Being Rita Hayworth: Labor, Identity, And Hollywood Stardom Project Muse Upcc Books

"This book reexamines Rita Hayworth's star image and her proficiency as a dancer in order to challenge received wisdom about the objectification of female stars in classical Hollywood cinema. This is a superior piece of scholarship and an outstanding contribution to star studies." ―Ina Rae Hark, University of South Carolina "McLean's argument is complex, coherent, and eminently readable. Through meticulous research, she productively opens up the notion of star as worker."―Mary R. Desjardins, Dartmouth College Who was Rita Hayworth? Born Margarita Carmen Cansino, she spent her life subjected to others' definitions of her, no matter how hard she worked to claim her own identity. Although there have been many "revelations" about her life and career, Adrienne McLean's book is the first to show that such disclosures were part of a constructed image from the outset. McLean explores Hayworth's participation in the creation of her star persona, particularly through her work as a dancer-a subject ignored by most film scholars. The passive love goddess, as it turns out, had a unique appeal to other women who, like her, found it extraordinarily difficult to negotiate the competing demands of family, domesticity, and professional work outside the home. Being Rita Hayworth also considers the ways in which the actress has been treated by film scholarship over the years to accomplish its own goals, sometimes at her expense. Several of Hayworth's best-known star vehicles-among them Gilda (1946), Down to Earth (1947), The Lady from Shanghai (1948), and Affair in Trinidad (1952)- are discussed in depth. Adrienne L. McLean is an assistant professor of film studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is the co-editor of Headline Hollywood: A Century of Film Scandal. Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Why Rita Hayworth? 1 PART ONE: STARDOM OFF THE SCREEN I. From Cansino to Hayworth to Beckworth: Constructing the Star Person(a) 31 2. Rita Lives for Love: The Family Life of Hollywood’s Unhappiest Star 66 PART TWO: FILM STARS, FILM TEXTS, FILM STUDIES 3. I’m the Goddess of Song and Dance: Performing Competence in Down to Earth 111 4. I Told You Not to Move—I Mean It! Cross-Examining Gilda and The Lady from Shanghai 144 5. This Is Hayworth as Hayworth Really Is: The Secret Agent(s) of Affair in Trinidad and a Few Words about Miss Sadie Thompson and Salome 172 Afterword: Replacing the Love Goddess 198 Notes 207 Cansino/Hayworth Filmography 247 Bibliography 257 Index 267 Pt. 1. Stardom Off The Screen ; 1. From Cansino To Hayworth To Beckworth : Constructing The Star Person(a) ; 2. Rita Lives For Love : The Family Life Of Hollywood's Unhappiest Star -- Pt. 2. Film Stars, Film Texts, Film Studies ; 3. I'm The Goddess Of Song And Dance : Performing Competence In Down To Earth ; 4. I Told You Not To Move-i Mean It! : Cross-examining Gilda And The Lady From Shanghai ; 5. This Is Hayworth As Hayworth Really Is : The Secret Agent(s) Of Affair In Trinidad And A Few Words About Miss Sadie Thompson And Salome. Adrienne L. Mclean. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [257]-266) And Index. Filmography: P. [247]-255.