Leading Ladies Lupe Velez
The Mexican Spitfire Films/ Carmalita Lindsay
Honolulu Lu/ Consuelo Cordoba
Palooka/ Nina Madero
Stardust/ Carla de Huelva
Per Quinlan's Film Stars:
Tiny, curvaceous, dark haired, tempestuous Mexican actress who loved to live life to the full and seemingly had enough energy for a dozen of her kind. As volatile in life as on screen where she is best remembered from the Mexican Spitfire comedies.
She was born Maria Guadalupe Velez de Villalobos at San Luis Potosi in 1908.
Sent to Texas at the age of twelve to live in a convent, she was not a good student and returned to Mexico to help her family financially. After working as a sales girl and using a little for herself in taking dance lessons, she though that it was time for a show business career.
Ms. Velez started a stage career in 1924 and in 1927 she left Mexico for Hollywood where she appeared in two short films.. After this she was then cast in Douglas Fairbanks' feature film The Gaucho.
Some of the film roles of Lupe Velez were:
The Gaucho (1927) as The Mountain Girl
Stand And Deliver (1928) as Jania - A Peasant Girl
Lady Of The Pavements ((1929) as Nanon del Rayon
The Wolf Song (1929) as Lois Salazar
Where East Is East (1929) as Toyo Haynes
Tiger Rose (1929) as Rose
Hell Harbor (1930) as Anita Morgan
East Is West (1930) as Ming Toy
Resurrection (1931) as Katusha Maslova
The Squaw Man (1931) as Naturich
The Cuban Love Song (1931) as Nenita
Hombres de mi vita (1932) as Julia Clark
The Broken Wing (1932) as Lolita
Kongo (1932) as Lois
The Half Naked Truth (1932) as Teresita
Hot Pepper (1933) as Pepper
Mr. Broadway (1933) as Lupe Velez
Palooka (1934) as Nina Madero
Laughing Boy (1934) as Slim Girl
Strictly Dynamite (1934) as Vera
Hollywood Party (1934) as The Jaguar Woman/ Jane
The Morals Of Marcus (1935) as Carlotta
Gypsy Melody (1936) as Mila
High Flyers (1937) as Juanita The Maid
Stardust (1938) as Carla de Huelva
The Girl From Mexico (1939) as Carmelita Fuentes
Mexican Spitfire (1940) as Carmelita Lindsay
Mexican Spitfire Out West (1940) as Carmelita Lindsay
Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga (1941) as Madame La Zonga
The Mexican Spitfire's Baby (1941) as Carmelita Lindsay
Honolulu Lu (1941) as Consuela Cordoba
Playmates (1941) as Carmen del Toro
Mexican Spitfire At Sea (1942) as Carmelita Lindsay
Mexican Spitfire Sees A Ghost (1942) as Carmelita Lindsay
Mexican Spitfire's Elephant (1942) as Carmelita Lindsay
Ladies Day (1942) as Pepita Zorita
Redhead From Manhattan (1943) as Rita Manners/ Elaine Manners
Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event (1943) as Carmelita Lindsay
Nana (1944) as Nana
Ms. Velez had several romances that did not work out. She was married to Johnny Weismuller from 1933 to 1939 but the marriage was full of battles and ended in divorce.
Ms. Velez wanted so much to be remembered since she was not doing so with her film career. However drugs and alcohol took it's toll.
Lupe Velez committed suicide in December, 1944. She had had her hair done, was made up, wore a pretty silk nightgown and was propped up on her bed in the right position for her death.
However there have many versions of her death.
At that time she was pregnant by the young actor Maresch.
A tragic life.
I have seen only one of her Mexican Spitfire films but I do want to check into more of them as well as some of her other features.
Louie The Movie Buff