Tweekums In this Speedy Gonzales short he takes a secondary part with the leads being Jose and Manuel, two cats that have decided that they have the brains needed to catch the fastest mouse in all of Mexico. Of course all of their plans back fire in amusing fashion. I particularly liked when one of them tried to catch Speedy with a fishing rod baited with cheese... all he succeeds in doing is getting dragged off by Speedy and when he finally returns he tells his friend that his sister in Los Angeles sends her regards. Eventually they realise they have no chance against Speedy so go after Slowpoke Rodriguez the slowest mouse in all of Mexico instead, I won't reveal how this turns out but will say it was the funniest part of the cartoon.The two cats were pretty funny, I think the cartoon worked better because it concentrated on them rather than on Speedy. For some reason incompetent cartoon characters are inherently funnier than their more successful counterparts.

slymusic Directed by Friz Freleng, "Mexicali Shmoes" is a very entertaining Speedy Gonzales cartoon. This time around, Speedy must dodge and outwit two shaggy Mexican gatos.My favorite scenes: During the opening credits, the fat cat Jose plays guitar and sings in a very weak, off-key voice, with the skinny cat Manuel emitting a few cries in between phrases (I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I imagine the "Spanish" that Jose sings is nonsense). The two cats aren't much better during their singing & dancing of "In Guadalajara we go to catch Gonzales..." Upon arriving in Guadalajara, Jose and Manuel trick Speedy into joining them with their little guitar/dancing fiesta before they attack him. And Jose tricks Manuel into sticking his head in Speedy's mouse hole and getting a stick of dynamite blasted in his face.Speedy Gonzales' cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez makes a brief appearance in "Mexicali Shmoes", and the two pussygatos make a surprise reference to the "gringo" Bugs Bunny as well. A fun cartoon!

Lee Eisenberg Once again, some less-than-intelligent cats go after Speedy Gonzales, only to have him foil every one of their schemes. OK, so not only do pretty much all of Speedy's cartoons have basically the same plot, but they totally stereotype Mexico. Well, as I understand it, many Hispanics like that these cartoons portray our southern neighbor positively. So, Speedy does his usual stuff in "Mexicali Shmoes", always showing himself to be one cool dude; no wonder all the female mice love him. As for his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez (the slowest mouse in Mexico)...well, clearly he has a reason for existence. Anyway, this one's worth seeing.

Robert Reynolds This cartoon, nominated for an Oscar, is the best of the Spedy Gonzales cartoon shorts that were made in the Golden Age of Warner Brothers. I saw this cartoon again recently and found it was much better than I originally thought it was years ago. The highlight of the cartoon for me has to be the appearance of "Slowpoke" Rodriguez, one of Speedy's cousins. Hilarious! Cartoon Network may or may not air this one. A bit difficult to find but well worth the effort. Recommended.