Mexican Spitfire

By the time this B-budget comedy was made by producer Lee Marcus for the ailing studio RKO, the big-wigs there had lured radio's wunderkind Orson Welles to Hollywood with an offer of total artistic control on any film he wanted to make. Why? Why not! To understand the desperate and forlorn shape the Gower Street studio was back then, just watch this film, a typical B&W programmer of the time. Leon Errol does his bi-lingual shtick with sexy and over-the-top Lupe Valdez. Neither actor, sad to say, turned out to be any guarantee of box-office success. Those who wish to analyze Latina stereotypes in American films will find the origin of Carmen Miranda's malapropistic character in these impoverished pre-war Lupe Velez comedies... Ironically enough, many of the regular RKO studio staff who worked valiantly on this Leslie Goodwins flick back in 1940 went on a year later to collaborate with Welles on his masterpiece CITIZEN KANE.

Pros:

• Lupe Velez is a bundle of energy, and brings some diversity which has always been lacking in Hollywood.
• Leon Errol's dual performance as the uncle and the British businessman, which includes the uncle dressing up as the businessman and small differences in how he played it, is well done. Also, his combative relationship with his wife (Elisabeth Risdon) is funny in just how far they go to get on each other's nerves.

Cons:

• It's a screwball comedy so one doesn't expect the plot to be airtight or anything, but the story gets so silly that at some point I found myself thinking, 'this is just stupid', and hoping for it to end.
• Despite the attempts at zaniness, there isn't much that's original here, from the marriage the aunt wants to break up, to the impersonation (of course the real guy soon shows up), to the cake fight at the end (ok, it's not pie but...), etc
• Donald Woods is as bland as a piece of cardboard.
• As the second in a series of films, 8 total from 1939-1943(!), with the first actually being 'The Girl from Mexico', this one already has that retread / sequel feeling. I'll go back and watch the first, but not the next six.

Leon Errol handles his double role of Uncle Matt Lindsay and Lord Basil Epping superbly, but I have trouble liking the "Mexican Spitfire" Series because they all are contrived to produce mistaken identities, and these are telegraphed way in advance. Errol is funny as the stuffy Lord Epping, but I would have preferred a lot more wit and much less repetition.

Lupe Velez in the first of the "Mexican Spitfire" series of movies. There would be about eight of them. She plays Carmelita Lindsay, new wife of Ad man Dennis Lindsay. They are fresh back from their honeymoon in this picture when Dennis' old flame Elizabeth (also the name of Carmelita's Chihuahua by the way...) decides she sees something new in Dennis and wants to get back together with him despite his marriage to Carmelita. Lupe is wonderful in this role as a frenetic, wise-cracking bundle of energy. She makes funny faces, is very expressive, has a wonderful smile and has her hands full dealing with Elizabeth ( Not the chihuahua, the OTHER dog...). Add into the mix, Lord Epping a much-bucks client of her husband Dennis, cases of mistaken identity and you have a great movie at a little over an hour... Lupe is absolutely cute! She curses to herself under her breath in Spanish, a little comic technique later "borrowed" by Senor Desi Arnaz who was probably still in Cuba when these films came out, waiting for his big break. This movie isnt on video and is not played that often, so catch it when and where you can, hokay? Hokay!

Lupe Velez. Remember that name. Lupe Velez, the Mexican Spitfire. In a series of extremely funny comedies for RKO she played the title character, Carmelita Lindsay. Wife of Dennis Lindsay, a Caucasian, the films were practically a reverse "I Love Lucy" over a decade ahead of time. Lupe Velez was a vivacious, energetic, beautiful AND funny comedienne. I'd even go so far as to say that her of portrayal of Carmelita Lindsay was a blueprint for Lucielle Ball's Lucy Ricardo. Lupe even had her own humorous way of crying, much as Lucy did. She was also forever getting herself into silly situation after situation and hair brained scheme after hair brained scheme. While she was always married to the same man, (played by different actors) the other constant of the series was character actor Leon Errol as Uncle Matt. Together, Lupe Velez and Leon Errol made a great comedy team! A BIG THANKS to TCM for airing every one of these films back to back. Every time I think that the Hollywood well has run dry of anything I haven't seen that I'd like to, TCM finds something else worthy of attention. I hope TCM runs them again soon so I can see the ones I missed. Solid, funny, well done movies all! The only sad thing connected with them is the fact that Lupe Velez died a suicide in her mid-thirties. If only she had known how much laughter and enjoyment she would have certainly brought to future audiences, perhaps she would had she lived through her depression. If you really love funny films from the 1930s and 40s, these are your kinds of films! Certifiable reasons why it was known as The Golden Age of Hollywood.