Argentine-born actress Marga López (1924–2005) stars as Mercedes, a down-on-her-luck dancehall worker in desperate need of the winnings her dishonest dance partner keeps for himself. One of the legendary entries into the películas de cabareteras (dance hall pictures) genre for its exuberant performance scenes and smoky setting, Salón México is at its core a film noir, complete with Gabriel Figueroa’s lingering camera that portends certain doom and stark chiaroscuro lighting. López, who starred in eighty films during Mexico’s Época de oro, went on to have just as prolific a career in telenovelas during her eight decades of life.