Lupe Velez: When Shame, Abortion and Suicide Collide
by Robert J. Avrech
Lupe Velez, The Mexican Spitfire.
The lives of Hollywood stars are frequently tragic and messy tales of absent fathers, cruelly ambitious mothers, and madly dysfunctional families.
Mexican-American actress, Lupe Velez (July 18, 1908 – December 13, 1944) “The Mexican Spitfire” was a beautiful, passionate, emotionally unstable woman best known for a series of 1930’s B movies in which she plays a delightfully scatter-brained character who speaks broken English mixed with streams of rapid fire Spanish.
Her first feature-length film was in the Douglas Fairbanks blockbuster, The Gaucho (1927), where she plays a high spirited Spanish dancing girl. Velez performed in a further eighteen films before settling into comedy—she had a Carol Lombard vibe, a flair for screwball situations, but her accent limited her appeal—most notably in the seven “Mexican Spitfire” series of films (1939-1943).
Lupe Velez and Douglas Fairbanks in The Gaucho, 1927.
In private life, Velez carried on a number of highly publicized Hollywood romances. Gary Cooper had an affair with the dark beauty as did the great director—and ladies man—Victor Fleming.
In a 1929 interview with Motion Picture World, Velez said:
“And Victor Fleming! I like him because he is a devil with womens… But I am more than a devil than he is. That is why I never fall in love with him.”
In another interview, Velez said of herself:
“I have flirt with the whole film colony. Why not? I am not serious. What harm is a little flirting? No I do not kiss many mens. But when I kiss them, they stay kissed!”
Lupe’s casual demeanor was a carefully constructed image serving to conceal a troubled and vulnerable personality—possibly bi-polar—a young woman almost continually in the grip of a turbulent and painful love life.
In 1933 she married Olympic athlete turned Hollywood Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller. They fought loudly and drunkenly, frequently in nightclubs and restaurants, hurling insults, drinks and punches at each other. The marriage lasted five years. They divorced in 1938.
Velez’s father, an army officer, was so humiliated by his daughter’s chosen profession that he refused to let her use his last name, Vallalobos. Velez was her mother’s maiden name.
Lupe Velez and Gary Cooper in Wolf Song, 1929.
Esther Ralston, (here’s my three part series about Ralston) a Hollywood star for a few brief years during the silent era, at one point earning as much as $8,000 a week, gives a remarkable insight into Velez’s difficult life in Raltson’s obscure but invaluable autobiography, Some Day We’ll Laugh.
Not too many months later, Gary [Cooper] had transferred his affections [from Clara Bow] to the Mexican bombshell, Lupe Velez. Lupe came to my brand new star dressing room one day to tell me about it. Then she launched into an impassioned recital of the troubles she was having with her mother.
“No matter what I do for her,” she wailed, “I cannot satisfy her.”
“I can’t see what your mother can find to complain about, Lupe,” I tried to comfort her. “You’ve given her a house, a mink coat, clothes, diamond bracelets, everything. What in Heaven’s name is she fussing about?”
“My mother, she say to me,” Lupe explained, “For nine months I carry you in my body. You owe me RENT!”
Velez, in the mid 1940’s, had an affair with a young actor named Harald Maresch, and became pregnant. Unwilling to marry her, Maresch demanded that Velez get an abortion, (Hollywood abortions will be the subject for a future and tragic post here at BH) but Lupe was a faithful Catholic and flatly refused.
The actress, with a weakness for liquor and drugs, spiraled into a clinical depression. Increasingly isolated, the fragile young woman felt unable to bear the shame of giving birth to an illegitimate child.
Velez sat down and composed a note:
To Harald, may God forgive you and forgive me too but I prefer to take my life away and our baby’s before I bring him with shame or killing him. Lupe
Lupe Velez took an overdose of Seconal and died in her bed—not with her head in the toilet as the ugly myth contends—on December 13, 1944.
She was 36 years old.
Here’s an absolutely heartbreaking clip from The Mexican Spitfire’s Blessed Event, 1943.
Copyright © Robert J. Avrech
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86 Comments
"The lives of Hollywood stars are frequently tragic and messy tales of absent fathers, cruelly ambitious mothers, and madly dysfunctional families."
And it's easy to understand why society gives this segment of the population such a big voice in shaping America.
Not.
