No 'Fun in Acapulco' these days: Elvis Presley wouldn't recognize the place

Years ago, Elvis made a movie called "Fun in Acapulco". It captured the magic of a great coastal town, from a wonderful beach to pretty girls to very friendly people. Believe it or not, that was the Acapulco that most Mexicans and foreigners remember.

It's not fun anymore down in Acapulco as we check recent events from our southern neighbor.

In fact, it must be very bad in Acapulco.

We just read this from the US Embassy in Mexico City:

"The U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a security message Friday warning U.S. citizens to avoid the Pacific resort of Acapulco because of violence and protests.

In yet another blow to a coastal city once favored by U.S. movie stars and jet-setters in the 1950s and ‘60s, the embassy said its personnel “have been instructed to defer non-essential travel to Acapulco, by air or land,” and added that it “cautions U.S. citizens to follow the same guidelines.”

The alert noted that “protests and violent incidents continue in Guerrero state in response to the disappearance of 43 students there.”

Demonstrators have blocked highways to Acapulco, hijacked buses and blockaded the city’s airport to demand the government find the students who disappeared Sept. 26 in the nearby city of Iguala.

Prosecutors say local police working for a drug gang probably turned the students over to gang members, who may have killed them and burned their bodies."

Mexico is in the middle of a serious political storm over the death of 43 students. Unlike previous storms, this one is more like a Category 5 Hurricane.

The tragic disappearance of these 43 students has sparked demonstrations, such as the one with middle class housewives and women calling for peace.

Mexico did not like Elvis Presley very much. In fact, though "Fun in Acapulco" was filmed in Mexico, Elvis did his scenes from Hollywood as he was persona non grata. Mexicans considered him a homosexual (as the below handbill displays him) or perhaps a woman in reverse-drag, due to the way he swung his hips and his other mannerisms that the Mexicans found effeminate.

Elvis didn't help matters much by telling a Mexican newspaper that he'd rather kiss three black women than one Mexican woman. At that time, this was a shocking thing to say, but the "Colonel" did a good job keeping all of that out of the U.S. media at the time.

Speaking of the "Colonel" Tom Parker, what an evil man he was, squandering a great talent on an endless run of forgettable "B" movies.

Right after this particular movie was released, JFK was assassinated and The Beatles replaced Elvis as the world's top musical act.

Shouldn’t insult Visigoths (Western Goths) so much. Yes, they sacked Rome, but later they settled in Spain, embraced Christianity and adopted the local culture & language. Goths & Vikings both were renowned for their ability to assimilate into the lands they conquered. In France they became Normans, and in England they became English.

Visigoth Spain was a flourishing Christian kingdom until the eighth century when it was conquered by the invading Moors.

In fact, `modern day Saracens’ might be a better analogy. Muzzies are trying to conquer the world & impose their savage ways on the rest of us, and they refuse to assimilate.

You unfairly besmirch the Visigoths in your comparison to deranged Mexican gangs.

Sure the Visigoths are famous for sacking Rome. However, they did that after the Romans treacherously murdered their leader and massacred tens of thousands of Visigoths. Theirs was a reasonably just and openly declared war against an utterly corrupt empire.

I am inclined to say that the Huns would be a better selection of a barbarian tribe from antiquity, but fear even that would be unfair to Atilla and his crew. The Mongols’ brutality resembles that displayed by worst Mexican gangs, and vastly surpasses it in terms of scale, but they didn’t show up until well after the Roman Empire had crumbled.

As things stand, none of the Mexican gangs have a leader with the leadership skills of Atilla or the organizational skills of the Khans. Heaven help us if one should arise.

I seem to recall that a Visigoth named Ulfilas translated portions of the Bible into their language. You’re right, they didn’t attack Rome as heathens.

There is a St. Hermenegildo who was a Visigoth. His bio is an interesting look into Visigothic Spain.

We were taught in school that Gothic assimilation into Western Roman culture actually invigorated decadent Mediterranean society.

I always pictureed it as Neil Diamond sang it:

“Acapulco”
[ . . . ]
To Acapulco (to Acapulco)
That’s where they’ll find us
In sunny blue waters
Where the sand is warm and friendly

Hey Acapulco, (hey Acapulco)
I hear you softly calling
We’re sailing around the horn of love
To Acapulco

It’s good and it’s bad
When things are going right
It’s good and it’s bad, when they swing
But you know that you’re glad
You finally get it right
You know that you’re glad, so you sing

But at seventy two, it’s hard to get around
At seventy two, but not now
It’s me and it’s you and we can get around
‘Cause we know how....

In Acapulco, (in Acapulco)
That’s where they’ll find us
In sunny blue waters
Where the sand is warm and friendly

Hey Acapulco, (hey Acapulco)
I hear you softly calling
We’re sailing around the horn of love
To Acapulco
We’re sailing around the horn of love
To Acapulco

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