The Girl from Mexico
Ad executive Dennis Lindsay is sent out on a last-minute trip to Mexico to find some talent. Against the advice of his superiors, who wanted a name brand, Dennis instead finds the enchanting Carmelita, while in a small village. Equal parts cute and feisty, and a great singer to boot, he takes the firecracker back to America, where she is soon acquainted with his kindly Uncle Matthew, shrewd Aunt Della, and bitchy fiance Elizabeth. Carmelita is quickly infatuated with her new man, and is determined to win him over, all while trying not to ruin his new contract...
The Girl from Mexico is an often funny picture, with a lot of spirit and zest. It has a plot that's simple in the best ways, and knows just how to throw a perfect spanner into the works, for maximum effect.
The film gets off to a quick start. We get to know Dennis and his family life well. He's one of those fellows whose love life gets planned for him, and has somehow wound up with a conniving fiancee. Elizabeth paints herself as an unblemished good girl who's never had a drop of alcohol, all the while hanging out at bars and getting shitfaced in the afternoon. His Aunt meanwhile is a harpy, and strictly on Elizabeth's side. She acts domineering with Dennis, and browbeats her husband Matt.
Dennis and Carmelita's first meeting is short, sweet, and hilarious, with the hapless guy quickly learning why you don't upset a Mexican lady. His only intention in taking her back to the States is to sign her into a record deal, but this quickly blooms into something more.
Something I like is how Carmelita gradually becomes the main character. In movies like this it's usually the guy who's the lead, but here we get a shift from his point of view to the foreign lady's, and it's pretty neat. Although the drawback is that Dennis is offscreen for half the film in business meetings.
The romance in The Girl from Mexico is believable, even if words like 'Love' and 'Marriage' get thrown about amusingly early. The chemistry between the actors and the writing help forge a good connection between the pair, despite Dennis's limited screentime later on.
To make Dennis realise he cares about her, not Elizabeth, Carmelita resorts to the best weapon in a woman's arsenal-Jealousy. Dennis learns about her daytime adventures, but doesn't know who with, and Carmelita is all too happy to take advantage of the situation, and pretend she's been with a mystery man. Dennis is soon convinced it's his ad client Mr. Romano. Something I like his how Romano becomes aware of what's going on. That only makes it all the funnier, as he's wholly aware that he has to get the crap beaten out of him for Carmelita's plan to work.
Beyond the romance, Carmelita's other main pairing is her newfound friendship with Uncle Matt. The two bond over horse racing, wrestling, and a shared dislike of the Lindsay women. He's a perceptive guy, and helps the crazy couple out.
There's some extra conflict thrown in, when Carmelita loses voice from shouting too much at a wrestling match, putting Dennis's music deal in jeopardy. Everything comes together in a fun, albeit slightly rushed, conclusion, and a nice marriage for the end, making sure to rub Elizabeth's face in it.
The cast is great. Donald Woods is a decent enough lead. Lupe Velez however shines as the titular character, and it's not long before she dominates the movie. I love how she goes from sweet to angry so quickly. Leon Errol is plenty of fun. His accent is great, which is to be expected, since he's an Aussie! We're the best at imitating other people, and naturally Hollywood hires Australians and makes them play anything but. He and Velez have great chemistry. The producers must've counted themselves lucky to have happened upon them! Lastly, Elizabeth Risdon and Linda Hayes are delightfully evil in their parts, and Ward Bond has an amusing short role.
The Girl from Mexico is a great little time. Simple, but lots of fun, and its great cast helps it excel.
Mexican Spitfire
Dennis and Carmelita Lindsay have just returned from their honeymoon, much to the chagrin of his Aunt Della. She and his ex-fiancee are plotting together to clip the Spanish wildcat's claws. The arrival of Dennis's new client, tipsy Lord Epping from England, gives them the perfect opportunity, and a series of mix-ups leads Carmelita and Uncle Matt to flee to Mexico...