Another superb column on the history and personalities of early Hollywood from my favorite Big Hollywood columnist. Thanks! A great way to start the day.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Big Hollywood, Michael Chavez, DNC DUDES, Big Tweeting, Mr. Pink and others. Mr. Pink said: Lupe Velez: When Shame, Abortion and Suicide Collide http://tinyurl.com/ygp9kqy [...]
Saw the name on the post & immediately recalled the story of the toilet/death as told on a classic "Frasier" episode from the first season, IIRC. Thanks for the info.
Wondering again: Does Hollywood attract damaged people or does it cause damaged people?
as much as things change it's amazing how they stay the same…
The only difference is today there is no conscience. Ms Velez came from a lineage of strict Roman Catholicism
which caused much of the conflict a young beauty would have in the Babylon of the US, Hollywood. Indeed, even Errol Flynn found her a tragic figure- and he should know one when he sees one- and the wonder of childbirth becomes a tragedy worthy of suicide.
So, just what have we learned- how have we grown- as a society?
Apparently not much…
These people with all of the money and success still can't fix their own lives, but of course they know precisely how to fix the "FILL IN THE BLANK"
Court jestors need to be put back into the category where they belong, mindless but sometimes amusing diversions.
Probably both, but more of the latter.
With few exceptions Hollywood elitists are nothing more than worthless, self-important, anti-American egotists. They spew their venom to the world while praising themselves and giving each other endless awards so they won't feel guilty for participating in their deviant lifestyles. They preach "tolerance" but they are not satisfied with tolerance, THEY WANT FULL ACCEPTANCE OF THEIR SICK LIFESTYLES AND MENTAL ILLNESSES. In reality, they act the part of heroes while they surrounding themselves with adoring, WEAK MINDED WORSHIPERS WHO WILL NEVER TELL THEM THE TRUTH.
Why is Obama Surrounding Himself With Gays?
http://usataxpayer.org/view.asp?Get=obamagay
Corruption in Congress…
http://usataxpayer.org/view.asp?Get=corruptcongre...
With few exceptions Hollywood elitists are nothing more than worthless, self-important, anti-American egotists. They spew their venom to the world while praising themselves and giving each other endless awards so they won't feel guilty for participating in their deviant lifestyles. They preach "tolerance" but they are not satisfied with tolerance, THEY WANT FULL ACCEPTANCE OF THEIR SICK LIFESTYLES AND MENTAL ILLNESSES. In reality, they act the part of heroes while they surrounding themselves with adoring, WEAK MINDED WORSHIPERS WHO WILL NEVER TELL THEM THE TRUTH.
Why is Obama Surrounding Himself With Gays?
http://usataxpayer.org/view.asp?Get=obamagay
Corruption in Congress…
http://usataxpayer.org/view.asp?Get=corruptcongre...
"“My mother, she say to me,” Lupe explained, “For nine months I carry you in my body. You owe me RENT!”
Man she puts Jewish guilt and Catholic guilt to shame!
I find it ironic that in her clinically depressed mind, she chose suicide which is against the Catholic faith also. She must have felt so very alone to come to that decision.
Lupe Velez gave one of the GREAT silent film performances in "THE GAUCHO", which is also one of Douglas Fairbanks' best adventure films.(The plot hinges on man's faith in God) A truly entertaining film and Lupe's best.
How could her father forbid her from using his name? And…if you're a pregnant Catholic, isn't it a far greater sin to commit suicide (presumably murdering your unborn child as well) than to have an illegitimate child? This lady had a lot of issues she'd probably have carried whether she was in the entertainment business or not.
You nailed it again!
You nailed it again!
Certainly at the time she was living, that would have been the view. Current theology is slightly softer, viewing the suicide as an indication of mental illness which could impair the volition. Ultimately, the determination cannot be made in this world.
Look at the Diff'rent Strokes kids.
That thought makes me so feel so sad for her. Damn, to feel that there's nothing left but suicide.
Lupe Valdez died at a young age because she lived a frivolous and sinful life. Many times during daily prayers I think about the poor soulless people that are condemned to Satan's authority for eternity and can't help but think that it is clear what we must do in this life to fulfill God's promise.
The picture in the Gaucho is so suggestive, Big Hollywood should be ashamed that it is exploiting sin and lust on what should be a conservative blog cleansed of temptation and all vices.
You're obviously not speaking from the biblical Christian view because no one will spend eternity under Satan's authority.
