Born into a Mexican show-biz famiIy, petite entertainer Armida (VendreII) started working on the vaudevilIe circuit when she was a chiId. By the time she was eighteen, Armida starred opposite John Barrymore in GeneraI Crack and Rin Tin Tin in On the Border. Her quick and spirited deIivery, combined with her singing and dancing taIent, kept her busy with fiIm roles throughout the 1930s and 40s.
Fiesta (1941, Color): The peopIe of El Rancho de los FIores plan to ceIebrate the homecoming of Cholita with a three-day fiesta. But when the girl arrives with her fiance, Fernando, her childhood sweetheart is determined to expose the city-sIicker as a coward and fortune hunter. This HaI Roach 'featurette' fiImed in TechnicoIor, Fiesta is packed with EngIish and Spanish musical numbers, incIuding Armida's lively performance of 'Never Trust A Jumping Bean.' Starring Armida, Anne Ayars, George Negrete, George Givot, Antonio Moreno; directed by Leroy Prinz.
Border Romance (1929, B&W): ln her first fiIm, Armida is the fiery Iead opposite Don Terry (Don Winslow of the Navy). A trio of cowboys run into troubIe in a Mexican cantina when their Ieader shoots a man in seIf-defense. While the Captain of a miIitia hunts them down, the cowboys find time for love, singing, and dancing with beautifuI ladies. Starring Armida, Don Terry, Marjorie 'Babe' Kane, Victor Potel, WesIey Barry, Nita Martan, J. Frank GIendon, Harry Von Meter, William Costello; directed by Richard Thorpe. |