captain-bill I really want to write something good about this movie. I can't, though. I only saw it once, and once was more than enough. I was a teenager in Denver, Colorado, when "Pepe" previewed for the first time before an audience. A passel of studio bigwigs showed up at the Centre Theatre that evening, including, I believe, producer and director George Sidney. Cantinflas was a no-show; maybe he knew something.Did you ever attend a movie where the audience greets it with...dead silence? Not the kind of silence for something cerebral, such as "2001: A Space Odyssey", but the kind of silence that lets you know you are watching a very slow, very long train wreck. And there were roughly 1,200 really silent people that night fifty years ago.So why did I stick it out through the whole thing? Easy. The cameos. I would start looking for the exit when Edward G. Robinson would appear. Wow! This picture's got to get better now. Wrong. Ditto for Ernie Kovacs, and so on.Since I viewed the preview print, I believe I saw the full 195 minute version. So what did the studio cut for general release? The only thing I clearly remember departing was a long, misbegotten animated sequence.In retrospect I feel sorry for George Sidney, director of "The Harvey Girls", the 1948 "Three Musketeers", and "Kiss Me Kate". But the industry had changed a lot by 1960. He did his best to keep up, but "Pepe" has to be a nadir.Some believe "Pepe" to be excellent family fare. If I compelled a child to watch the whole thing, even the cut general release version, I could probably be arrested for child abuse. You have been warned!

Teenie-1 I agree with many other comments posted here about this film about why it should never have been given a poor rating by critics. I was ten years old when this film was released and wanted to see it but never did until today. I saw it on TCM and boy, what a real treat to have seen so many of the old stars that have since left us but their talent and memories still linger in our minds and hearts. I never knew that Shirley Jones was a dancer until the scene where Dan Dailey is filming a dance sequence with her and another dancer and Bobby Darin is singing the story. This is when talent was talent, compared to some of the junk they call talent today.Cantinflas could have truly been called the Mexican Charlie Chaplin, with his character so reminiscent of The Little Tramp yet unique in his own little way. He definitely did not get the credit that he deserved.Take the kids away from the raunchy cartoons and violence and rent this one for a family viewing night. They will get a kick out of Pepe's horse and his little donkey. I plan to purchase a copy for myself to keep in my collection for viewing on a rainy day. This is one of my all-time favorites.

gallifreyent Cantinflas plays a sweet Everyman with dreams of rising above his work as a rodeo (well, bullfight) clown through successful management of the beautiful stallion, Don Juan. Possible Spoiler Comments follow. Make no mistake about the point of this movie...it is a horse movie that equestrians will enjoy simply for the stunning stallion. The movie star cameos and high-power leads are just a bonus. The formula is one familiar to all horse lovers who read the books and watch the movies: wholesome person (child, innocent, or virtuous adult) needs horse, loses horse, conquers adversity, gains horse. The colorful settings and many celebrities fill out the story with fun, such as the "Tequila" drunken dream sequence. Like the Kim N. fan, I've sat through this film multiple times during the original run and many times since then, as much to see the horse as for the Hollywood legends.

JD-50 Edward G. Robinson, Dan Daily, & Cantinflas (as Pepe) were very convincing in their major rolls in this movie. The guest star list was enormous and included just about everyone who was hot in Hollywood. My favorite was Bobby Darin during his zenith. This movie is like a time capsule from 1960 and would make a great addition to a collection of family entertainment videos.