Starring Elvis Presley, the “Marco Lugo” Cinema at the Municipal Center for the Arts (CMA) will screen *Fun in Acapulco* (1963)—a classic Hollywood musical comedy directed by Richard Thorpe—this Saturday, September 19, at 6:00 PM.
Starring Elvis and Ursula Andress, this film belongs to the most popular era of the “King of Rock and Roll’s” movie career; the production also represents an interesting piece of history regarding the relationship between Hollywood and Mexico during the 1960s.
Elvis plays Mike Windgren, a young man who arrives in Acapulco after losing his job and finds work at a hotel as a lifeguard and entertainer. There, he must overcome his fear of heights while participating in the spectacular cliff diving at La Quebrada. At the same time, he meets Margarita—played by Ursula Andress—sparking a story of romance, rivalry, and music.
The feature film combines comedy, romance, songs, and tourism-focused spectacle. Among its most memorable moments are Elvis’s musical performances, including “Guadalajara,” which incorporates elements of Mexican music into the American star’s repertoire.
The cast also includes Mexican actress Elsa Cárdenas and figures such as Paul Lukas and Alejandro Rey.
*Fun in Acapulco* serves as a unique document of how Hollywood constructed its own image of Mexico—an Acapulco defined by beaches, hotels, music, romance, and spectacle.
Viewed today, the film can be enjoyed both as musical entertainment and from a historical perspective; it acts as a time capsule of the tourist image that American cinema projected onto Mexico in the 1960s.
Admission is free but limited. The film will be screened in its original language with Spanish subtitles. Doors open 20 minutes prior to the screening at the CMA’s main entrance on Carnaval Street (no number), opposite Plazuela Machado.
