Mexican Police on Parade (1943) User Reviews

Odd TravelTalks Short

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 2 May 2014]

One of the stranger James Fitzpatrick TravelTalks shorts I've seen. This one visits Mexico, a frequent stop for the series. But this time instead of focusing on a particular city or famous landmarks, it highlights the Mexican police. To make it even stranger, it doesn't talk about their crime-fighting techniques. Instead it discusses their talents like motorcycle stunts and trick shooting. So it's sort of a variety show for the Mexican police force. The cynic in me wonders if this short wasn't done so Mr. Fitzpatrick could get out of a traffic ticket or something. Regardless of the reason, it's an oddly fascinating subject. Nice color footage of the local scenery and people, as this series was always good for. Love the snazzy red patrol cars and motorcycles.

TravelTalks on parade

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 22 July 2023]

TravelTalks enters Mexico City to watch the police go on parade. With the war at its height, they seem to think that it's patriotic to pump up the Mexican police. They also don't have to leave the continent. This is an unusual episode. It is very boring to stay on the parade ground without a crowd. I am struggling to figure out what TravelTalks is trying to do. It's a little interesting to see some of the old gear and the cowboy tricks. The target shooting is the most interesting in that it seems to be the real deal. My hand would be shaking, too. They need to film the parade with a crowd. A crowd would make all the difference in the world.

International Relations

[boblipton · 6/10 · 13 September 2010]

While the United States fought the Second World War, there was an active effort to maintain good relations with the nations of Latin America. The "Good Neighbor Policy" resulted in 6th Avenue in New York City being renamed "Avenue of the Americas" -- which still confuses tourists as New Yorkers still use the old name -- and in Hollywood, such movies as Disney's SALUDOS AMIGOS.

Also this one. Before and after the War, Fitzpatrick's cameramen roved the world, providing glimpses of exotica to the stay-at-home citizens. During the War, however, a lot of Traveltalks were produced about the various states of the Union and provinces of Canada, as well as this one, letting us know that Mexico was not some wild and woolly haven for banditos, but a civilized country with an extensive police force, with at least two bands.

In sum, a fairly typical, stolid offering of Fitzpatrick's cameramen, with some good emphasis on color photography, and some good music.

One of Fitzpatrick's fun Travel Talks

[ksf-2 · 1 May 2014]

Charming view of Mexico, its people and its talent in a more innocent time. It looks and feels like it was all filmed in about an hour, but I guess they had their limitations during wartime. It looks like there was one lone camera, stuck in the ground for the different scenes showcased, unlike Fitz's other grand pieces, where there are arial shots, and short, fast scenes. One really interesting bit is the stunt motorcycle-cop exhibition, where they really do some neat balancing stunts. Three people on one cycle, doing some dangerous stuff, every bit as good as what I see at the Laguna Seca stunt shows every year in Monterey! We also see the 100 piece Tipica Orchestra perform, and some excellent handgun marksman-ship by an officer. A fun watch. One of the MGM shorties they show between films on Turner Classics.

TravelTalks

[Michael_Elliott · 13 September 2010]

Mexican Police on Parade (1943)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

I've seen dozens of these TravelTalks shorts but I must admit that this one here is perhaps the strangest I've seen. It's well known that James A. FitzPatrick couldn't travel across the world while WWII was going on so he selected places closer to home. This one here takes us to Mexico where we really don't see any land or famous places but instead we take a look at the police force. Not only do we see the police force but we get to view their "talents", which include motorcycle tricks, trick shooting and of course they're marching skills. FitzPatrick brags about how many police they are filming but while watching all of this I couldn't help but wonder how much crime was going on in the streets since all the police were helping film this short. The tricks on display here are all rather strange and in fact they're so strange that it's impossible to look away from the screen. The motorcycle stuff is probably the most bizarre and reason enough to watch the film.