![]() ![]() ![]() It convinced me once and for all that my being Hispanic was my undoing, which a number of years later sent me into psychotherapy. But the powers that be just said, "We don't know what to do with her." So they dropped me. If he'd been around more and had more roles for young people, I might have still been at MGM. Interestingly enough, it was Gene Kelly who put me in the role of Zelda Zanders, which had nothing to do with being Hispanic. They didn't know what to do with me because of the Hispanic name. And then I did Singin' in the Rain, and after that I was dropped from that contract. Q: What kinds of roles were you doing for MGM?Ī: I did a film with Lana Turner and Ricardo Montalban called Latin Mothers. By the time you were through doing a half hour, your eyes were bright red and running because the lights were so very strong. So if you were going to dance, you had to dance in a space of about four feet by four feet. In those days, they had one camera and they didn't have the zoom lens. Q: How did you break into live television for the Dumont Network?Ī: I did some singing and dancing. So a lot of people keep saying, "Oh, you were wonderful in Spider Woman," and I say, "Thank you." I think it's because Chita Rivera and I played the same role in West Side Story, Anita. I get credit for doing an awful lot of plays that I haven't done. It was a Broadway drama called Sky Drift based very loosely on Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead. Q: You went to Broadway at a young age.Ī: I did my very first Broadway show when I was thirteen passing for eleven, looking nine. My first American experience was the big lady in the New York harbor. After about four to five months, when she'd earned enough money and learned some English, she went back to Puerto Rico to get me. She took a ship to New York City and stayed with an aunt in the Hispanic ghetto and got a job as a seamstress in a sweatshop. I think she was about eighteen, nineteen. Q: How did you come to New York from Puerto Rico in 1936?Ī: My mother obtained a divorce from my father. The entire interview can be screened at /Interviews. The following is an edited excerpt of Moreno's conversation with Miller. Moreno, who was recently inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame, was interviewed in June 2000 by Marla Miller for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, a program of the Television Academy Foundation. Here she discusses her struggles as an Hispanic entertainer determined to change America's tune. Her tenacity was such that Moreno would eventually triumph on Broadway, film and television, and become the first person in history to win a Tony, Grammy, Oscar and Emmy in competition.įrom her early appearances on The Jack Benny Show and The Electric Company to later roles on Oz and the rebooted One Day at a Time, television has provided Moreno with some of the most rewarding - and frustrating - experiences of her career. Pigeonholed as a generic "Latin" sexpot, Moreno fought long and hard for roles that would showcase her versatility as an actress, singer and dancer. But while that character's frustrations were played mostly for laughs, Moreno faced a real-life ethnic barrier that was anything but comic. An informative Author's Note provides additional insight and talks about how Moreno has inspired others, including the author.In 1961's West Side Story, Rita Moreno sang "America" in her role as Anita, a Puerto Rican immigrant adjusting to life in New York City - and won an Oscar. A two-page timeline at the end of the book is helpful in learning even more about Moreno's life of Rita. There's also a Spanish edition available. ![]() Her story is sure to inspire little dreamers! This beautiful picture book is sprinkled with a few Spanish words. This is an inspiring account of a strong girl, who despite humble beginning and prejudices follows her dreams to become a Hollywood star. Pura Belpre Honor winner Denise's lyrical text and Espinosa's bold and vibrant illustrations bring Moreno's life story to life in this gorgeous tribute to the life and career of the first Latinx person to ever earn an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award. The Puerto Rican superstar is best known for her Oscar-winning performance in the original West Side Story film. Parents need to know that Anika Aldamuy Denise's A Girl Named Rosita: The Story of Rita Moreno: Actor, Singer, Dancer, Trailblazer!, beautifully illustrated by Leo Espinosa, tells the captivating life story of Rosita Dolores Alverio - known as Rita Moreno. ![]()
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