Mexican Spitfire, the first in the series to bear that name, continues right where the last film left off, and expands on the world and characters. It introduces a character who would bring with him a dynamic that would change the course of the series-Lord Epping.
Dennis immediately goes back to work, not only on the very same day returning from his honeymoon, but the moment he gets off the plane! From here we're swiftly introduced to his new client, and a misunderstanding ensues when he mistakes Carmelita for his secretary. This results in a plan from Della that I'm stunned anyone goes along with! Keep up the act that Carmelita is just a secretary, and take Elizabeth home to act as your wife. Really?! What kinda dope would go along with that? Just say "Sorry for the mix-up, Lord Epping, this sexy senorita is my wife". But by all means, shove your new wife in the servant's quarters and get close with another woman, that works too. Yeesh!
Della and Elizabeth are almost cartoonishly conniving, and you look forward to their
comeuppance by the end. Here's what Elizabeth has to say about winning Dennis back: "Oh there's nothing to forgive, really. I never figure that he's married to Carmelita, I still feel he's engaged to me". And Della has this: "Elizabeth Price can trace her family back to the pilgrims. She's real Plymouth rock stock." Yeah? Well Carmelita could trace her ancestry back to the Spanish, 100 years earlier, so there!
This whole section of the film is entertaining, albeit frustrating to watch. Partly because of Aunt Della's brazen attitude, and Lord Epping and secretary's inability to sit down and shut up! Every time Dennis or Carmelita try and explain things to them, they are always interrupted. "About the other day, I" "I'm very busy you see" "But about the ""Not another word my, boy, we have to be on our way" "But it'll only take a" "Have a spiffing day my old chum", etc. If these pillocks shut their traps and listened for even a second, half the movie's problems would be solved in an instant!
The dinner party has a few awkward moments, but it becomes hilarious when Aunt Della gets wise to Matt's ploy...then inevitably acts on her suspicions with the real Lord Epping.
While the film's first act is quite small-scale, set over the course of a single evening in one home, the second act changes course and opens the film up. Carmelita and Matt journey across the border, trying to escape their problems. Eventually they return, and Carmelita and Dennis have a sweet reunion (in the aftermath of an effective offscreen barfight).
The climax is lots of fun. Taking place at Dennis and Elizabeth's prospective wedding party, he returns with Carmelita in to to break the news. I love
that they go out of their way to make things as embarrassing for
Elizabeth as possible, her realising the truth at the worst moment.
The characters are strong here, from heroes to villains. Carmelita is sweet and single-minded, determined to do what she wants, whether it be keeping her man, or trying to get a cheap Mexican divorce. One scene I found weird was at the party. The other women keep yelling at her for being clumsy, even though she hasn't done anything! All she did was say Salut, and 'Lord Epping' spills his drink, yet she gets blamed.
The film does a better job showing Dennis's business life, in a way that doesn't sequester him offscreen for half the movie. He does vanish for the second act though, but the film does still capture his loneliness without Carmelita. It's interesting seeing how he'd react if his nuptials with Elizabeth went all the way, instead of being interrupted. You can see him gradually becoming miserable at this life, showing how he probably always knew Elizabeth wasn't right, and even without Carmelita's influence he would've realised it sooner or later (we hope).
Uncle Matt is clearly relishing the chance to say what he thinks to Della's face. He also gets a line to Carmelita after she bemoans her Aunt's dislike of her. "I've been married to her for 20 years and she still doesn't like me!". This does raise a good question, of why Della married Matt when she clearly doesn't like or respect him. It is also amusing seeing how women who would otherwise believe in very archaic views on sexual politics still assert dominance over their own husbands. You do wonder how she'd react if Matt acted like a sexist pig and tried forcing her in line!
Lord Epping is a fun presence in this first appearance, and gets some good dialogue, like "The camel's back may not be broken, but it is frightfully bruised!". He does get a little annoying at times with his inability to listen, but otherwise he's a good chap.
