Theatre and Cinema

When I saw the "Theatre and Cinema" theme that Carolyn chose for us this week, I got very excited.  My wife and  I enjoyed taking our daughters to children's plays when they were little.  In addition, both the girls and I used to love to go to the movies on father and daughter dates.  We would buy a large bucket of popcorn, so that I could sit between them and share it along with a cherry Coke.  It was so much fun!  Since, I also wanted to pay tribute to Hispanic actors and actresses, I decided to combine the two ideas.  After all, I've always worked hard to instill in my girls the importance of cultural heritage.

© Arnoldo L. Romero 2012

At first I wanted to do a line drawing of an actor or actress, but I couldn't decide whom to choose.  Therefore, I chose eight of them to do a photographic collage of Hispanics throughout the history of theatre and cinema in the United States.  First, I chose Dolores Del Rio, the first Mexican actress to work in Hollywood, as well as one who worked through the silent film and the Golden Age eras.  Next, I chose Rita Hayworth and Anthony Quinn, both of whom had to Americanise their birth names in order to attract a broader range of roles.  Their names at birth were Margarita Carmen Cansino and Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca, respectively.  (Quinn was also the first Mexican-American to win an Oscar.)  My fourth choice was Cesar Romero, whose career span reached six decades and covered film, radio and television.  Next, I chose Rita Moreno, a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress.  She is one of the few performers of any ethnicity to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.  My sixth choice was Alfred Molina, who was born in London and speaks English, Spanish, and Italian fluently.  He's a talented actor who has played various types of roles in theatre, cinema, and television.  My seventh choice was Diego Luna, a Mexican actor who is a rising star in the United States and abroad, along with his life time friend, Gael Garcia Bernal.  Last, but not least, I chose America Ferrera, best known for her roles in both "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants" movies and for her leading role in "Ugly Betty," the television series.  My girls and I love this Honduran-Amercian actress.

It was fascinating to read through the bios of these actors and actresses.  Although they are all of Hispanic ancestry, some of them also had Irish, Italian, British, Mexican-Native-American, or other ancestral roots.  By the way, the popcorn box panel and the three tickets represent my father and daughter dates when the girls were little - LOL!  Hope you enjoyed my little cultural journey through the history of Hispanics in Amercian Cinema and Theatre.  Blessings!

Arnoldo L. Romero