"Mexico, Mexiiiiicooooooooooooo" ... It's one of those unforgettable refrains
that you immediately associate with a man, even if the younger generation didn't
know him. Luis Mariano, who for years was France's favorite "Spaniard", embodied
a certain kind of kitsch romanticism, blending good-natured Hispanic clichés,
the carefully studied attitude of an operetta Prince Charming (and rightly so)
and love songs that were suave to the point of excess. A veritable idol of the
masses, Luis Mariano inspired a whole generation of midget girls to fall in love
with the tenor-toreador, and ...