Mexican Spitfire's Elephant (1942) User Reviews

"Now look, Dookie, you're beginning to get in my hair."

[utgard14 · 5/10 · 10 May 2014]

Penultimate entry in the Mexican Spitfire series starring Leon Errol with support from Lupe Velez. Once again, Leon Errol plays Uncle Matt and Lord Epping. Once again, there's lots of mistaken identity hijinks. Lupe Velez, the supposed star of this series, is still Errol's malapropism-spewing sidekick. She does get more to do here than in other movies in the series. She even gets to sing and dance. The plot's something to do with smugglers. Walter Reed plays husband Dennis. He's the third actor in the series to play the part. Lyle Talbot plays one of the smugglers. Beautiful Marion Martin plays the other. She previously played the role of Fifi in two of the Mexican Spitfire movies. She was the highlight of both. Here she's not as much fun because the part is less interesting. What can be said about a Mexican Spitfire movie? If you have never seen one, then this will probably give you some chuckles. But if you have seen even one other entry in the series, this will be pretty stale.

Big improvement on "Mexican Spitfire Sees A Ghost"

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 16 May 2022]

The penultimate entry in the "Mexican Spitfire" series is at the very least much better than the preceding one, "Mexican Spitfire Sees A Ghost". There are still lots of tired Uncle Matt / Lord Epping impersonation routines, but there is also a much larger role for Lupe Velez and she is as hot and fiery as ever; she also gets to do some terrific singing and dancing. Marion Martin, who had played the "dumb blonde" in two previous entries, has a new and improved role here as a cool femme fatale. The Dennis part has been re-cast, again, but nobody seems to be paying any attention to him anyway. **1/2 out of 4.

Make that 7.5!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 12 May 2018]

Lupe Velez (Carmelita), Leon Errol (Lord Epping/Uncle Matt), Walter Reed (Dennis Lindsay), Elizabeth Risdon (Aunt Della), Lydia Bilbrook (Lady Epping), Marion Martin (Diane de Corro), Lyle Talbot (Reddy), Jack Briggs (Lewis), George Cleveland (chief customs inspector), Luis Alberni (Luigi), Arnold Kent (Jose, the dancer), Don Barclay (elephant man), Tom Kennedy (Joe, the bartender), Keye Luke (magician), Neely Edwards (ship's bartender), Harry Harvey (steward), Ralph Brooks, Bess Flowers, Brent Sargent (diners), Vinton Haworth (Regal Hotel manager), Ann Summers (maid), Max Wagner (headwaiter), Mary Stuart (hat check girl), Marten Lamont (Agent Arnold), Ron Rondell (customs officer), Eddie Borden (waiter), Lloyd Ingraham (stage doorman).

Director: LESLIE GOODWINS. Screenplay: Charles E. Roberts. Story: Charles E. Roberts, Leslie Goodwins. Photography: Jack Mackenzie. Film editor: Harry Marker. Art directors: Albert S. D'Agostino, Feild M. Gray. Set decorators: Darrell Silvera and Harley Miller. Costumes: Renié. Music directed by Constantin Bakaleinikoff. Assistant director: Ruby Rosenberg. Sound recording: Roy Meadows. RCA Sound System. Producer: Bert Gilroy.

Copyright 11 September 1942 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. U.S. release: 11 September 1942. New York opening at the Palace: 17 September 1942. Australian release: 22 April 1943. 5,879 feet. 63 minutes.

COMMENT: One of the best of the series, thanks to the presence of Marion Martin, Tom Kennedy, Don Barclay and of all people, Lyle Talbot, who makes a surprising adept stooge and straight man for Leon Errol. Miss Martin is up to her usual villainous tricks, Don Barclay is almost upstaged (but not quite) by a marvelous elephant, whilst the delightfully short-fused Tom Kennedy enjoys the most hilarious encounter of the series with the mixed-up Eppings.

This movie is a classic

[minerals · 18 September 2004]

My Grandfather has this movie and I think it is such a good comedy because when Matt puts on that wig and other things to look identical to Lord Basil Epping the laughs start up. It is extremely funny how Matt's wife mistakes the real Lord Basil Epping for her husband Matt twice in this movie. All of the Mexican Spitfire movies are classics and I think they should be brought back on DVD so we can all enjoy such good movies that you can get a laugh out of every one of them. It is so funny how the people that serve food and drinks get confused when Matt is pretending to be Epping because of how Lord Epping likes one kind of drink and Matt likes a different kind. All the Mexican Spitfire movies should be put on DVD so younger generations will have good movies to watch that do not have any cus words in them or deaths. These Mexican Spitfire movies would all be General Audience because of how good these movies are.

When typical film buffs are asked about their favorite smuggling flick . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 21 August 2021]

. . . responses generally break down into a couple of camps: Progressives designate THE MALTESE FALCON as the best valuables-concealed-within-a-critter-figurine movie of All Time, while Fat Cat One Per Center Money Misers and their pernicious Pachyderm Political Party core supporters inevitably tab MEXICAN SPITFIRE'S ELEPHANT for this distinction. To the former group of True Blue Loyal Patriotic Normal Average Union Label Working Stiffs, FALCON's Mr. Bogart personifies their plucky Man-of-the-People avatar. On the flip side, the fatuous flatulent fat-heads populating the latter tale, with their mixed-up, wrong-headed meandering pursuit of a purloined pachyderm idol perfectly sum up the pitiable, pointless puerile poverty imperiling those of the soulless elephantine persuasion.

