Turner Classic Movies' (TCM) new book "Viva Hollywood: The Legacy of Latin and Hispanic Artists in American Film" makes the perfect holiday gift for any film lover wanting to take a deep dive into cinema history.
The TCM book serves up not just the famous stars we know from the big screen but also the often forgotten artists who worked behind the scenes on Hollywood classics.
The author, Luis Reyes, grew up loving movies of all kinds but did find himself drawn to Latin performers. One person he identified with early on was from television, Cuban singer, producer and actor Desi Arnaz who co-starred with his real life wife Lucille Ball on the TV sitcom "I Love Lucy," which ran on CBS from 1951 to 1957. He also connected with stars such as the Mexican-born Anthony Quinn who was often tapped by Hollywood to play a variety of ethnicities from Native American to Greek to Arab.
Reyes was inspired to start researching and writing about Latinos in Hollywood after attending the Nosotros Golden Eagle Awards banquets where he met many of the people he had grown up idolizing.
Nosotros, as in "we the people," was an actors' advocacy group founded in 1970. Its website states its purpose as: "to enhance the image of Latinos in Television and Film and to increase the opportunities given to those actively seeking careers in entertainment."
For this Friday's Cinema Junkie podcast, Beth Accomando spoke with author Reyes. Listen to an excerpt from her interview above.
