The Minister and Me

The story

Mateo Melgarejo is a notary public and scribe for the illiterate people of Santo Domingo, a neighborhood north of Mexico City's Zócalo. A squatter friend asks for his help in negotiating with the land census bureau to regularize a land title. After a great deal of frustration with the government bureaucracy, he writes a letter to the cabinet minister, earning an audience with him. The minister hires Melgarejo to reform the bureau, and the appointee proceeds to lecture the officials on their duties in a democratic society. At the end, he gives up the post, returning to Santo Domingo to help its poor residents.

In the same saga

Cantinflas Collection

In release order

No te engañes corazón

1937

Así es mi tierra

1937

Águila o sol

1938

Siempre listo en las tinieblas

1939

See all films (40)

Jengibre contra Dinamita

1939

The Sign of Death

1939

Cantinflas boxeador

1940

Cantinflas Ruletero

1940

Cantinflas y su prima

1940

You’re Missing the Point

1940

Neither Blood Nor Sand

1941

The Unknown Policeman

1941

Carnaval en el trópico

1942

The Three Musketeers

1942

The Circus

1943

Romeo y Julieta

1943

Gran Hotel

1944

One Day with the Devil

1945

Soy un prófugo

1946

Fly Away, Young Man!

1947

El Supersabio

1948

The Magician

1949

El Portero

1950

El Siete Machos

1951

Si yo fuera diputado

1952

The Atomic Fireman

1952

Mr. Photographer

1953

Tailored gentleman

1954

Drop the Curtain

1955

Up and Down

1956

El bolero de Raquel

1957

Love Your Neighbor

1958

Pepe

1960

The Extra

1962

Entrega Inmediata

1963

Your Excellency

1967

El profe

1971

This film

The Minister and Me

1976

El patrullero 777

1978

El Barrendero

1982

Cast

C CantinflasMateo Melgarejo 'Mateíto' C Chela CastroVicky L Lucía MéndezBarbara Á Ángel GarasaAvelino Romero 'Romeritos' M Manolita SavalEstrellita D Delia Peña OrtaMaría A Alonso CastañoDon Nachito M Miguel ManzanoDon Antonio, señor ministro D Daniel HerreraHuésped de Yucatán T Tamara GarinaTamarita A Alejandra MeyerJulia Ramírez, secretaria del licenciado P Pedro de AguillónSr. Alcalino Buenrostro

See more cast

G Gastón MeloHuésped de Nuevo León M Mónica PradoEmpleada de oficina H Héctor SuárezBurócrata J José Manuel Fregoso(uncredited) M Manuel AlvaradoGordo (uncredited) S Socorro AvelarLupita (uncredited) C Carmen del ValleEmpleada oficina (uncredited) R Rubén MárquezEmpleado oficina (uncredited) M Marcelo VillamilEmpleado oficina (uncredited) R Rojo GrauSpindola Jr. (uncredited) C Cecilia LegerCliente (uncredited) I Inés MurilloChonita, sirvienta (uncredited) F Fernando PinkusBurócrata (uncredited) F Fernando YapurMayordomo (uncredited) P Pedro Damián(uncredited) R Raúl 'Chato' PadillaEl Licenciado F Federico GonzálezEmpleado departamento de quejas (uncredited)