table. Lolita assumes Alberto is the prince and the two couples flirt. Later, Lolita pretends to be a widely-travelled millionairess to impress Alberto, while Gertrudis similarly affects Feliciano, who is posing as the "prince's" private secretary. After Lolita and Alberto fall in love, she becomes distraught because she is not what he thinks she is and avoids him for the rest of the voyage. By the time the ship arrives in New York, Gertrudis and Feliciano have also fallen in love, but Alberto cannot understand why Lolita has abandoned him. While Alberto and Feliciano conduct the bank's business in New York, Lolita and Gertrudis journey on to Hollywood. One month later, when the two couples are back in Europe, Lolita is telling her typist friends about her ill-fated ship-board romance when she is summoned to the director's office. Don Pedro asks her to assist his wife, Doña Mercedes, the following day, with the preparation of invitations for a wedding anniversary party, then asks her to deliver a document to Sr. Guzmán's office. Lolita is stunned to encounter her "prince" there, then runs off as a colleague explains to an equally surprised Alberto that Lolita is a bank employee. The next day, Lolita pours out her heart to Doña Mercedes, who secretly arranges with her husband to invite both couples to their party where all the misunderstandings are resolved and Lolita and Alberto, Francisco and Gertrudis reunite.

Film Details

Also Known As
Castles in the Air
Release Date
Jan 1938
Premiere Information
Los Angeles opening: 6 Apr 1938
Production Company
Eddie Le Baron Productions
Distribution Company
Monogram Pictures Corp.
Country
United States

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 22m
Film Length
8 reels

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

Art director F. Paul Sylos' name was misspelled "Paul F. Sylos" in the onscreen credits. According to a Motion Picture Daily news item, this was the first of a proposed six Spanish-language features to be made by Eddie Le Baron Productions for Monogram release. The New York Times review, which translated the title as Castles in the Air, noted that the films were to be made to compete with films from Mexico and Argentina aimed at Spanish-speaking audiences in North and South America. The review also noted that the film was very favorably received at its New York opening at the Teatro Hispano. According to a news item in Hollywood Reporter on July 18, 1938, the production agreement between Le Baron and Monogram was terminated after the release of Castillos en el aire when Le Baron charged that the company failed to advance $15,000 for a second picture.