Rival Mexicans

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1082, 20 September 1930, Page 25

Rival Mexicans

DOLORES IGNORES THE IMPISH BURLESQUES OF LUPE VELEZ HOLLYWOOD LOOKS ON Hollywood has always had interesting stories of rival actresses since the historic days of Gloria Swanson and Pola Negri. The fights of Swanson and Negri over the status of the studio cats, over their respective titles of Countess and Marquise, their gowns, their jewels and social successes, still are retold with as much iuterest as e,ver. Today the most interesting set of rivals are Dolores Del Rio and Lupe Velez, reports a Hollywood writer. Both have been United Artists stars, and this business of two girls of the same nationality, and somewhat the same type, working at the same studio, engendered the rivalry. NETTLED FREQUENTLY Del Rio, born and bred the lady, has been nettled frequently at the antics of the madcap Lupe. who has never missed an opportunity, public or private, to do a “takeoff” of the patrician Mexican.

With mincing steps, head held extremely high, and an exaggerated imitation of Del Rio's mannerisms, Lupe will prance into an opening not too far behind the statuesque Del Rio. Perhaps the funniest imitations of all are those that Lupe gives of the phonograph records made by Dei Rio a couple of years ago, and here Lupe has the best of her, for Del Rio’s singing voice does not compare with the melodious voice of the little Velez. POSITIVELY ALARMING To hear the friends of Del Rio heatedly state the case, Lupe is a little lowbrow, and to hear Lupe render it in fluent Mexican, Del Rio is something positively alarming. She is Yaqui, she is a bad singer, she is a bad dancer, and goodness knows, how had an actress. Incidentally all Mexican actresses say the other Mexican girls are Yaqui. All of these things disturb the aplomb of Del Rio very little, except when an occasional shaft of the little j madcap hits the spot. ROLES REVERSED The most recent triumph of Lupe concerns her playing of the same role in "Resurrection” as a talkie for Universal that Del Rio played successfully in the silent version for United Artists. The same director that directed Del Rio’s destinies for so long a time. Edwin Carewe, will direct Lupe. Until recently. Lupe had the same press agent, Harry Wilson, that made Del Rio famous. The really funny thing about the situation is that. Lupe should be getting the roles of Del Rio, for Del Rio has turned guttersnipe for the screen and played a typical Lupe role in “The Bad One,” recently. Whether it is funnier to see Lupe act like a “lady” or to see Del Rio acting like a hoyden is up to the unbiased public to decide.