In 1943 Lupe Velez considered returning to her native Mexico for a farcical Spanish-language version of Romeo and Juliet, playing against legendary comic actor Cantinflas, "The Chaplin of Mexico", before dropping out of the project and returning to Hollywood. Here, Velez's final turn as Carmelita in the Mexican Spitfire series is all about motherhood confusions: when Carmelita's pet ocelot delivers a litter of cubs, she's so thrilled she sends a telegram to husband Dennis (Walter Reed) announcing "his little kitten has become a mama". Of course confusion ensues, including a borrowed baby, a botched contract, a lasso-happy sheriff, and someone inevitably getting dunked in a well. All ends well for Carmelita and company, but regardless of her extraordinary on-screen vitality, this movie -- and the dark irony of its baby-centric story line -- is a hard one for Velez fans to enjoy. Shamed by a pregnancy out of wedlock, the moody (and possibly bipolar) Velez committed suicide in 1944.

By Violet LeVoit