1959 Degollado, Jalisco, México

Francisco “Pancho” Rodriguez

Born in 1954

Degollado, Jalisco, México

Interviewed on February 10th, 2024*

By Danny Rodriguez

*This interview was originally conducted in Spanish and then translated into English for this assignment.

What was the first movie you remember watching?

¡Así es mi tierra! (Such Is My Country) is definitely one of the first movies I recall watching as a young kid. This movie was one of Mario Moreno’s (Cantinflas) first ever films and we all loved Cantinflas growing up.

How old were you when you recall first seeing this movie?

Hmm, I was born in 1954, so I was probably around 5 or 6 years old when I first saw this movie, although it was a much older movie that came out in 1937.

Where did you watch it?

My family and I couldn’t afford a television, so the only times we could ever watch a movie or a few episodes of Tom & Jerry were when we celebrated and went to the theater. I grew up in a rural village in Jalisco, but we did have a theater in our town’s plaza called “Cine Hernan”.

What details do you recall about the film “Así es mi Tierra”?

It has honestly been such a long time since I’ve seen that film, so the details are a bit fuzzy, but I do remember that it was one of Cantinflas’s first appearances in a movie. He wasn’t really the focus of the movie, he was more of a mischievous side character that would pull pranks and make us giggle throughout the movie. 

I don’t remember the exact setting in Mexico where the movie took place, but it was during the Mexican Revolution in a ranch area. I’m sorry mijo, but I don’t remember the specifics of the movie very well, but I do know that there was a war general that comes back to his village and is romantically interested in a girl named Isabelita. I more so remember Cantinflas being goofy as “El Tejón” and bickering with Procopio over a woman called Cholita.

Is there anything else you happen to remember about the movie? Maybe something about the way the actors dressed or any eventful scenes or important themes?

Hmm, well I do remember that the general had a compadre (buddy) that would talk poorly about the general behind his back, although most of the village loved the general. I do remember that the general cut the neck of a chicken in front of his friend to show how he would treat his friends that betrayed him. I do think this movie taught us kids a bit about friendship and loyalty.

Oh! And also, although I was still young, it helped me understand that it is not worth trying to get a certain girl if she doesn’t like you back *laughs*. In terms of the clothing, the actors wore ranch style clothing, scarves, and sombreros, with many of the men having thick mustaches.

From the way you and grandma talk about Cantinflas, it seems like he is a huge part of Mexican film culture and your childhood, how would you describe his typical character in his films?

Oh definitely. Cantinflas was a huge part of my childhood and brought a lot of joy and laughter to us kids growing up. I grew up in a very poor family with a lot of issues around us, but seeing Cantinflas on screen was always a joyful treat and a great distraction and escape from real life.

Cantinflas wasn’t the focus of this specific movie, but when I think about him in his other films, he is definitely a “bromista” (prankster and jokester) and would bring a lot of light to films, even the more serious ones. I know you mentioned before this interview that you had seen a Charlie Chaplin movie for your class, and I would definitely say that Cantinflas reminds me much of Chaplin, both very mischievous, witty, and goofy, especially around the women. Cant

inflas would always find himself in crazy situations and would bicker with a lot of people but would always find a witty way out of a fight.

That’s amazing, I loved Chaplin’s character and I can definitely see how those two might be compared. What emotions did you feel watching this movie or any other of Cantinflas’s films?

I always felt lighter and happier after leaving the theater and watching one of Cantiflas’s films, no matter how silly and cheesy the movie was. He was always such a “travieso” (a troublemaker) but was always so goofy and kind.

Now let’s talk a bit more about the theater experience growing up. Who would you typically go to the movies with growing up?

I had 7 older siblings growing up and 3 younger brothers, so it was usually one of my older brothers that would take a few of us younger kids out to see a movie when we could afford it.

So was it typically a very young crowd at Cine Hernan?

Yes, I would say so. You would occasionally see couples on dates and a few adults, but it was a place where many young people liked to hang out on Sundays and Mondays, since the theater was only open those two days of the week.

Tell me a little more about your experience at Cine Herdan.

Well the theater was only about a 10 minute walk from our house and would only show films on Sundays and Mondays. All the movies that I watched there growing up were of course in black and white and they would only show 1 or 2 movies each week, so very different compared to today’s theaters. Tickets were usually between 2-5 pesos and you could buy popcorn, Coca-cola, and tortas de carne fria (deli sandwiches) at the entrance of the theater before the movie and during intermission.

I would say that the movies shown during my childhood were a lot less explicit than today’s movies, although there were some movies that you had to be 15 years or older to watch, but these were more tame than the typical PG-13 movie of today. Regardless, my mother always had to know all the details of the movie we were about to watch and was strict about content.

How often would you go to the theater?

I probably went 4-5 times a year, so it was always a big treat and we would all dress nice, typically in our outfits that we used to go to Sunday mass. Most of the movies I remember watching were Mexican films, although we did sometimes go to watch multiple episodes of Tom & Jerry on the big screen.

My parents would only ever let me go with my siblings and would always tell me that I couldn’t go with friends. I was of course terrified of them haha, so I obeyed their rules, but I did really enjoy getting to watch these movies with my brothers and sisters.

What were some of your other favorite actors and films?

I’m a huge fan of Tom Cruise and Mark Wahlberg, but when thinking about the actors I liked as a kid, I would definitely have to mention Julio Aleman, as he is the type of performer that “did it all” and excelled in every movie genre.

I also loved a movie called “El Misterio del Látigo Negro” (The Mystery of the Black Whip) that had a really cool guy with a black mask and very pretty horses!

When I was a young adult, the theater would begin to show American movies, in which I loved a film called “Historia De Amor” (Love Story) from the early 70s. Unfortunately Cine Hernan is now shut down and has turned into a sporting goods store, but I will always cherish my memories there… plus I love my infinite supply of Netflix movies on my tablet *giggles* 

Note: Francisco “Pancho” Rodriguez is the interviewer’s paternal grandfather