Satan is soon to be tormented in the Lake of Fire for eternity without any authority.
IMO it attracts the weak and then damages them as much as possible…
Glad to see this story on Lupe. Sad that the left could not ever comprehend the real story of her death and started ugly rumors. (i.e. kenneth anger hollywood babylon) Hollyweird always lives by it 's "sensationalism sells" . No one realizes how ugly the industry was back then as well as now.
Nothing a MOBY to pontificate on holiness.
They get used till they're of no more use, then left out with the trash. I know many young friends with intentions of going out there to chase their dream. I encourage them to do so while they are young, but also remind them that it is not a playground they are going to and this fantasy land has sharks in the pool. They go in with open eyes.
Oh, and many thanks to Mr. Avrech. It's a sober read about a forgotten seductive beauty and two lives destroyed, and an important caution against the glitz of Hollywood, – the "Vanity Fair" of our times.
Dave:
Back in the early days of Hollywood stars were pretty careful about expressing partisan political opinions in public. They did not wish to alienate half their audience. This was especially true during WWI, and WWII when stars sold war bonds and loudly proclaimed their patriotism.
Obviously, we are now in a post Vietnam, post modern period where anti-American sentiments among too many Hollywood elite are all the rage. What makes this state of affairs even worse is when some Hollywood stars vocally express support for totalitarian tyrants like Castro and Hugo Chavez.
It's even more shameful when these stars are Jewish for every third world tyrant—without exception—also encourages the most vile Jew-hatred. The Jews of Venezuela are, at this very moment, living in fear of a state sponsored oppression. And the Jews of Cuba fled long ago, those who are left are few in numbers and even more destitute than the general population.
Jeff:
Thanks so much for the kind words.
The Errol Flynn book is sitting on my desk. Darn, but I am way behind on my reading. Now I'll put it on top of the Everest-like pile.
Never saw that Frazier. Tragic how certain ugly myths persist.
To me this is a chicken or egg question. No easy answers.
One thing I've learned through a life time of studying Torah and, uh, Hollywood history is that human nature is the same from generation to generation.
Most polls indicate that the American public doesn't really take Hollywood star politics too seriously. In fact, I have seen some polls that indicate that star power can be a negative. For instance, if you are a politicial do you really want Oliver Stone or Sean Penn in your corner?
I think not.
Oh, get over yourself.
Flynn was probably the most fascinating person to ever come out of Hollywood. His life off-screen was far more engrossing than any film he ever made (and he made some greats!). He was also the most gorgeous person to come out of Hollywood, man or woman.
I don't think it's a left/right thing–it's a myth, like Catherine the Great and the horse, Mama Cass choking on a ham sandwich, Bessie Smith being denied care by a white hospital, etc., that live on despite never being true.
I am Jewish thus no expert on Catholic theology, but many of my best friends are Catholic and in our conversations I am always struck at how comfortable we are with one another in terms of basic Judeo Christian values. Suicide is also against Jewish law. But the Jewish sages recognized the effects of mental illness mixed with despair. Apparent suicides are often classified as accidents, especially if there are no witnesses.
Thanks so much for pointing out how excellent is The Gaucho. And Lupe's performance is, indeed, brilliant. I should have made that point in my article. My bad.
Lupe respected her father and thus complied with his wish. She was, in short, honoring the fifth commandment to honor your father and mother.
Siren:
What are we going to do about the poison that Kenneth Anger has spread through our beloved film history? It's like fighting a plague. That's what happens when an author relies on mental telepathy for research.
Good point about the Mexican Spitfire series holding up better than the Blondie series.
And doesn't it seem as if Lucy is an American knock-off of Lupe's spitfire character?
In many ways the film business was even worse in the old days. Why? Because so many Hollywood people came from impoverished backgrounds with little education and the sudden fame and riches just knocked them for a loop. Scores made millions in the pre-income tax days and spent the money frivolously, believing that the good days would go on forever. But the shelf life of a star is usualy about 6 years.
The old Vanity Fair was a thing of beauty, not like it's current ncarnation which is, er, somewhat to the left of Lenin.
I wrote the screenplay for Brian de Palma's Body Double, a highly suggestive film about murder, porn, voyeurism, and Hollywood. I guess I'm in big trouble… eternity-wise.
But…if she were truly honoring him…she'd never have become an actress in the first place, right?