The cast here are in top form. Woods is decent, if sidelined a little, while Velez shines, with hilarious expressions throughout. Errol gets his first dual role for the series, and it's definitely hammy and exaggerated, but enjoyable. The way he walks as Lord Epping is the best! Risdon and Hayes are fun villains, and the rest of the cast does well, including a cute doggy.
Mexican Spitfire is a great time to be had! A few issues here and there, but otherwise a perfect comedy to wile away the time...
Mexican Spitfire Out West
It's the anniversary of Dennis and Carmelita's marriage, and trouble is in the air when he is late for the party. Fed up with his obsession with work, and not believing his excuses, Carmelita runs off to Reno for a quickie divorce, ostensibly to snap Dennis back to reality. It almost works, until it works too well, and Dennis is served a real divorce notice. Now both are angry at the other, while Lord Epping is in danger of being lured over to a rival agency...
Mexican Spitfire Out West is a perfectly enjoyable time, but it's where the series found its footing in a bad way. Did you like Lord Epping and the double antics of the last film? Then good news, they're both back. If you were here for the Mexican Spitfire though, bad luck...
As a story, this is decent, and it definitely delivers lots of zany antics, both from its titular heroine, and bumbling aristocrat. My problem is how much the other plot overtakes Carmelita, and how difficult it can be telling the real Lord Epping from the fake.
Despite the title, not much is done with the setting, save for dressing
Carmelita up as a cowgirl. The most we get is during a montage, where
'Lord Epping' is given an awful lot (including the key to the city!),
considering he hasn't actually done anything. He's even made the head of
an Indian tribe! Just for existing and being rich?
While comedies like this are usually exaggerated anyway, Out West stretches credibility a bit. Dennis hides Lord Epping's clothes in a bid to keep him locked up out of rival Skinner's clutches. And so Epping stay in the apartment in nothing but the same dressing gown for more than a week. Dennis never buys him clothes, or even lends some! It's enough to make you wish Lord Epping would jump ship and side with Skinner.
I
wondered if the entirety of the movie would be a simple matter of mistaken identity, and by the time Carmelita is trying to make Dennis jealous by announcing her 'love' for the Lord, and Lady
Epping comes onto the scene, the movie began to feel like a PG Wodehouse
comedy!
I
felt the ending was a little too brief, especially in wrapping up
its threads. Also it was LOUD! The stuff with the contract and the Lindsay's
marriage has already been resolved, but the movie keeps meandering on
for the sake of more gags, which I wouldn't mind if they had an end, but
they really don't. The movie just stops! Lady Epping never discovers
the truth about her husband's doppelganger, nor does Aunt Della realise who
was really victimising her.
Dennis is an afterthought in places, but does get his moments here and there. Carmelita is cute as always, even if her hair-trigger temper gets the best of her at times.
The
character of Aunt Della continues to go way too far, openly criticising Dennis's marriage, and
trying to get him back with Elizabeth. Bitch, they've been married a year, give it a
rest! "You
know perfectly well Elizabeth is the girl Dennis that should have
married in the first place." "Well she didn't finish in the first
place!". She does have some snappy comebacks to Matt that get a laugh.
While much of the humour consists of retreads, there are some great moments unique to this entry, such as Carmelita's encounter with a desk clerk. I won't spoil it, but suffice to say, the very thing I was hoping they'd do but wasn't actually expecting, actually happens! I also loved when Carmelita sends a telegraph. Hearing the stenographer recite her unique English phonetically was hilarious.
Mexican Spitfire Out West is an amusing enough movie in its own right, but not on par with its predecessors, and sets a dangerous precedent for the series to follow. But overall it's not a bad film, and has a lot to enjoy...
The Mexican Spitfire's Baby
After a fight, Dennis and Carmelita decide to adopt a war orphan, to help patch things up. Lord Epping gets a little confused though, and comes over with Fifi, an attractive adult, orphaned during the last war. A petrified Dennis urges Uncle Matt to hide her before Carmelita sees. He takes the girl to a Bed & Breakfast, but Della follows, and believes her husband is having an affair. To save his skin, Matt lies, saying it's Lord Epping's affair. Della seems to believe the story, but will
visit his lordship in the morning, so Matt must don the disguise once more
if he wants to survive the weekend...
