By Violet LeVoit
Mexican Spitfire at Sea
Brief Synopsis
An advertising executive and his temperamental wife sail to Hawaii in search of business.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Leslie Goodwins
Director
Lupe Velez
Carmelita Lindsey
Leon Errol
Uncle Matt Lindsey/Lord Basil Epping
Charles "buddy" Rogers
Dennis Lindsey
Zasu Pitts
Miss Emily Pepper
Elisabeth Risdon
Aunt Della Lindsey
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Adventure
Release Date
Mar
13,
1942
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 13m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,557ft
Synopsis
Dennis Lindsey and his hot-tempered wife Carmelita set sail on a cruise to Hawaii that Carmelia believes is their "delayed" honeymoon. In reality, Dennis and his uncle Matt and aunt Della have booked the cruise in hopes of winning an advertising contract from the social climbing Baldwins. Also on the voyage is Dennis' business riva, George Skinner. To prevent the snobbish Baldwins from signing with Skinner, Dennis has promised to introduce them to Lord and Lady Epping at a party that night. When Carmelita learns of her husband's motive for their trip, she angrily shoves him out of their cabin and into the neighboring cabin of Fifi, an old girlfriend of Dennis'. Mr. Baldwin walks by at that moment, and seeing Dennis in Fifi's room, assumes that she is Mrs. Lindsey and invites her to the party. Aunt Della, who despises Carmelita, thinks that Fifi would make a splendid Mrs. Lindsey and persuades Dennis to continue the deception for business reasons. After berating her husband, a remorseful Carmelita begs uncle Matt to impersonate Lord Epping and induce Dennis to reconcile with her. Meanwhile, Lady Epping has decided to travel incognito, and the real Lord Epping, unable to locate his wife's stateroom, meets Skinner while he is wandering the ship's hallways. To conceal Epping from Dennis, Skinner offers him refuge in his own cabin. As Lord Epping drinks in Skinner's cabin, Dennis is deceived by uncle Matt's impersonation of the Englishman and takes him to meet Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin, who request that he bring Lady Epping to the party that evening. Carmelita, who is unaware that the real Eppings are on the ship, convinces a reluctant Matt to attend the party and recruits Miss Emily Pepper, an amateur playwright and actress, to play the partof Lady Epping. To continue his charade, uncle Matt as Lord Epping insists that Matt Lindsey not be invited to the gathering. Meanwhile, Carmelita, still fuming, meets Skinner and tells him about Dennis' "fake wife." Skinner proposes that she even the score by attending the Baldwin party as his fiancée. At the soiree that night, Miss Pepper, pretending to be Lady Epping, begins to read her play, but becomes perplexed when the guests start shouting and making faces at her because Matt has told them that she is deaf. When Matt loses his Lord Epping mustache in a cocktail glass, he runs out of the room, and the real Lord Epping then enters. Miss Pepper, thoroughly confused, flees the party, and Lord Epping follows, angry because his friend Matt has not been invited. Carmelita and Skinner then join the group, and Matt, having found his mustache, returns. Meanwhile, Lady Epping, who has read about the party in the ship's bulletin, enters, and Matt denies that she is his wife. To break the streak of bad luck that Mrs. Baldwin sees plaguing her party, she suggests that Carmelita and Skinner wed immediately, and Carmelita agrees after Baldwin offers her the contract as a reward. As Carmelita stalls the ceremony, Matt sets off the ship's rescue alarm, leading the passengers to believe that the ship is sinking. Chaos ensues as everyone runs to their cabins to don lifejackets, but all ends happily on deck when Carmelita presents Dennis with the Baldwin contract.