By the way…Coop look totally hot in that still!
Bill:
It's always a toss-up between Catholic of Jewish guilt, namely which is more powerful. Guilt is good, for it functions as part of a moral framework. But guilt shorn of all the positive aspects of religion and tradition can be a toxic, destructive brew.
nice job, I find your stories very interesting. keep up the good work. Hollywood can be a very sad place.
Flynn had supernatural good looks and a charming smile that also said "screw the world."
Do you think that's really changed? Lindsey Lohan?
You know, it's funny – I have no interest in reading today's celeb mags, but I love your articles!
Errol Flynn described Lupe's many talents in "My Wicked, Wicked, Ways." I find her to be a wonderful, yet tragic character. Her life would make a great biopic.
Look, I may not agree with the way this young woman lived – and ended – her life, but I'm not about to consign her to an eternity of hellfire, either. I most certainly don't have that right, and neither do you. You read about her life, take it as an example of what not to do, and then you leave it at that.
Even the Savior Himself refused to condemn anyone. "Art thou greater than He?"
Yes, I think it was the I Hate Frasier Crane episode, with Joe Mantegna as the voice of a local newspaper writer who writes a column about the insipidness of FC's work and the man in general, FC replies on-air and the war of words escalates into a challenge to fisticuffs on a local plaza.____ I almost jumped out of my skin when I read her name in this piece, and I am also glad to have the true, though abbreviated tale of Miss Vallalobo. That other, tacky tale demeans her memory so horribly.
A very sad story. Thank you for bringing Lupe some well deserved sympathy and dignity. I wonder, how hard would it have been for Harald to marry her? It could have only been temporary until the child was maybe a year old. They could have easily divorced. He basically murdered her.
I enjoy your biographies very much. Thank you and please keep them coming!
I know. That's exactly how I felt when I read abut her.
I was raised Catholic, but I only 2 people close to me practice. One is my MIL who is devout and another is a close friend. I always felt that Catholicism was too unbending in some things like birth control and suicide. When someone is that low that they are thinking of taking their own life, you have to think they are not thinking straight. You get blinders on and especially if there is no one to talk to or to support, the loneliness can be suffocating. Whatever is making you depressed seems so overwhelming and all consuming that there seems to be no solution. I feel so sad thinking that she was alone in her last moments.
On the other hand look at Brad and Angelina or Oprah etc. I dont consider any of them well informed, yet they have a pretty dramatic effect on different population groups and will authoritatively speak on almost anything as if they were experts.
No one that is tuned into politics on either side will be swayed by a face, but the middle is a different story IMHO.
Thanks for clearing up the nasty myth about Velez's death scene, which goes back (as do so many errors) to Hollywood Babylon. The Mexican Spitfire movies are no great shakes but they hold up as well or better than the Blondie series, for my money. She was at her best in The Gaucho — DANG that is a sexy still and the movie is even more so.
Ah, how horrible! She killed herself on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe! Her own nameday!!!!
(Lupe is short for Guadalupe.)
"And it's easy to understand why society gives this segment of the population such a big voice in shaping America.
Not."
It's PROFOUNDLY easy to understand.
To create great art, or great entertainment, or great whatever, one must generally be interesting… which more often than not translates to "not ordinary." Ordinary, average people are not interesting. If they were, they'd cease to be ordinary or average. Interesting people generally have "chaotic" backgrounds, psyches or lives… because that's what informs the INTERESTING things about them. Madness and genius are inseperable, the only question is which one holds more sway at a given moment.
Hate to say it Robert, but Cannonball* would probably consign you to the flames for not being a Christian, let alone your sinful arts.
"The actress, with a weakness for liquor and drugs, spiraled into a clinical depression. Increasingly isolated, the fragile young woman felt unable to bear the shame of giving birth to an illegitimate child."
In all of human existance, is there any emotion at once so seldom actually WORTH feeling, so often felt unnecessarily, and so often a precursor to tragedy than SHAME?
It's stories like this that make me look askance at people who long straight-faced for "the good old days" of 'traditional' moral-restraint. This woman takes her own life… why? For what reason did she die? Shame. And what was she ashamed of? She "committed" a perfectly natural, biological act (THE biological act, in some respects) that was in "violation" of some rule in some ancient book; rules likely drummed into her by what sounds like an especially vile set of parents. This is the result of "morality" in the "good old days" – lives ruined and taken by history's most useless emotion: Shame.