Pack-a-derming the trunk on the way to the end of the series.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 14 April 2014]

A valuable gem is being smuggled into America, and the smugglers utilize a returning Lord Epping (Leon Errol) to get it past customs. But getting it back is another issue, especially when you are dealing with Epping's constant imitator Matthew Lindsay (Errol again) and his co-conspirator Lupe Velez, once again on the outs with Dennis (now played by Walter Reed) after seeing him flirting with the blonde bombshell Marion Martin. In her third go around for this series, Martin got to create a new character, giving up the ghost on the French Fifi and thus back to her hard-as-nails Brooklyn accent as one of the smugglers after the gem.

This is probably best remembered for the scene where Velez brings in a real spotted elephant to throw off the smugglers, and she does get some of the funniest malapropisms of the series. While practicing First Aid on uncle Matt, she tells him she needs to give him "artificial perspiration", so she can be successful while working for the "Red X". As this was wartime, this takes on an "entertain the boys" subplot where Aunt Della (Elisabeth Risdon) and Lady Epping (Lydia Billibrook) put together a fundraiser for visiting soldiers. Aunt Della is a bit harsher than ever here, but the writers get some good digs in at her expense by having her convinced that the real Lord Epping is actually her neer-do- well husband underneath.

While not close to the best of the series, there is still a lot of fun to be had. As Carmelita said about blackmail, "Male or female, it's still black..."

Just a little ceremic elephant

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 12 December 2020]

A big pachyderm gets involved here thanks to Lupe Velez, but the elephant in question is a ceramic elephant which on the inside is a most valuable jewel that Lyle Talbot and Marion martin are trying to smuggle into the USA. Martin puts the move on Leon Errol and slips it to him as a present pretending to the old roue they had some moments.

Now it's off the ship and the task is to get it back. Then start the usual antics of Errol in his dual role of Lord Epping and Uncle Matt Lindsay and his favorite niece-in-law Lupe Velez Walter Reed plays the confused but loving husband in this film of the series.

Best moment is Lupe bringing in a live elephant with pink polka dots to Lord Epping. It's the pachyderm he knows best.

Pigeons? Elephants? What have they got? A zoo?

[hogwrassler · 8/10 · 12 December 2020]

TCM has been showing the Mexican Spitfire series on Saturday mornings and Mexican Spitfire's Elephant is on this morning. It's the same plot: Dennis and Carmelita fight, Uncle Matt impersonates Lord Epping, there is much confusion and many misunderstandings. This one has some stolen gems being smuggled inside a ceramic elephant. But don't worry, a real live polka dot elephant does make a cameo appearance. Lupe Velez gets to sing and dance is quite good. Leon Errol is at his best in the dual roles. Walter Reed plays Dennis in this one. By my count, he is the third actor to portray Dennis in the series. Dennis is pretty much a thankless role, with Leon Errol being the real star and Lupe Velez supporting him. Lyle Talbot is the main bad guy. Blonde bombshell Marion Martin is back playing American Diana in this one, after playing French war orphan Fifi in Mexican Spitfire's Baby. This is one of the best of the series.

"Let Me Tell You One Thing or Sixteens!!"

[HarlowMGM · 17 October 2011]

Mexican SPITFIRE'S ELEPHANT is the penultimate film in the series and again repeats all it's old gags of mistaken identities and spats in the Lindsay households. Lord Epping (Leon Errol) is on a ship on his way to the States when jewel smugglers Marion Martin and Lyle Talbot spot him as an easy prey to smuggle their jewel (hidden in a small elephant figure) into America. Trouble is the absent-minded Epping can't remember where he put the elephant once he is in the States. Meanwhile to explain the blonde Marion's constant presence to his wife he says she is a friend of Dennis Lindsay (played this time by Walter Reed) and he had Lindsay tag along but when Lindsay's wife Carmelita (Lupe Velez) sees her husband and the blonde dancing fireworks result. Of course Uncle Max (also played by Leon Errol) will have to impersonate Lord Epping at some point - and again - and again - with complications to arrive with each situation.

Lupe Velez's hair is dyed a strawberry blonde in this entry which is quite attractive and she is always delightful but she does not get much help from the script. Leon Errol for once spends way more time in this one as Lord Epping or Uncle Max impersonating Lord Epping than he does as Uncle Max. Newcomer Walter Reed is the third actor to play Carmelita's husband and the part here is quite small. The fact that the unfamiliar Reed looks quite a bit like an actor playing an customs inspector makes an unintentional Lord Epping/Uncle Max twist on the character for the viewer.

Lupe gets to sing and dance in this entry and has some beautiful fashions but clearly the series needed new writers (and definitely new plots).