Perlita Flores
Perlita Flores
Played by MARIE GOMEZ
Perlita is the impish love interest in many of the stories. She's known to flirt with Mano and Pedro and possibly other members of the bunkhouse, even though she proclaims her fiancé is Carlos. She appears in enough episodes to be considered a regular cast member in the first two seasons. Played to perfection by Marie Gomez, she added a great deal of humor with her attempts to bribe Mano into providing her with some of Victoria's dresses and hats. In spite of her playfulness, she had a good heart and could always be counted upon to do the right thing. It was always a treat to have Perlita part of the story. You can see Perlita in 1.07 A Quiet Day in Tucson, 1.23 Champion of the Western World, 2.30 For What We Are About to Receive, and 2.48 Stinky Flanagan.
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One of the more unforgettable of High
Chaparral's recurring characters is Perlita Flores. Perlita doesn't
enter a scene; she pole vaults into it. She is one of Manolito's
girlfriends in Tucson, "the flower of all of Tucson," but this
one makes her presence felt. She is shameless, bold and mercenary, never
forgetting to ask Manolito if he has brought her a present before she
bestows her favors. Her lack of delicacy was amply demonstrated in
"The Champion of the Western World," when she paraded through
the streets of Tucson wearing a pilfered hat of Victoria's, all the
while calling and waving to a near-appalled Manolito. She is as
outrageous as her male counterpart, but without any of his subjectively
applied discretion.
Perlita is also perpetually engaged to the quick-tempered Carlos. It
is never explained why the longsuffering young hothead remains bound to
her, but he has more than once run afoul of Manolito and been bested by
him. Perlita, for her part, seems to love every other man who pays her
compliments as deeply as she loves Carlos, revealing a cynicism to her
loose morals. Upon first glance, she appears to be less endowed
intellectually than a woman like Victoria, but underneath that playful,
flirtatious facade lies a shrewd businesswoman. She may be cheap, but
she doesn't come cheap!
One curious side of Perlita's character was touched upon in "For
What We Are About to Receive," when returning a buckboard to the
High Chaparral, she finds the Cannons sitting down to Thanksgiving
dinner. Her manner is petulant, as she thinks Manolito has wronged her
by buying her a dress much too large for her, but when Mano invites her
to stay for dinner, her pleasure is so genuine that it appears that
perhaps Perlita wishes that she could rub elbows with a more
respectable sort of people. If so, then she is as ambitious as she is
smart.
Mano isn't the only High Chaparral man who has met and wooed Perlita,
either. There is evidence that Buck, Sam and Pedro have each enjoyed her
company, as well as Stinky Flanagan. Manolito doesn't seem to mind
sharing his girl with his friends, except in the case of the latter, but
the cause of his contention with Flanagan majored more on his horse
than on his girl. Whoever she is accompanying, Perlita is a delight to
watch in action. Tasteless, boisterous, but savvy, she is a match for
any gentleman who knocks at her door. (By Lisa McKenzie)
See the Guide
to Character Weight
to determine in which episodes Perlita had major or minor roles.
From "For What We Are About To Receive"