1956 Tijuana, Mexico

Yvonne Palacios
Born in 1943
Tijuana, Mexico
Interviewed on February 1, 2025
By Juliette Palacios

What is the first movie you recall seeing?

It was the first movie I remember, because it really made an impression on me. It is still one of my favorites, too. It is To Catch a Thief with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, and the reason it impacted me, or it’s still in my memory, or fresh in my memory, is because my brother Tony took me to the movies and… I’m getting emotional.

(a few moments later)

How old were you?

13, and my brother was 17. And he was driving. He drove, and it was really nice, because on Sundays, on his day off he always would take the whole family… you know my mom, my brother, and all 4 of us would go. He would take us to a special lunch. And so this time it was just my brother. That was a special thing: just he and I. Usually, we all went as a family right together. But this time it was a very special thing, because he decided to take me to the movies, and it was so so special.

What do you remember about the movie?

Oh, well, the movie was very interesting because they’re great actors. Cary Grant is a great actor, and I liked it because it was a whodunit movie. And I always liked those kinds of movies where you were trying to guess the bad guy– who was the perpetrator, or the person who was doing all the problems. And it was an Alfred Hitchcock movie, so there was always a twist. There was always something with Alfred Hitchcock movies. You never knew who the bad guy was until the end, and you tried to guess; and it was difficult, because it was unexpected– the person that caused the whole thing.

The reason was so special, because my brother, you know, took me to the movies, just the two of us. We saw it in Tijuana, and it was the newest theater: one the latest ones– very nice, very clean, very big. And it was a Sunday because that was his day off.

The movie was so interesting especially because it was a film in France, and I love languages, and I love everything about watching other places. And that country was so interesting. It was so interesting because Grace Kelly was driving a nice convertible sports car on this curvy curvy road.

The road was very impressive. The country, the countryside, and the whole film was very interesting.

How did you get there?

He drove. It was his first car: a 1940 Chevrolet. Later on he got a real nice car that worked much better, but that was his very first car. This one always got a flat tire or the water hose would break.

What did you think of the characters, actors, and story?

They’re great actors because you feel you forget it’s a movie. You’re right like you’re a part of the story. But everything is so intense that you’re… I mean, that’s how Hitchcock movies are– they get you very into the movie.

They’re excellent actors. Cary Grant: very, very good actor. He always came out in very good movies. And Grace Kelly: of course, that’s when she met Prince Rainier, and then she married him. He fell in love with her.

It’s a very interesting story, because you know, that’s where she ended up staying in France. She became Princess Grace of Monaco. It was really nice.

The story had twists. The thief would go on top of the roof, and Cary Grant was on top of the roof trying to catch the thief, and then the police were downstairs, and they said, “We got you” because they had the light, and they saw him so they thought he was the bad guy. That’s another twist to the story.

Was there a concession? And did you have a favorite candy?

No, no candies. We never ate candy. Once I brush my teeth I don’t eat, so I don’t think so. There was a concession, of course. My mom, she was a teacher, and she would always have a Hershey bar.

But there was a place where they sold tacos every time: they were delicious. That was a very popular place, and that’s where we probably ate.

Was the food like when we went to Tijuana a few months ago?

Yes, I guess you could call it a taqueria. It was a cart outside where they were selling tacos.

Do you remember the name of the theater?

Bujazán, and that’s a family name: Arabian from the Middle East.

What town and year was this?

Tijuana, Mexico, 1956/57 around there. It was right on, on the main avenue, “Avenida Constitución,” in Tijuana. At that time it was in English and I was just learning English.

Yvonne Palacios is my paternal grandmother.