Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost (1942) User Reviews

Spirits in the house

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 28 November 2020]

In this Mexican Spitfire movie we have Buddy Rogers taking the place of Donald Woods as the husband of Lupe Velez. Repeating are Leon Errol as he indulgent uncle and Elizabeth Risdon as the exasperated harriden aunt.

Other than a change in setting all the Mexican Spitfire films are alike. Lupe with her malaprops helping Errol pull off playing Uncle Matt, Uncle Matt disguised as Lord Epping and Lord Epping the rich but daft titled Englishman. They do move at a furious pace.

The action here takes place at Lord Epping's American estate all closed and boarded up and unoccupied they think. Some crooks are using it as a hideout Rogers is trying to get businessman Donald MacBride's account. Errol frantically with Lupe's help makes several changes from Epping to Matt and back.

The new element here is MacBride possessor off one of the two best slow burn comedy routines around, the other belonging to Edgar Kennedy. He's the funniest one in this comedy.

Otherwise it's Mexican Spitfire business as usual.

Deceptive title, but fun entry in enjoyable series.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 25 March 2013]

Uncle Matt (Leon Errol) once again dones Lord Epping disguise to get business associate Donald MacBride to sign a business deal for his nephew (Charles 'Buddy' Rogers). Faster than Carmelita (Lupe Velez) can say "okey dokey" or "honky donkey", Lord Epping returns, Aunt Della (Elisabeth Risdon) complains and schemes, and Carmelita unleashes a whole new slew of malapropisms as only a "Mexican Spitfire" can. It's all formula, but fun formula, and the more I watch this series, the more it reminds me of an episode of TV's "Bewitched" with Errol and Velez always saving the day when it comes to her husband's business dealings.

The alleged ghost never appears, although there's light chat about it, and a balloon floating through the supposedly haunted mansion at night with a spooky face on it does scare Aunt Della into clinging onto Lord Epping for life, having earlier discovered Matt was impersonating him. This leads to some hysterical innuendo for the prim and proper matron with MacBride's slow burn getting faster every time he catches Risdon in the arms of either Errol as Epping or him as her nagged husband. The lack of slapstick though diminishes the amount of laughs which are still there, just not as riotous.

Don't be alarmed. No ghost to speak of!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 12 May 2018]

Lupe Velez (Carmelita), Leon Errol (Lord Epping/Uncle Matt), Charles "Buddy" Rogers (Dennis Lindsay), Elizabeth Risdon (Aunt Della), Donald MacBride (Percy), Minna Gombell (Edith), Don Barclay (Fingers O'Toole), John Maguire (Luders), Lilian Randolph (Hyacinth), Marten Lamont (Harcourt), Harry Tyler (Bascombe), Mantan Moreland (Lightning), Richard Martin (chauffeur), Julie Warren, Jane Woodworth (secretaries), Linda Rivas, Sally Wadsworth (bits).

Director: LESLIE GOODWINS. Screenplay: Charles E. Roberts, Monte Brice. Photography: Russell Metty. Film editor: Theron Warth. Art directors: Albert S. D'Agostino, Carroll Clark. Set decorators: Darrell Silvera. Costumes: Renié. Music directed by Constantin Bakaleinikoff. Assistant director: William Dorfman. Sound recording: John E. Tribby. RCA Sound System. Producer: Cliff Reid. Copyright 28 May 1942 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. U.S. release: 26 June 1942. New York opening at the Palace: 30 July 1942. Australian release: 26 November 1942. 6,445 feet. 70 minutes.

COMMENT: Just about every series ever made has a haunted house entry. Mexican Spitfire is no exception. But, alas, instead of the surefire success we anticipated, this entry proves to be one of the weakest, despite a determined effort by Donald MacBride to jazz up his weak material with frantic mugging.

The title is a misnomer for a starter. Not only does our Mexican Spitfire NOT see a ghost, there simply aren't any ghosts in the picture, period. True, Don Barclay does don some armor and goes clanking around pretending to be a ghost in one (count it, one sequence) but otherwise the ghosts take a back number to the usual Leon Errol impersonations. In fact, Leon actually does four roles in this one. In addition to his Uncle Matt and Lord Epping, and Uncle Matt disguising himself as Epping, he also does a butler named Hubble!

Judged on its own account, however, this effort rates as at least moderate entertainment, thanks largely to the efforts of a first-rate support cast, led by the inimitable Donald MacBride, and including such friendly faces as Mantan Moreland and Harry Tyler. The only fly in the ensemble is the sullenly wooden "Buddy" Rogers who makes Donald Woods seem a positive hive of exuberance and high spirits.

If you like Donald MacBride.....

