REEL RETRO CINEMA: New looks at old flicks and their comics connections… By ROB KELLY Who is Pepe? That was the question Columbia Pictures was hoping everyone would be asking on December 20, 1960, when it released the nearly three-hour comedy epic Pepe onto movie screens. Pepe stars Cantinflas, known as the biggest Mexican comedian of all time, already a legendary figure throughout Latin America and Spain. No less than Charlie Chaplin called him, “The best comedian alive.” But Cantinflas wasn’t just a comedian — thanks to his involvement in the Mexican labor politics of the day, he became an important cultural figure, transcending the mere world of entertainment. As is often the case, eventually Hollywood came calling, and Cantinflas made his American film debut in 1956’s Around the World in 80 Days. Based on the Jules Verne novel, Days was a blockbuster. Running almost three hours and costing $6 million to make (a fortune for 1956), it was the rare critical and commercial hit—not only did it make half a billion dollars (in today’s money) at the box office, but it went on to win five Oscars, including Best Picture. While Cantinflas was second-billed to co-star David Niven in English-speaking markets, he was given top billing elsewhere, underscoring his mass appeal in other parts of the world. Naturally, Hollywood sought to capitalize on that, thinking they had the next big comedy star on their hands. Columbia Pictures hired director George Sidney (1948’s The Three Musketeers, 1957’s Pal Joey) to helm what was originally titled Magic and got three dozen major stars of the time to appear—seriously, for many actors’ resumes, Pepe is the equivalent of Times Square as a hub of activity. In addition to Shirley Jones and Edward G. Robinson, who are in the film for extended scenes playing genuine characters, Pepe has cameos from Bing Crosby, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, Jimmy Durante, Greer Garson, Kim Novak, Donna Reed, Debbie Reynolds, Jay North (playing his TV character, Dennis the Menace), Zsa Zsa Gabor, Richard Conte, Maurice Chevalier, Ernie Kovacs, Cesar Romero, the voice of Judy Garland, and Jack Lemmon in drag, wearing his costume from Some Like It Hot, the only time it was seen in color. The plot of Pepe is daringly simple—he works at...