The Mexican Spitfire's Baby is one confusing movie, and not at all what the title promises, in more way than one! If you thought Carmelita has a baby, you're wrong. But if you also thought the movie was about her and Dennis 'raising' an adult girl, you're also wrong, somehow.
The film gets off immediately on the wrong foot/to a bad start, with Carmelita yelling at Dennis in their very first scene! Not funny yelling either. It comes off as legitimately unpleasant. It only takes her 2 bloody minutes before she brings up the D word! By all means, have Carmelita leave Dennis every movie, why not.
Unfortunately
by the midpoint I realised something. The film is more focused on
misadventures with Fifi and Uncle Matt than the Lindsay's 'baby'! I
thought the whole
point of this movie was to show Dennis and Carmelita being 'parents' to a
30 year old beauty, but she doesn't even find out about Fifi until over
halfway through! And even though Dennis comes along to the hotel too,
he's whisked
away to the bar by Lord Epping and never seen again till the very end.
Here's
what makes the movie ridiculous though-Aunt Della thinks her
husband and Carmelita are having affairs. Carmelita thinks Dennis is
having an affair. Fifi's boyfriend is in town thinking she's having an
affair. Then Della is tricked into thinking Lord Epping is having an
affair. Then his wife comes over thinking he's having an affair!
Don'tcha think that's enough?! God almighty!
The ending is where I reserve the greatest scorn! You'll never believe how
everything is wrapped up-IT ISN'T! Least of all Fifi! The movie just stops. Jeez, it's like
they just stitched Fifi onto a pre-existing script, for the superficial
value and nothing more.
To sum up the plot, it's a series of awkward contrivances and
misunderstandings, overcrowded with characters and ideas. The whole
movie is either characters explaining, or sidestepping explanations.
There's never any room for an actual story, only events.
When you look past all these problems, there is one question. Is Mexican Spitfire's Baby funny? The answer is Partly. It's a chore in some scenes, but in others it's great. Carmelita trying to uproot a tree after hearing Dennis chat with a suspicious woman is hilarious, and the knife throwing scenes are lots of fun too.
Carmelita
starts out quite badly here, feeling like a caricature with no
dimension, just mindless yelling. She does eventually mellow out into
the spitfire we know and love, and has a few great scenes, like her
creative attempts at trying to beat Dennis up. Dennis meanwhile has a few scenes where he's
actually more in the know than Carmelita is about the story, but still
manages to get sidelined.
With how crowded the film is, one
saving grace is that it seemed for the first time we wouldn't get Uncle
Matt disguising himself as Lord Epping again. Oh, haha, no, we could be
so lucky. It goes down how it usually does, but feels a bit callous with how much it's screwing with the guy's life.
While Aunt Della is her usual self, this is
that for the first time I actually believed she loved her husband! She
may not be a very nice wife, but at least she does seem to care as much
as she's capable. Poor Ada Epping returns, and once again nobody tells her what's really going on. It's quite
unpleasant to watch a disguised Matt say he's gonna divorce her!
Onto the acting. Velez is let down by a script and direction that makes her a harpy in some scenes, but as the movie goes on, her bubbly demeanour comes shining through. Errol is good, if you're a fan of his double routine, while Marion Martin is nice as the charming French girl. Tom Kennedy returns to the series, this time as a grumpy sheriff, getting some laughs. And the always welcome Zasu Pitts has a fun role as a snooping hotelier.
I'm
really disappointed in The Mexican Spitfire's Baby, not just because of how
bad it is, but because of what it could have been! If only it had
embraced the silliness of its concept rather than try to avoid it, this
might have been great! If only it had have actually explored its concept, period! As it is, it's stuffed to the gills, and makes for pretty annoying viewing...
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