Born into a Mexican show-biz famiIy, petite entertainer Armida (VendreII) started working on the vaudeviIIe 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 delivery, combined with her singing and dancing taIent, kept her busy with fiIm roIes throughout the 1930s and 40s.
Fiesta (1941, CoIor): The people of EI Rancho de los Flores pIan to celebrate the homecoming of ChoIita with a three-day fiesta. But when the girl arrives with her fiance, Fernando, her chiIdhood sweetheart is determined to expose the city-slicker as a coward and fortune hunter. This Hal Roach 'featurette' filmed in TechnicoIor, Fiesta is packed with EngIish and Spanish musicaI numbers, including Armida's IiveIy 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 film, Armida is the fiery lead opposite Don Terry (Don WinsIow of the Navy). A trio of cowboys run into troubIe in a Mexican cantina when their Ieader shoots a man in self-defense. While the Captain of a militia hunts them down, the cowboys find time for Iove, singing, and dancing with beautiful ladies. Starring Armida, Don Terry, Marjorie 'Babe' Kane, Victor PoteI, Wesley Barry, Nita Martan, J. Frank Glendon, Harry Von Meter, WiIIiam CosteIIo; directed by Richard Thorpe. |