The Girl from Mexico (1939)
The Girl from Mexico (1939), directed by Leslie Goodwins, starring Lupe Vélez and Donald Woods.
score
CARAMBA! CYCLONE! FIREWORKS!
Synopsis
Carmelita Fuentes is a fiery-Latin singer/dancer in Mexico City who has designs on Dennis Lindsay, an American publicity agent, for unclear reasons, while Lindsay's shiftless uncle Matthew Lindsay aids and abets her every step of the way to the marriage altar.
- Leslie GoodwinsDirector
- Joseph FieldsScreenplay
- Lionel HouserScreenplay
Mexican Spitfire Collection
The franchise in release order. 8 films.
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The Girl from Mexico 1939 · you are here
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Mexican Spitfire 1940
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Mexican Spitfire Out West 1940
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The Mexican Spitfire's Baby 1941
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Mexican Spitfire at Sea 1942
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Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost 1942
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Mexican Spitfire's Elephant 1942
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Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event 1943
About the film
The Girl from Mexico is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Lionel Houser and Joseph Fields. The film stars Lupe Vélez, who plays a hot-headed, fast-talking Mexican singer taken to New York for a radio gig, who decides she wants the ad agency man for herself.
This low-budget film's unexpected box-office success resulted in a sequel, Mexican Spitfire, and eventually a film series of eight films all together. All eight were directed by Goodwins, used venerable comedian Leon Errol as a comic foil, and showcased Vélez's comic persona, indulging in broken-English malapropisms, troublemaking ideas, sudden fits of temper, occasional songs, and bursts of Spanish invective. The film was released June 2, 1939, by RKO Radio Pictures.
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The Girl from Mexico is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Lionel Houser and Joseph Fields. The film stars Lupe Vélez, who plays a hot-headed, fast-talking Mexican singer taken to New York for a radio gig, who decides she wants the ad agency man for herself.
This low-budget film's unexpected box-office success resulted in a sequel, Mexican Spitfire, and eventually a film series of eight films all together. All eight were directed by Goodwins, used venerable comedian Leon Errol as a comic foil, and showcased Vélez's comic persona, indulging in broken-English malapropisms, troublemaking ideas, sudden fits of temper, occasional songs, and bursts of Spanish invective. The film was released June 2, 1939, by RKO Radio Pictures.
Plot
Denny Lindsay, a radio man, brings back a singer, Carmelita Fuenes, from Mexico.
Cast
Lupe Vélez as Carmelita Fuentes
Donald Woods as Dennis 'Denny' Lindsay
Leon Errol as Uncle Matthew 'Matt' Lindsay
Linda Hayes as Elizabeth Price
Donald MacBride as L. B. Renner
Edward Raquello as Tony Romano
Elisabeth Risdon as Aunt Della Lindsay
Ward Bond as Mexican Pete, the Wrestler
References
External links
The Girl from Mexico at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
The Girl from Mexico at IMDb
The Girl from Mexico at AllMovie
The Girl from Mexico at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
Text from The Girl from Mexico on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_from_Mexico
Trivia
- It premiered on June 1, 1939, a Thursday.
- It runs 1h11 — short for a feature film.
- It is film 1 of 8 in the Mexican Spitfire franchise.
- This film's quiz has 12 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosRKO Radio Pictures
- CountriesUnited States
- LanguagesEnglish
- StatusReleased
Cast
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Lupe Vélez
Carmelita Fuentes -
Donald Woods
Dennis Lindsay -
Leon Errol
Matthew Lindsay -
Donald MacBride
L. B. Renner -
Ward Bond
Mexican Pete -
Elisabeth Risdon
Della Lindsay -
Linda Hayes
Elizabeth Price -
Edward Raquello
Tony Romano - Ernie Alexander Man Throwing Confetti
- Tom Coleman Wrestling Match Spectator
- Carlos De Valdez Mexican Judge
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Byron Foulger
Delivery Entrance Guard -
Jack Gargan
Casa del Toro Patron -
Martín Garralaga
Carmelita's Relative - Tom Hanlon Bicycle Race Announcer (voice)
- Sam Harris Wrestling Match Spectator
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Harry Harvey
George Stuart - John Indrisano Wrestling Match Referee
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Kenner G. Kemp
Renner's Office Worker -
Donald Kerr
Soda Vendor
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
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O seresteiro de Acapulco
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Confidências à Meia-Noite
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StarStruck: Meu Namorado é uma Superestrela
7.0
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Adorável Pecadora
6.4
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Watching the Detectives
6.3
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Nacho Libre: Tudo pelas Crianças
6.5
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Bons Costumes
6.5
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Os Batutinhas
6.8
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Show People
7.1
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Minha Família Quer que Eu Case
6.1
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Saudades de um Pracinha
6.5
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O Bacana do Volante
5.9
Tags
Crew
- Leslie Goodwins Director
- Joseph Fields Screenplay
- Lionel Houser Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is The Girl from Mexico about?
The Girl from Mexico: Carmelita Fuentes is a fiery-Latin singer/dancer in Mexico City who has designs on Dennis Lindsay, an American publicity agent, for unclear reasons, while Lindsay's shiftless uncle Matthew Lindsay aids and abets her every step of the way to the marriage altar.
Who directed The Girl from Mexico?
The Girl from Mexico was directed by Leslie Goodwins in 1939.
Who stars in The Girl from Mexico?
The cast of The Girl from Mexico includes Lupe Vélez, Donald Woods, Leon Errol, Donald MacBride and Ward Bond.
How long is The Girl from Mexico?
The Girl from Mexico runs for 71 minutes, or 1h11.
What is the correct order of the Mexican Spitfire Collection films?
The Mexican Spitfire Collection franchise has 8 films in the catalogue. In release order: The Girl from Mexico; Mexican Spitfire; Mexican Spitfire Out West; The Mexican Spitfire's Baby; Mexican Spitfire at Sea; Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost; Mexican Spitfire's Elephant; Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event.
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Page updated on 09/14/2026.
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