La Carabina de Ambrosio

Humberto Navarro

Humberto Navarro, creator and producer, of La Carabina de Ambrosio, was a young up-and-coming talent of Televisa. He developed La Carabina de Ambrosio with the theme of "you don't know what comes next." There were comedy skits, outrageous magic from equally outrageous magicians, music, entertainers, vedettes all presented out of sequence.

Gina Montes

Navarro knew what the Mexican television audience wanted, yet were too embarrassed to ask for. Navarro started the show with Brazilian dancer Gina Montes. She was a sultry, dark-haired femme fatale who wore a black French-cut leotard with thigh-high high-heeled black boots. This was a scandalous costume for the era and stunned the television public when Gina bumped and grinded while white smoke was pumped in at her feet. She opened and closed the show with her gyrations while the credits rolled. Navarro knew this was an outrageous presentation for conservative Mexican television, but the public loved it. Gina disappeared suddenly from the TV show and from Mexico. No one knew what had happened to her until recently.

His addition of controversial and often meritorious Mexican vedettes to the show, such as Gina Montes and Wanda Seux, and their scandalous costumes (up to this point vedettes were not shown on Mexican television only in nightclubs and bars) brought in the highest rating in Mexican television during the era. The show hit number one in Mexico, and its success skyrocketed Navarro into fame. Another part of the success formula was adding guest entertainers such as, but not limited to, singers César Costa, Manolo Muñoz, and singer/dancer Laura Zapata.

La Pájara Peggy

La pájara Peggy or “the Big Bird Peggy,” a large, bright yellow, gawky bird that looked more like a duck and spoke in an obnoxious voice audaciously interrupting cast member. During the first two years of the show, Navarro himself dressed up in the yellow bird outfit and had outrageous interactions with the emcees, often whacking the unsuspecting emcee over the head with a wing or a kick in the shins with a big webbed foot. These slapstick antics sent the stage hands into uproarious laughter and sent Navarro's bosses into shock. At the time, it was unheard of that a Televisa executive would dress up in a big yellow bird suit and act silly on national television. A memo from the owner of Televisa requested that Navarro find a replacement. Actor/comedian Moisés Suárez replaced Navarro as La pájara Peggy.

Cast

Legacy

In 2012, the Mexican morning talk show "Hoy" initiated a series of segments as a homage to the classic variety show "Carabina." These segments featured the hosts impersonating well-known characters and personalities from the original series. For instance, Andrea Legarreta, a long-time host, portrayed the dancer Gina Montes, while Paul Stanley, the son of Paco Stanley, took on the role of Chabelo. The popularity of these reenactments led to "Hoy" making these segments a permanent part of the show, which has recently commenced its fourth season.