Tucson filmmaker's documentary, 'Ugly Little Monkeys,' hits the big screen

Tucson filmmaker David E. Valdez’s documentary on Tucson’s seminal youth mariachi group Los Changuitos Feos will screen at Fox Tucson Theatre Saturday, March 16.

Showtimes for the film, “Ugly Little Monkeys — A True American Story,” are at 2 and 7 p.m. at the Fox, 17 W. Congress St., where it premiered last weekend.

Valdez spent 5½ years working on “Ugly Little Monkeys,” which retraces the ensemble’s start in 1964 in the basement of All Saints Catholic Church on South Sixth Avenue. Father Charles Rourke, an Irish priest from upstate New York who spent his non-clerical life as a jazz pianist, led the ensemble, which rose to become a local sensation, as well as a national and international touring act.

The film recounts how they performed before American and Mexican presidents and around the country, and how the group gave these young, mostly Hispanic boys hope and direction.

But beneath the facade of fame was a dark and ugly secret. Rourke, an alcoholic who embezzled from the group, wasn’t above abandoning the boys while on tour and sexually preying on them.

Valdez’s film, according to a 2021 Arizona Daily Star story, wanted to show the boys’ resiliency and perseverance against the horrific backdrop, how coalescing for the sake of the music and performances created the foundation of mariachi youth groups for generations to come.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

Valdez’s documentary runs two hours. Tickets are $20 through foxtucson.com.

The film also will screen at various times March 22-24 at both Tucson area Harkins Theatres — Arizona Pavilions 12 at 5755 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive, off Interstate 10 and West Cortaro Road in Marana; and Tucson Spectrum 18 at 5455 S. Calle Santa Cruz, off Interstate 19 and West Irvington Road.

Learn more about the documentary at uglylittlemonkeys.com.