[jaykay-10 · 2 June 2004]

.....this one should not be missed. Usually limited to a few minutes of screen time as a mercurial, frustrated figure of supposed authority (cop, manager of some sort) with a very short fuse, MacBride logs many minutes here in a juicy supporting role, allowed to exhibit a seemingly full range of mugging, double-takes, arm-waving and growling. Perhaps insufferable to some, but if you care for his shtick, it is presented to great advantage here. Like Leon Errol's Lord Epping, if you are a fan you can't get too much of a good thing.

Lupe Velez is very much in the background in this entry, and Mantan Moreland, with notable comic skills, has little to do. The gangsters hiding in the basement are an awkward insertion, unrelated to the story line - such as it is. MacBride steals the show, in perhaps his greatest performance.

Awful!

[Norm-30 · 1/10 · 27 December 1999]

I'm a big fan of the "Mexican Spitfire" series, and thought that this entry would be a good "haunted house comedy". It isn't. Both Lupe Valez and Mantan Moreland are completely wasted in this film.

The only thing that saves it (and not by much!) is Leon Errol's "Lord Epping" routine, but even THAT is much better in the other "Spitfire" films. Don't waste your time with this one.

Saw a ghost, not to mention the weak script

[Mike-764 · 4/10 · 6 December 2007]

Lord Epping has to impress the Fitzbadden's at his country estate even though he has a hunting trip scheduled. Not a problem he thinks as he gets Dennis to host the brother & sister with his Aunt Della leaving Carmelita and Uncle Matt behind. Since Edith Fitzbadden plans to give an account to Dennis & Lord Epping, she is insulted when the latter is not their to greet them and threatens to leave. Matt (who with Carmelita have been hired as servants at the house) is talked into impersonating Lord Epping to keep the Fitzbaddens happy, but confusion reigns when Lord Epping actually arrives and drives the Fitzbaddens nuts, especially Percy, also coupled with the fact that a group of smugglers is using the house as a hideout until the police quit searching for them and they are also making things disappear. Probably the weakest of the 8 Spitfire films not because this is the umpteenth time they are using the same formula, but the fact that this could have been a fun haunted house comedy, but that element is almost non existent in the film. MacBride probably steals the show as Percy Fitzbadden going nuts at the drop of a hat and in hysterics trying to comprehend the confusion caused by Errol's dual role. Watch it only if you have to watch the entire series. Rating, 4.

I Had No Idea Leon Errol Was Mexican

[utgard14 · 4/10 · 4 May 2014]

It's time for another Mexican Spitfire movie starring Leon Errol. At least this entry in the series does away with any pretensions and starts the movie off with Errol's Lord Epping followed by Errol's Uncle Matt. It's ten minutes into the movie before Lupe Velez's Carmelita shows up. The plot here has Lord Epping asking Dennis (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) to entertain some friends at Epping's country estate while Epping himself goes off hunting. When the friends get there, they're not happy that Epping is a no-show. So, shocker of shockers, Uncle Matt has to pose as Lord Epping while Carmelita is asked to pose as a maid. Then, of course, the real Lord Epping shows up. Oh and there are gangsters in the basement who try to scare everybody out of the house by pretending to be ghosts. Good grief.

Lots of predictable gags, a few of which manage to be amusing. Velez is her usual obnoxious self, not that it matters since she's a supporting player in a movie that she's supposed to be the star of. Welcome to the Mexican Spitfire series. Bug-eyed comic relief Mantan Moreland is also in this. The biggest surprise in the movie is that, despite the ghost angle, Moreland never does his "afraid of spooks" routine. Thank heaven for small favors. Even Donald MacBride can't save this. He plays a nervous wreck who shouts through most of the movie and it's highly annoying. It's a shame since I usually like him.

This series is riddled with flaws and this movie highlights most of them. Every movie has basically the same plot of Uncle Matt posing as Lord Epping then the real Epping showing up. It stopped being funny after the second movie. I'm not a big fan of Lupe Velez but others are and I'm sure they are disappointed to watch a movie for her just to see her play a supporting part. It's a stale series by this point and the addition of other comic actors doesn't seem to help any, particularly since the focus at all times remains on Errol.

Ridiculous

[gary_sites · 3/10 · 1 December 2020]

Worth a few laughs, but very few. What a stupid title. Waste of time.

No ghosts - or laughs

[gridoon2024 · 3/10 · 13 May 2022]

Extremely poor entry in the "Mexican Spitfire" series. No story, just people yelling at each other and behaving like morons. Carmelita has become almost totally irrelevant, Donald MacBride is obnoxiously loud, and Mantan Moreland is wasted. Also there are no ghosts. * out of 4.