Director
Leslie Goodwins
Director
Cast
Lupe Velez
Carmelita Lindsey
Leon Errol
Uncle Matt Lindsey/Lord Basil Epping
Charles "buddy" Rogers
Dennis Lindsey
Zasu Pitts
Miss Emily Pepper
Elisabeth Risdon
Aunt Della Lindsey
Florence Bates
Mrs. Baldwin
Marion Martin
Fifi
Lydia Bilbrook
Lady Ada Epping
Eddie Dunn
George Skinner
Harry Holman
Joshua Baldwin
Marten Lamont
Purser
John Maguire
Ship's officer
Ferris Taylor
Captain Nelson
Richard Martin
Steward
Wayne Mccoy
Steward
Warren Jackson
Shipboard reporter
Julie Warren
Maid
Lou Davis
Ship's waiter
Mary Field
Elizabeth's maid
Crew
C. Bakaleinikoff
Music Director
Jerry Cady
Original Screenplay
Albert S. D'agostino
Art Director
Bill Dorfman
Assistant Director
Walter E. Keller
Art Director
Jack Mackenzie
Director of Photography
J. R. Mcdonough
Executive Producer
Cliff Reid
Producer
Charles E. Roberts
Original Screenplay
Edward Stevenson
Gowns
Theron Warth
Editing
Earl A. Wolcott
Recording
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Adventure
Release Date
Mar
13,
1942
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 13m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,557ft
Articles
Mexican Spitfire at Sea
The fourth "Mexican Spitfire" movie and the fifth go-round for Velez as "Carmelita Fuentes", fiesty singer, adventuress, and mangler of the English language. This time, Carmelita gets her long-postponed honeymoon cruise to Hawaii, only to find out hubby Dennis (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) regards their jaunt as a business trip instead. Jilted and enraged that Dennis is drumming up advertising business instead of romancing his bride, Carmelita throws him out of their cabin, setting off a chain of mistaken identities and high seas hijinks that ends with Carmelita embroiled in a phony wedding at sea. The plot is as screwball as it gets, but Velez rises to the occasion. Her energy and magnetism fairly crackle off the screen, and despite her muy caliente screen persona being the butt of many jokes, her good humor, knack for physical comedy, and striking beauty still steal the show. (It says how much RKO estimated her star talent by confidently pairing her against Caucasian leading man Rogers, an unusual move for a time when statutes against "miscegnation" were still part of the Production Code.) The first of three (!) Mexican Spitfire movies the very busy Velez made in 1942.
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
Mexican Spitfire at Sea
The fourth "Mexican Spitfire" movie and the fifth go-round for Velez as "Carmelita Fuentes", fiesty singer, adventuress, and mangler of the English language. This time, Carmelita gets her long-postponed honeymoon cruise to Hawaii, only to find out hubby Dennis (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) regards their jaunt as a business trip instead. Jilted and enraged that Dennis is drumming up advertising business instead of romancing his bride, Carmelita throws him out of their cabin, setting off a chain of mistaken identities and high seas hijinks that ends with Carmelita embroiled in a phony wedding at sea. The plot is as screwball as it gets, but Velez rises to the occasion. Her energy and magnetism fairly crackle off the screen, and despite her muy caliente screen persona being the butt of many jokes, her good humor, knack for physical comedy, and striking beauty still steal the show. (It says how much RKO estimated her star talent by confidently pairing her against Caucasian leading man Rogers, an unusual move for a time when statutes against "miscegnation" were still part of the Production Code.) The first of three (!) Mexican Spitfire movies the very busy Velez made in 1942.
By Violet LeVoit
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
A news item in Hollywood Reporter notes that the studio cast contract players Rosemary Coleman, Frances Neal, Lee Bonnell, Jane Woodworth, Marten Lamont, Walter Reed, Wayne McCoy, Richard Martin and Linda Rivas in this picture to "test them under fire." The participation of Coleman, Neal, Bonnell, Woodworth, Reed and Rivas in the final film has not been confirmed. Actress ZaSu Pitts also appeared in the previous "Mexican Spitfire" film, The Mexican Spitfire's Baby (see below). For additional information about the series, consult the Series Index and see the entry for the 1939 film Mexican Spitfire in AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.2846.
