Back in the day, when America at least made a pretense of getting along with their neighbours south of the border, we got a lot of Mexican-flavoured films. Most notable was the Mexican Spitfire series, but there was plenty more too, with either Lupe Velez knockoffs, Latin lovers, and more. Armida was one of the 'poverty row' chiquitas, and she was a spunky gal! One of her most notable roles was in 1943's The Girl from Monterrey...
Lita Valdez is a feisty Mexican mamacita whose younger brother Baby has just dropped out of school to become a boxer. While angry at his decision at first, Lita is fiercely protective of her brother and helps him with his career, finding him an effective (if grumpy) manager. Along the way Lita meets the charming prizefighter Jerry, not realising her brother and her newfound beau may have to fight each-other someday soon...
The Girl from Monterrey is a fun comedy all-round. There's a bit of sport, a bit of romance, and some music to boot. It's never short of entertainment value, and its hour long runtime chugs along nicely, never dragging or getting tedious.
The main conflict in the movie comes when heroine Lita's brother and boyfriend are matched off in the ring together. Since the writers probably felt the movie needed a little something extra, there's some added intrigue. It probably wasn't necessary, since that conflict alone is already strong enough, but I certainly didn't mind a dash/spot of skulduggery. The shifty man with the moustache (because there is always one) has an underhanded scheme going on, while I spent the whole movie wondering if glitzy and glamorous nightclub singer Flossie was going to reveal her true colours and betray Baby and co., or if she was just a nice girl. Regardless of which is true, this culminates in a catfight that Flossie is destined to lose. Nobody stands a chance against an irate Mexican woman!
If I had to pick any issues with the move, it'd be with the last act. It feels a bit rushed and empty-handed. The climactic fight starts with no real fanfare, and if not for how little film there was left I wouldn't have even known it was Baby and Jerry. 5 minutes after I finished watching I'd completely forgot who even won.
The ending itself is a bit disappointing too. Months pass in the span of 5 seconds, and suddenly Lita's brother and Jerry show up again, both having vanished offscreen and enlisted, for no apparent reason. It feels like at the last minute the producers got a memo saying they had to put in some propaganda for the war effort. Come on guys, you'll win the war in two year's time, so shut up and stop messing with our films!
The acting is decent all round. Armida is a sweet and funny performer, who does double duty as a singer. She's never boring! Although it's weird how she keeps kissing her brother on the mouth! [Just the 1940s being weird. Or Americans being weird. Or Mexicans. I guess we're all strange!]
Anthony Caruso is fine as Baby. He makes a slight attempt at an accent, which is appreciated. And he was Italian-American, so that's basically the same thing as Mexican, meaning his accent never sounds inauthentic. And lastly, Edgar Kennedy is a wonderfully funny presence, as his usual pissed-off self.
The musical numbers here are decent, as are the songs themselves. The best is late in the film, when a cute donkey gets involved. He even has his own sombrero, earholes cut out and everything!
The Girl from Monterrey is a fun comedy, and good example of 1940s boxing pictures. Goofy, lighthearted, and not to be taken seriously, it's a nice time despite its lacklustre elements...
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