[mrustow]

Lolita Lopez, who reacts as if she were hearing the name Rita Hayworth for the first time, informs us that "people didn’t know that" Hayworth was Hispanic. Watkins adds, helpfully, that "Maybe it was because it was not so popular for someone to be" Hispanic back then. "Not so popular," as in THOSE RACIST WHITES.

This is hilarious, when you consider that in the 20s and 30s especially, actors were changing their names to become ``latin.'' Especially after the popularity of Rudolph Valentino.

One example is the case of actor Ricardo Cortez. He was an Austrian, born in Vienna under the name Jacob Krantz. He changed his name to Ricardo Cortez, and his birthplace to Spain when he hit Hollywood. Check him out in the original version of The Maltese Falcon, called Dangerous Female, as Sam Spade. Even his brother, who was a cinematographer, changed his last name to Cortez.

Wow! Jacob Krantz?! Thanks for the story, Nick. I wonder how many more such stories there are.

[mrustow]

FYI

[nickcarraway]

Wow! Jacob Krantz?! Thanks for the story, Nick. I wonder how many more such stories there are.

Yes, there are, but that's the one that was on the top of my head. Yes, Jacob Krantz was an Austrian Jew, who they were grooming to be the next Valentino. He never made it that big, but he did okay. He even played Perry mason in one 30s movie. Actually one of his big claims to fame was he is the only actor to ever have his name above Greta Garbo. That was in The Torrent, he first U.S. movie.

[nickcarraway]

I checked on Ramon Novarro, and though he did change his name, he was born in Mexico. (the cousin of Dolores del Rio) Both of those stars definitely prove that being ``Latin'' did have some cache.

[nickcarraway]

Also, remember I Love Lucy? One whole plot line was his going to Hollywood, to gte into the movies. They definitely implied his being Cuban was a plus.

[catonsville]

"Not so popular being Hispanic"
Okay, in two minutes and without using the Internet Movie Database I can remember such "hidden Hispanics"as
Lupe Velez ( The Mexican Spitfire)
Anthony Quinn
Desi Arnaz
Carmen Miranda
Pedro Armendiaz
Gilbert Roland
Dolores Del Rio
Xavier Cugat (from Spain but he played wonderful latin music)

Until later in her career, playing Hispanics was Rita's typecast role. It wasn't hidden. Orson Wells, her husband at the time, tried to get her away from this image by making her a blond in The Lady From Shanghai.

The picture of Rita sitting on a bed in a negligee was WII's most famous pinup.

She stayed very beautiful into her fifties, the only other stars of that age that could rival her were Lana Turner, Merle Oberon and Del Rio.