[citation needed][note 1][2] Armida came from a theatrical family; her mother Maria Camalich, her father Joaquin Vendrell was a well known magician "The Great Arnold" who emigrated to Mexico from Barcelona, Spain.

Armida started performing at a young age, when her family moved from Mexico to the United States, her father opened the first movie theater in Douglas, Arizona.

A talent scout for a coastal vaudeville circuit was in the audience and offered her a chance to perform four shows a day, known as a "four-a-day".

Armida progressed from the drama marts of the Plaza to various Broadway productions after being discovered by Gus Edwards, stage and screen actor, songwriter, and dance instructor.

[4] Armida appeared in films like Border Romance (1929), The Show of Shows (1929), General Crack (1930), Under a Texas Moon (1930), The Marines Are Coming (1934), Under the Pampas Moon (1935), Patio Serenade (1938), Machine Gun Mama (1944), Bad Men of the Border (1945), Congo Bill (1948) and The Gay Amigo (1949).