User Reviews

Found out about this musical short on Mark Evanier's website "News from Me" as linked from YouTube. With the exception of the "Managua, Nicaragua" musical segment which takes place in a classroom with the star Desi Arnaz as the teacher, this appears to be a concert film directed entirely straight through (give or take a few wipe dissolves) a single performance in real time during one of Desi's shows with natural audience responses throughout. Another Cuban singer named Dulcina (who just finished a New York engagement with "Xavier Cumquat"!) warbles one number in Spanish, then American singer Judy Clark does a comic turn about hating the rhumba just before Arnaz interrupts and showcases with Duncina how the "Lindy Hoop" is more "back-breaking" than their Latin dance! The whole short was very entertaining and showcased Desi's comic talents that unquestionably made him such a great partner with wife Lucille Ball a few years later on television. So for any Desi Arnaz completetists out there, I highly recommend Jiterumba. P.S. The YouTube print was from the home movie company Castle Films which renamed this short Melody Masters and misspelled Arnaz with an "e", instead of an "a", before the "z".