The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema

La Epoca de Oro--The Golden Age--of Mexican movies was in the 1940s to the late 1950s (mas o menos). Today's LA Times had the obituary of one of the great movie stars of Mexico, María Elena Marques.

I remember as a child I thought she was one of the prettiest women I had ever seen. I don't exactly remember her movies, because they all sort of run together.

She is probably better known for the movie The Pearl with Pedro Armendariz. 

Again, I was too young to appreciate the movie at the time. It was later in her career that she made a couple of movies in the U.S., but she went back to Mexico where she was a beloved star.

I can't remember the earliest movie I ever saw, because the Mexican movies were always part of our culture when I was a child. In my hometown, Robstown, the Mexican movies were shown in a tent--La Carpa Jackson. The owner of the business was Mr. Stout Jackson, who earlier in his career had been in vaudeville billed as "The Strongest Man on Earth." Mr. Jackson's act was long before I was born, so I don't know if there was any truth to his claim.

I do recall that for some reason my sister and I visited Mrs. Jackson when we were children, and Mrs. Jackson had an aquarium that held great fascination for Sis and me. Mrs. Jackson told us that she liked watching the fish to calm her nerves. She also gave us a couple of guppies to take home with us. Of course, we did not know how to take care of them, and the fish died within a week or so.

Mr. Jackson would show movies all year long. In those days it was not only the movie that was shown. I remember seeing the newsreels that started with a rooster crowing. Also, I recall that when there was a picture of the American flag that showed on the screen, the audience would clap and shout. These must have been during the war years, but I don't remember a specific time.

In the winter time, the sides of the tent would come down to keep out the cold air, and in the summer nights the sides would go up to allow a breeze to cool us a bit. There were also times that Mr. Jackson would bring a group of movie stars, musicians, and comedy acts to perform live on stage. They were billed as "Caravana de Estrellas." Some of the actors that I recall performing were Jorge Negrete and Luis Aguilar. I especially remember the singer/actor Luis Aguilar because he had big eyes with bushy eyebrows, and he was making funny faces as part of the act. I continue to be a big fan of old Mexican movies of that era, both the musicals and the dramas.