¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Rita Hayworth!

AKA Margarita Carmen Cansino Hayworth.

Born October 17, 1918. Died May 14, 1987.

She was one of the most famous Latina stars of her time even though few audience members in her time probably knew she was Latina. She was born the daughter of a Spanish flamenco dancer and a showgirl of Irish and English descent.

As a brunette, she played some minor roles but she did not become a real star until after she became a redhead for the title role of the 1941 movie The Strawberry Blonde. Ironically one of her most famous roles after that involved being the second most famous pin-up girls of World War II, this despite her photo being shot in such a way that she might easily look either brunette or auburn depending on one's bias. Then again, her most famous role -- her title role in Gilda (pictured above) -- was that of a redhead. Fortunately, actresses no longer have to dye their hair to get such recognition today. Just ask Winona Ryder and Zooey Deschanel.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Rita Hayworth!

AKA Margarita Carmen Cansino Hayworth.

Born October 17, 1918. Died May 14, 1987.

She was one of the most famous Latina stars of her time even though few audience members in her time probably knew she was Latina. She was born the daughter of a Spanish flamenco dancer and a showgirl of Irish and English descent.

As a brunette, she played some minor roles but she did not become a real star until after she became a redhead for the title role of the 1941 movie The Strawberry Blonde. Ironically one of her most famous roles after that involved being the second most famous pin-up girls of World War II, this despite her photo being shot in such a way that she might easily look either brunette or auburn depending on one's bias. Then again, her most famous role -- her title role in Gilda (pictured above) -- was that of a redhead. Fortunately, actresses no longer have to dye their hair to get such recognition today. Just ask Winona Ryder and Zooey Deschanel.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Rita Hayworth!

She was born this day on 1918. She might not be as famous to today's generation as John Lennon but she's still important to some people. She will be missed.

Movie Song of the Week: “Put the Blame on Mame”

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, it's everyone's favorite entertainer Margarita Carmen Cansino (aka Rita Hayworth) in a number from 1946's Gilda. Ironically, Ms. Cansino is probably best known today for being the original inspiration for Jessica Rabbit, an animated redhead in the 1988 flick Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which was inspired by the character Ms. Cansino played in this movie.

(Edited to add: Please ignore what I said about Jessica Rabbit here. I used to think that Ms. Lake's character in that movie was a good candidate for potential inspiring the creation of Ms. Rabbit but apparently the official title goes to Ms. Hayworth.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the number. Personally, I preferred Ms. Cansino as a brunette but then they didn't make this movie for me.

That's Funny. She Doesn't Look Latina: Parte II


Rita Hayworth (1918 - 1987), born in New York City as Margarita Carmen Cansino, the daughter of a Spanish flamenco dancer and a showgirl of Irish and English descent.

She probably seems like an obvious choice to most hardcore film buffs but there was actually a time in the late 1980s when she didn't seem so obvious. Back then I had written a story about one of my Mexican-American aunts for a night school course and because said aunt had once been compared to a movie star, I was tempted to compare her to Rita Hayworth, only to change my mind because I did not consider Ms. Hayworth to be a Hispanic actress.

Heh. Irony.

All the Classic* Movies That I Have Seen

1. Only Angels Have Wings (1939).

Cary Grant played a snarky guy who had been jilted by a former girlfriend and now had difficulty relating to any female. So totally not the type of guy I can identify with right now...

The film was one of those subtle thrillers in which the arrival of a key character was announced with a flash of lightning and a sound of thunder.

And yet in spite of it all, I kinda liked this film. If nothing, its ending was very memorable and emotionally satisfying.

Though I was kinda surprised to see Jean Arthur of all people -- an actress best known for playing homebodies like the mother in Shane and demure reporters like the one in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town -- playing a showgirl. Granted, she didn't fit the image one usually thinks of when one thinks of showgirls. (There's no way Ms. Arthur would ever be mistaken for, say, Jane Russell or Joan Blondell.) But she managed to pull it off.

I was even more surprised to see Rita Hayworth make an appearance. And though she played a character named Judy, Cary never once said the obvious “Judy, Judy, Judy” line so often attributed to him by celebrity impersonators. Yet another Hollywood myth bites the dust.

2. Holiday (1938).

Yet another Cary Grant movie. No, I don't have a thing for Cary Grant but I do admire his movies. And quite frankly, who wouldn't want to be a member of any club that has Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn in it?

This movie has been eclipsed by its more well-known successor The Philadelphia Story, which is a shame. Both Grant and Hepburn gave memorable performances, and Lew Ayres actually managed to play the type of character I didn't think was possible -- an alcoholic character which was actually sympathetic.

Perhaps, it was because Ayres's character displayed a certain self-awareness about his drinking that certain characters in more recent films (Sideways, Crazy/Beautiful, etc.) have not. Ayres' character did not really ask us to pity him for his condition; indeed, he showed far more pity for his sibling (played by Katharine Hepburn) than for himself. And though we were not really told the reasons for his constant drinking (there was some hint of a riff between him and his father but it was never fully explained in detail), director George Cukor wasn't above dropping a few hints that might or might not have meant something. (For example, the way he responded to certain remarks Ms. Hepburn's character made about Mr. Grant's character.)

Anyway, the result was an enjoyable movie that really deserved to be far more well-known.

* “Classic” in this case meaning “made before 1970.”