Tonight, Lupe Velez was back with her zany and energetic brand of comedy, in "The Girl From Mexico"(1939). You've sure gotta be ready for Lupe, because once you start one of her movies you're in for a workout. She's the cinematic equivalent of three cans of Red Bull, but she sure is funny. In the movie, actor Donald Woods plays a publicist for an advertising agency who is tasked by his boss to go down to Mexico to find a singer to promote a client's product. Latin style is all the rage, and the boss hopes to sign the client to a major contract if Woods can find the right girl. After sitting through several evenings of warbling vocalists in different cantinas, Woods finds Velez, singing in a joint in the town of San Proximo. He has to visit the Mexican Consulate before he can bring her to New York. A judge there makes Woods swear to chaparone Velez during her time in the Big Apple, to protect her honor. Turns out that he's gonna need a little protection himself, as Velez is a human keg of dynamite. She's what my Mom used to call "a caution". :)
When they get to NYC, Woods puts Velez up in his apartment, which doesn't go over too well with his fiance (Linda Hayes). She's a Society Type with her nose in the air, the polar opposite of Lupe Velez who is down to earth and naive, and a little insane, haha. Hayes feels that Lupe's culture is beneath her. She also doesn't trust Velez around her husband. The feeling is mutual, because as soon as she gets to New York, Lupe falls in love with big city life, and with Woods because he gave her the opportunity. Woods keeps making excuses not to go out on the town with Velez, so as to keep the peace with his fiance. He tells Lupe that he's only her agent, and as soon as she gives her audition they will have to part ways. Now, do you really think Lupe is gonna go down like that? I didn't think you did. :)
But for the time being, she can't get Woods to show her the town, so she enlists his Uncle Matt, who lives with Woods. Uncle Matt is played by an Australian actor named Leon Errol (born in 1881). He is an absolute rubber-faced riot, and now that he's been chosen by Lupe Velez as her partner in crime, they will become a dynamic duo and steal the rest of the movie. She gets Errol to take her to a boxing match, a wrestling match and a bicycle race all in one night. Chaos ensues at every venue, as you can imagine. Lupe drinks too much champagne and gets hoarse from cheering and yelling at the wrestlers, and jumping in the ring herself The next day, Woods has her audition all set up, but her voice is shot. She sounds terrible and the advertising client is horrified. He storms out of the audition after cancelling his contract. Woods' boss is enraged. His fiance is happy, however, to see that Velez has failed. Now she will have to go back home to Mexico where she belongs. The wedding of Woods and the fiance can go on without further interruption. But I have to ask again : do you really think that Lupe is just gonna sit and take this kind of treatment?
I didn't think you did. Plus, now she's got Uncle Matt on her side. Double the craziness! Uncle Matt knows his nephew Donald doesn't love his snobby fiance, so he's gonna help Lupe get her man. First, though, they've gotta get her a job so she can stay in New York. Enter a suave nightclub owner named Tony Romano. He is also a client of Wood's agency, so he is happy to give Velez a tryout at his place. Now she's got her voice back, so the gig is hers. What Mr. Romano doesn't know is that Velez is gonna use him to make Woods' jealous, and in the process infuriate his fiancee. Thus their wedding will be sabotaged and the coast will be clear for Lupe. Let's have a big hand for Uncle Matt, who orchestrated the scheme. You are gonna love Leon Errol in this movie. He's the perfect foil for Velez' high-octane madness, the kind of mischievous Uncle everyone should have. Of course he's had practice; his wife is a stuffy prig just like Woods' fiance. She too disapproves of Velez, so Uncle Matt has fun taking the wind out of her sails.
Just a reminder that you're gonna need a strong cup of coffee before you watch "The Girl From Mexico", or any Lupe Velez movie. You might need a drink after it's over, too, or maybe even a straitjacket haha, but you'll have fun being driven crazy by this nutty Latina, who's as cute as she is crazy and charming as she is rough around the edges. She's actually incredibly talented. I think her style of comedy must surely have influenced Lucille Ball. I guess you could call Velez a Screwball Comedienne, except she mixes in a lot of slapstick as well, including some hilarious pratfalls. Give one of her movies a try, you'll be glad you did, though don't say I didn't warn you...... :)
"The Girl From Mexico" gets Two Big Thumbs Up, a classic Hollywood comedy with a lot of horsepower. ////
Gonna head out on my walk and then back to Pearl's. See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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