Meerkat's Den

salt of the earth & hispanic hollywood

It's a Hispanic/Chicano movie night. First, I watched Turner Classic Movie's latest installment in their month of movies about the labor movement: Salt of the Earth (1954). Grandpa Walton did a great job playing a villain. And I loved Rosaura Revueltas, whom I had never even heard of. But the person I became really enamored of while watching this movie was Juan Chacon, who played the union leader Ramon. And what's really amazing is that Chacon, like Clinton Jencks (who played Barnes in the movie) and most of the cast, was a labor leader himself. I'm ashamed and surprised that I had never heard of Chacon, even though I pride myself on knowing American labor history and a little more about Mexican-American history than most anglos. The movie really was pushing the boundaries for the 1950s. I mean, it's really lefty...it's not only about the Chicano labor movement, but it's also feminist.

Now I'm watching Hispanic Hollywood on WETA. It's very interesting...your typical gloss of Hollywood history, but I have learned a lot. Like...Wow. Not surprising to me, actually, that Hispanics won more Congressional Medals of Honor in WWII than any other ethnic group.

Yay! Anthony Quinn! I didn't realize he played Emiliano Zapata's brother, with Zapata played by...Marlon Brando? Wha? I agree with the Chicano groups who protested his Best Actor nomination. Jeez. You can't have Brando playing Zapata.

Awesome, now they're profiling Desi Arnaz. Babalu!

Oh! My hero! Carmen Miranda! When I was kid, I wanted to BE Carmen Miranda when I grew up. No joke. I mean, mainly because of the cool bikini-dresses and tropical fruit headdresses. I had no idea she died as a result of depression and drugs. So sad. And I didn't know she had a sister who was also a performer, Aurora.

Ooh, Ricardo Montalban. Can't leave him out! What a voice! Plus, he was Khan! And Mr. Roarke!

Now they're profiling Salt of the Earth. Smart marketing!

I want to see this movie The Brave One. I'd never even heard of it. Hey, it was written by Dalton Trumbo -- another big lefty! The bull is cute -- I hope it doesn't die at the end!

Cantinflas! Yay! He's a Moreno, you know. ;-)

Here's another Moreno...Rita! First Hispanic woman to win an Oscar...I didn't know that! You know, I've never seen West Side Story? Really. I must be the only one. I mean, I get all the cultural references to it, and I've heard the songs, but I've never seen the movie.

Speaking of me being alone...am I the only one who actually liked The Mambo Kings? I mean, I really enjoyed that movie. Did anyone else like it? I thought it was a fun movie.

Isn't it interesting how Martin Sheen really has transcended typecasting, but is still acknowledged as a Latin role model? I don't know if I said that articulately. But what I mean is that he has not been relegated to playing a variety of "ethnic" roles, like Anthony Quinn was, nor was he forced to play a variety of "spicy" roles like Rita Moreno...but at the same time, he is our first Hispanic president.

Whoa. Omar Sharif as Che and Jack Palance as Castro? What a travesty that movie must have been. I mean, I love both of them, but I'm not seeing that movie anytime soon.

I didn't know Raul Julia died! Where was I when that happened?

Dude, they just blazed through the 70s. What was that about?

Ooh, Milagro Beanfield War...one of my favorite movies. Now they're showing all the movies I saw in my teens and early 20s: La Bamba, El Norte, Born in East L.A.

posted by meerkat35 @ 10:07 PM