For years now, having read Hollywood Babylon back in high school, I believed that Velez did die with her head in the toilet, after vomiting all over herself from her suicidal prescription drug overdose. I do hope your information is correct (not that I have any reason to doubt it), because it makes Velez's death a little less pathetic. Thank you for such a lovely, well-written piece on the "Mexican Spitfire." As a kid, I really enjoyed watching Velez's wacky brand of comedy.
Brings to mind the old term, "dragging a name through the mud."
Maybe she was avoiding doing that.
Wow, I heard the version of Mama Cass with her choking on a chicken bone.
Brings to mind lottery winners.
Actually, a better solution would have been for her to take an "extended vacation" before her pregnancy began to show. In fact, I don't think it was all that uncommon (or unforgiveable) for stars to have "nervous breakdowns." She could have used whatever excuse, including overwork, family demands, and then secretly given the child up for adoption.
As for the poor baby, it is entirely possible that if Lupe had continued her drinking, drug using, and brawling after becoming pregnant, the child might have been born with mental and/or physical problems. It does, indeed, sound to me as though Lupe was bipolar, and, at the very least, clinically depressed with alcohol, a depressant, contributing to that situation. That would tend to soften my opinion of her behavior.
I haven't read the book, but from the article and comments, it seems she lived a very wild life by choice and died a very sad death. I think, in our empathy, we have to be careful how often we follow the liberal habit of creating victims, when a lack of personal responsibility might be the issue. Life has consequences.
In what seems like another lifetime, I did social work for a couple of years. I always found it interesting when an applicant listed 12-14 children, all with different last names and fathers they hadn't married; and then said they didn't believe in using birth control because, "It's against the church." I also find it interesting that Lupe, having been brought up in a strict Catholic home, managed to live with the shame of having illicit sexual relationships with quite a few men outside of marriage, but couldn't handle the shame of having an illegitimate child. It sounds to me as though Lupe's idea of shame had a lot to do with Lupe's idea of pleasure.
Actually, a better, and less selfish, solution would have been for her to take an "extended vacation" before her pregnancy began to show. In fact, I don't think it was all that uncommon (or unforgiveable) for stars to have "nervous breakdowns." She could have used whatever excuse, including overwork, family demands, and then secretly given the child up for adoption.
Wouldn't having a daughter who was a suicide be just as disgraceful? And I sincerely hope even the most stringently Catholic parent would prefer an illegitimate grandchild to a dead daughter.
Exactly!
It's a famewhoring rag, but occasionally a good investigative piece sneaks through, and it still has some of the best photo spreads in print.
perhaps- but a communal conscience did once exist. For better or worse, Ms Velez was a victim. But the power of the story is still there…
Cannonball8 is wrong because he or she is self-righteously judging the actions of another. It is just as wrong to judge Lupe Valez as it is to judge somebody you know. There are people who ignore their own faults and failings, while they choose to criticize others, be they in the church or in the secular world.
Let the story of Lupe Valez serve to remind us to look out for our fellow man, especially in these difficult times.
Of course, having the live child and grandchild would be the better situation. What I was trying to express was how others, without our values, for example, might view the situation. As you well know, there are groups of people today who view honor and women with vastly different ideas.
Well, I usually agree with you, but, for some reason, I have never been a huge Gary Cooper fan. Don't know why.
You mean the honor killing crowd, I assume?
[...] stars at his invaluable site Seraphic Secret. Here, via Big Hollywood, he takes a look at Lupe Velez, the glamorous actress best known as the Mexican Spitfire. (Before reading this piece, I knew next [...]
Yep. And the honor acid throwing crowd. And the honor stoning crowd.
What an ironic choice of scene considering…
That poor woman.
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[...] Submitted By: Joshuapundit – Robert Avrech/Big Hollywood – Lupe Velez: When Shame, Abortion and Suicide Collide [...]
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[...] Second place with 1 2/3 points – (Tie*) – Robert Avrech/Big Hollywood – Lupe Velez: When Shame, Abortion and Suicide Collide [...]
[...] Second place with 1 2/3 points – (Tie*) – Robert Avrech/Big Hollywood – Lupe Velez: When Shame, Abortion and Suicide Collide [...]
I don't know why Lupez Velez has not been the subject of a biopic film. I think Eva Longoria could be a great Lupe Velez.
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