Chicano-Chicana Americana : pop culture pluralism starring Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, Robert Beltran, and Lupe Ontiveros

Chicano-Chicana Americana is a cultural history of Mexican Americans in film, television, and theater. Through biographical sketches of performers such as Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, Robert Beltran, and Lupe Ontiveros, this work asserts Mexican Americans’ proper place in the national narratives of our collective imaginary. Conveying a multicentered, polycultural America, this book shows us intriguing performers in bit parts who steal the scene and redefine what it means to be American. Each biographical chapter analyzes an underappreciated actor, revealing their artistic contributions to U.S. common culture. Their long-shot careers tell a tale of players taking action with agency and fighting for screen time and equal opportunity despite disadvantages and differential treatment in Hollywood. These dynamic and complex individuals altered cinematic representations—and audience expectations—by surpassing stereotypes. The book explores American national character by showing how ethnic Mexicans attained social and cultural status through fair, open competition without a radical realignment of political or economic structures. Their creative achievements demanded dignity and earned respect. Anthony Macías argues that these performances demonstrated a pop culture pluralism that subtly changed mainstream America, transforming it from the mythological past of the Wild West to the speculative future of science fiction. Chicano-Chicana Americana is a cultural history of MexicanAmericans in film, television, and theater. Through biographicalsketches of performers such as Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, RobertBeltran, and Lupe Ontiveros, this work asserts Mexican Americans'proper place in the national narratives of our collectiveimaginary. Conveying a multicentered, polycultural America, thisbook shows us intriguing performers in bit parts who steal thescene and redefine what it means to be American. Each biographicalchapter analyzes an underappreciated actor, revealing theirartistic contributions to U.S. common culture. Their long-shotcareers tell a tale of players taking action with agency andfighting for screen time and equal opportunity despitedisadvantages and differential treatment in Hollywood. Thesedynamic and complex individuals altered cinematicrepresentations-and audience expectations-by surpassingstereotypes. The book explores American national character byshowing how ethnic Mexicans attained social and cultural statusthrough fair, open competition without a radical realignment ofpolitical or economic structures. Their creative achievementsdemanded dignity and earned respect. Anthony Macías argues thatthese performances demonstrated a pop culture pluralism that subtlychanged mainstream America, transforming it from the mythologicalpast of the Wild West to the speculative future of science fiction "Chicano-Chicana Americana is a cultural history of Mexican Americans in film, television, and theater. Each chapter presents an in-depth case study analyzing the lives and creative careers of four underappreciated actors--Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, Robert Beltran, and Lupe Ontiveros-to answer the question: How do racially and socio-economically marginalized Latino-Latina subjects contribute to U.S. culture, beyond the black-white binary? Drawing on methods borrowed from cultural studies, Macías argues that these performers, neither assimilationists nor nationalists, expressed a dynamic, complex ethnic identity, created an alternative strategy for how Latinos and Latinas are seen in popular culture, and carved out a space for imagining a polycultural America. These artists altered cinematic representations and audience expectations of ethnic Mexicans by challenging, undermining, and surpassing stereotypes. By documenting their presence in motion picture studio-era movies, and public, network, and cable TV, Chicano-Chicana Americana demonstrates how Chicanas and Chicanos made their mark on Americana"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Series Information 3 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Epigraphs 8 Contents 10 List of Illustrations 12 Preface: Perspective and Premise 14 Introduction: Title, Subtitle, Context 28 1. “I Hate All Forms of Nationalism”: Anthony Quinn’s Unconventional Adventure 53 2. “Art Doesn’t Have Borders”: Katy Jurado Standing Strong Onscreen 84 3. “A Human Being with a Creative Mind”: Robert Beltran, from Classical Theater to Deep Space 109 4. “Notable, Humorous, and Human”: Lupe Ontiveros and the Art of the Character Actor 131 Conclusion: Reimagining Americana 161 Acknowledgments 194 Notes 200 Selected Bibliography 254 Index 260 About the Author 272 This exciting new cultural history documents how Mexican Americans in twentieth-century film, television, and theater surpassed stereotypes, fought for equal opportunity, and subtly transformed the mainstream American imaginary. Through biographical sketches of underappreciated Mexican American actors, this work sheds new light on our national character and reveals the untold story of a multicentered, polycultural America.