bkoganbing Just like when Ma and Pa Kettle became such a hit in The Egg And I that it became a movie series, Lupe Velez proved such a hit as the fiery and passionate Mexican singer Carmelita Fuentes that RKO did a whole series of Mexican Spitfire films. Velez who was on the downside of her career, she was no longer an A list player got her career extended a few more years. Sadly only a few years since she died by suicide in 1943.This film which introduces the characters has Donald Woods press agent on a hunt in Mexico for a talented singer of the Latina persuasion for his boss Donald MacBride's radio station. He brings Lupe Velez and finds she's awfully hard to handle. The one she relates best to is Leon Errol who is his uncle. His aunt Elizabeth Risdon who usually played snooty old dowagers is at her snootiest here. Fiance Linda Hayes isn't too thrilled with Velez's presence either.Velez and Errol worked well together and it was both of them that kept the Mexican Spitfire series going. Later on when Errol started playing the dual role of Uncle Matt and Lord Epping he could have spun out on a series of his own.For better or worse this is what Lupe Velez is best remembered for cinematically as opposed to her sex life which was varied and tempestuous.

ksf-2 "Jumpin Butterballs!"... that's what Donald MacBride always said in the Marx Brother films. Here, he's Renner, show biz agent, trying to track down new acts and stars. Co-stars Leon Errol and Donald Woods. This was the original film, turned into a series of films starring Lupez Velez. Audiences just loved the silliness, and "Carmelita" would mix up her english and spanish sayings to turn a phrase. and the six day bicycle races! w.c. fields talked about them in "international house". who knew they were such a big deal?? although there wasn't much else to do in those days. the plot kind of goes all over the place, Carmelita comes to the U.S. and experiences everything there is. and her man-friend get so jealous. She'll make it big in radio if she doesn't get sent back to Mexico! Fun adventure.

utgard14 Wooden American publicity agent Dennis Lindsay (Donald Woods) meets loud and feisty Mexican singer Carmelita Fuentes (Lupe Velez) and brings her to the States. Carmelita quickly falls for Dennis but he only seems to have business on his mind. Plus he's engaged to a snobby socialite (Linda Hayes). So Carmelita conspires with Dennis' uncle (Leon Errol) to make Dennis jealous and win his affections. The first movie in the Mexican Spitfire series, although it wasn't intended as such. This was a surprise hit which led to the sequels. It's not a series I particularly love but I think this is my favorite of the bunch, primarily because it feels less formulaic and it's the only one where Lupe Velez actually feels like the star. In the subsequent movies Leon Errol's role would increase where he would basically become the real star, often playing more than one role in each film. Velez would just go through the motions in the subplot, which was usually a variation of the same thing: Carmelita gets angry and leaves Dennis but eventually the two reunite.Velez is an acquired taste for sure. She's basically a combination of Ricky and Lucy Ricardo (predating I Love Lucy, of course). I like her in this movie, though. Maybe it's because in the sequels she seemed to be repeating lines and routines in every movie but here she hadn't perfected her persona yet so it feels a bit more natural. She also sings and dances in this one, which is a nice plus. For his part Donald Woods plays to his strengths (?) as a stiff wooden leading man. It somehow works contrasted with Velez screaming half her lines. Leon Errol's Uncle Matt is fun and easily the most likable person in the movie. Linda Hayes and Elisabeth Risdon round out the main cast. Hayes is OK playing a villainess but Risdon is a tough pill to swallow. Her character is just the worst. Ward Bond has a small role as a wrestler named Mexican Pete.It's an enjoyable lightweight B comedy. I can see why they thought it would make a good series but it really didn't. They had no ideas and basically repeated plots and relied heavily on vaudevillian Errol to provide laughs. This first one is the best because it feels the most fresh. Still nothing exceptional.

mark.waltz This is a film which shows that good things come in small packages. A rather short "B" comedy from RKO released in the greatest year that Hollywood had ever seen, "The Girl From Mexico" was the first of 8 films surrounding the hot-tempered yet loving character played by Lupe Velez. Velez had been around Hollywood for over a decade, and was in a career slump when she made this film. It rejuvenated her career, and for the next five years, she made over half a dozen films surrounding Carmelita, the "Girl From Mexico", later known as the "Mexican Spitfire". It was a title that Velez had been given in the early 30's, and now RKO hoped to take advantage of that to give her some much-needed box-office. "The Girl From Mexico" is the first and best of these films, although it was apparent that this was not meant originally to be a series. Well-crafted and fast-moving, the film takes advantage of the chemistry between rubber legged Leon Errol and hot-tempered Velez, and sends them soaring with loads of gags. Sad to say, Velez had more chemistry with Errol than any of the actors in the series who played her husband, Dennis Lindsey.The story finds Dennis (Donald Woods in this outing) going to Mexico to find a singer for a radio show, and meets firecracker Carmelita. He brings her back, and almost immediately, chaos ensues. Carmelita and his Uncle Matt (Errol) hit it off, and head out for a night on the town where she gets publicity by getting into a boxing ring in the middle of the fight. Dennis is not too pleased by the publicity, and Uncle Matt's shrew of a wife, Aunt Della (Elisabeth Risdon) and fioncee (Linda Hayes) have good reason to be suspicious of Dennis's interest in Carmelita. I need say no more of the ensuing events that bring Carmelita and Dennis together by the end, but there are loads and loads of gags, funny lines, and just pure outrageousness. One of the funniest moments comes when Carmelita and Uncle Matt first meet, and begin to sing at the piano; The scene is classic comedy at its finest.As the series continued, the plots got more contrived, dealing with Uncle Matt's constant pretending to be Dennis's boss, Lord Epping. However, for the first few films, the fast-pacing and chemistry between Errol and Velez made the "Mexican Spitfire" series a fun-filled hour or so of pure laughter.