Mexican Spitfire at Sea

You know if I was honeymooning with Lupe Velez and had Marion Martin giving me the come on while on the same boat, the last thing I would have on my mind is some business deal. Then again Buddy Rogers was one of Hollywood's better known closet cases in real life.

And apparently in this film because he's taking the trip because a couple of nouveau rich marrieds, Florence Bates and Harry Holman, are on the voyage and he wants to land their account.

So with all these on board, Leon Errol as both Lord Epping and Rogers's Uncle Matt, Elizabeth Risdon as Uncle Matt's wife and Zasu Pitts as an aspiring playwright it's the usual Mexican Spitfire comedy of errors.

I have to say Zasu Pitts really should have been a regular in this series. She has just the right touch of zaniness.

This little gem is one part the Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and another part a backwards I Love Lucy.

It is a model "B" film- short, inexpensive, but a clever script and some good work by an experienced cast.

I haven't seen any other of the "Mexican Spitfire" series but I will be looking for them. You might give them a try.

Lupe Velez is "the Mexican Spitfire" in the follow up, but it's everyone else that makes this chapter fun. My personal favorite is Florence Bates.. she made a limited number of films, and every one is a gem (Rebecca !) Bates has such an interesting life story. then there's Zasu Pitts who had started in silents, moved into talkies, and finished with Mad, Mad World. Character actor Leon Errol. The plot is too goofy to explain, and i don't think even the actors really knew what the plot was, but the whole idea is for Leon Errol to pretend to be someone else, and then the caper can began. Mistaken identies, clever one and two liners, and much muttering jokes under one's breath. and of course the usual language mixups by Carmelita (Velez). It's all very silly, but the word play keeps it interesting, like a Marx Brothers film. Directed by Les Goodwins, who had directed so many Spitfires with Velez. Shows now and then on Turner Classics. It's a fun one!

The fifth entry in the "Mexicn Spitfire" series consists mostly of aimless running around without going anywhere, and people behaving like collective morons; despite the ship setting, it is almost totally static as well. Lupe Velez is still funny, but wasted in a minor supporting (!) role. It is obvious to anyone that this series is operating on fumes at this point - and even the fumes are getting exhausted. ** out of 4.

Mexican SPITFIRE AT SEA is a typical door-slamming, vaudevillesque comedy for the fairly popular film series, an endless string of malapropisms, mistaken identities, and double-crossing pushed with gusto by a talented cast working hard to ring out every possible laugh. Carmelita and Dennis (Lupe Velez, Charles Buddy Rogers) are on a cruise ship on what she believes will be a second honeymoon but is actually an attempt to gain the business account of the social climbing George Skinners (Eddie Dunn, Florence Bates), eager to meet Uncle Matt's friend, Lord Basil Epping (both roles played by Leon Errol). When Carmelita learns the truth she throws a fit and threatens to leave and Skinner mistakenly believes blonde bombshell Fifi (Marion Martin) is actually Dennis' wife forcing him to continue the fib. Uncle Matt meanwhile believes Lord Epping is not onboard and is forced to impersonate him - with passenger ZaSu Pitts, a stagestruck wanna-be actress, persuaded to impersonate Lady Epping.

The comedy is frantic and often quite funny, particularly Lupe and her fractured tirades (informed Dennis has "another wife" she screams, "That's bigotry!") Veteran character comic Leon Errol gets the lion's share of screen time in the dual role of Uncle Matt and Lord Epping and while he's funny, many of the scenes seem like repeats from scenes just moments before and it can be a bit much. The role of Carmelita's husband is always a thankless one and it's disappointing to see the appealing Charles Buddy Rogers wasted in the smallish part (which would eventually be played by no less than three actors in the seven film series). Character actress Elisabeth Risdon is around as usual as Matt's rather haughty wife who can't stand Carmelita and she's very good, as is the excellent comedienne Florence Bates as a barge of a social climber.