Latina/o Stars in U.S. Eyes: The Making and Meanings of Film and TV Stardom » (1st Edition)

Mary C. Beltrán is an assistant professor of communication arts and Chicana/o and Latina/o studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the coeditor of Mixed Race Hollywood.

A penetrating analysis of the construction of Latina/o stardom in U.S. film, television, and celebrity culture since the 1920s.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction: Latina and Latino Stars in U.S. Eyes 1

1 Latin Lovers and American Accents: Dolores Del Rio and Hollywood's Transition to Sound 17

2 The Good Neighbor on Prime Time: Desi Arnaz and I Love Lucy 40

3 A Fight for "Dignity and Integrity": Rita Moreno in Hollywood's Postwar Era 62

4 The Burden of Playing Chico: Freddie Prinze and Latino Stardom in Television's Era of "Relevance" 86

5 The Face of the "Decade": Edward James Olmos and Latino Films of the 1980s 108

6 Crossing Over the Latina Body: Jennifer Lopez and the 1990s "Latin Wave" 131

7 Ethnic Ambiguity in the Era of Dark Angels: Jessica Alba and Mixed Latina/o Trends 154

Notes 173

Index 201