Mexican Spitfire's Elephant

Penultimate entry in the Mexican Spitfire series starring Leon Errol with support from Lupe Velez. Once again, Leon Errol plays Uncle Matt and Lord Epping. Once again, there's lots of mistaken identity hijinks. Lupe Velez, the supposed star of this series, is still Errol's malapropism-spewing sidekick. She does get more to do here than in other movies in the series. She even gets to sing and dance. The plot's something to do with smugglers. Walter Reed plays husband Dennis. He's the third actor in the series to play the part. Lyle Talbot plays one of the smugglers. Beautiful Marion Martin plays the other. She previously played the role of Fifi in two of the Mexican Spitfire movies. She was the highlight of both. Here she's not as much fun because the part is less interesting. What can be said about a Mexican Spitfire movie? If you have never seen one, then this will probably give you some chuckles. But if you have seen even one other entry in the series, this will be pretty stale.

TCM has been showing the Mexican Spitfire series on Saturday mornings and Mexican Spitfire's Elephant is on this morning. It's the same plot: Dennis and Carmelita fight, Uncle Matt impersonates Lord Epping, there is much confusion and many misunderstandings. This one has some stolen gems being smuggled inside a ceramic elephant. But don't worry, a real live polka dot elephant does make a cameo appearance. Lupe Velez gets to sing and dance is quite good. Leon Errol is at his best in the dual roles. Walter Reed plays Dennis in this one. By my count, he is the third actor to portray Dennis in the series. Dennis is pretty much a thankless role, with Leon Errol being the real star and Lupe Velez supporting him. Lyle Talbot is the main bad guy. Blonde bombshell Marion Martin is back playing American Diana in this one, after playing French war orphan Fifi in Mexican Spitfire's Baby. This is one of the best of the series.

A big pachyderm gets involved here thanks to Lupe Velez, but the elephant in question is a ceramic elephant which on the inside is a most valuable jewel that Lyle Talbot and Marion martin are trying to smuggle into the USA. Martin puts the move on Leon Errol and slips it to him as a present pretending to the old roue they had some moments.

Now it's off the ship and the task is to get it back. Then start the usual antics of Errol in his dual role of Lord Epping and Uncle Matt Lindsay and his favorite niece-in-law Lupe Velez Walter Reed plays the confused but loving husband in this film of the series.

Best moment is Lupe bringing in a live elephant with pink polka dots to Lord Epping. It's the pachyderm he knows best.

The penultimate entry in the "Mexican Spitfire" series is at the very least much better than the preceding one, "Mexican Spitfire Sees A Ghost". There are still lots of tired Uncle Matt / Lord Epping impersonation routines, but there is also a much larger role for Lupe Velez and she is as hot and fiery as ever; she also gets to do some terrific singing and dancing. Marion Martin, who had played the "dumb blonde" in two previous entries, has a new and improved role here as a cool femme fatale. The Dennis part has been re-cast, again, but nobody seems to be paying any attention to him anyway. **1/2 out of 4.

Mexican SPITFIRE'S ELEPHANT is the penultimate film in the series and again repeats all it's old gags of mistaken identities and spats in the Lindsay households. Lord Epping (Leon Errol) is on a ship on his way to the States when jewel smugglers Marion Martin and Lyle Talbot spot him as an easy prey to smuggle their jewel (hidden in a small elephant figure) into America. Trouble is the absent-minded Epping can't remember where he put the elephant once he is in the States. Meanwhile to explain the blonde Marion's constant presence to his wife he says she is a friend of Dennis Lindsay (played this time by Walter Reed) and he had Lindsay tag along but when Lindsay's wife Carmelita (Lupe Velez) sees her husband and the blonde dancing fireworks result. Of course Uncle Max (also played by Leon Errol) will have to impersonate Lord Epping at some point - and again - and again - with complications to arrive with each situation.

Lupe Velez's hair is dyed a strawberry blonde in this entry which is quite attractive and she is always delightful but she does not get much help from the script. Leon Errol for once spends way more time in this one as Lord Epping or Uncle Max impersonating Lord Epping than he does as Uncle Max. Newcomer Walter Reed is the third actor to play Carmelita's husband and the part here is quite small. The fact that the unfamiliar Reed looks quite a bit like an actor playing an customs inspector makes an unintentional Lord Epping/Uncle Max twist on the character for the viewer.

Lupe gets to sing and dance in this entry and has some beautiful fashions but clearly the series needed new writers (and definitely new plots).