NEW YORK (AP) — Rita Moreno emigrated with her mother from Puerto Rico at age five. By six, she was dancing at Greenwich Village nightclubs. By 16, she was working full time. By 20, she was in “Singin’ in the Rain.”
In the documentary “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It,” Norman Lear says: “I can’t think of anyone I’ve ever met in the business who lived the American dream more than Rita Moreno.”
In the decades that followed, Moreno won a Tony, a Grammy, an Emmy and and Oscar, for “West Side Story.” (Her entire acceptance speech: “I can’t believe it.” ) With seemingly infinite spiritedness, she has epitomized the best of show business while also being a victim to its cruelties. That has made Moreno, who co-stars in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming “West Side Story remake, a heroic figure to Latinos, and to others. “I have never given up,” she said in a recent interview by Zoom from her home in Berkeley, California.
The reason for the conversation was Mariem Pérez Riera’s intimate and invigorating documentary, which opens in theaters Friday after playing virtually at the Sundance Film Festival and in an outdoor premiere at the Tribeca Festival. The film opens with Moreno preparing a Cuban themed party for her 87th birthday. “And I demand costumes,” the screen legend says with a smile.
But as upbeat as Moreno remains, “Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It” also deals frankly with the many turbulences of Moreno’s life: being positioned as the “Spanish Elizabeth Taylor” and the stereotyped casting that followed; a long and painful relationship with Marlon Brando; the abuse of her agent; a confining marriage.
Moreno was likewise forthright in an interview with The Associated Press while occasionally reaching for a tissue for springtime allergies. “All that cocaine,” the 89-year-old joked. Remarks have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Rita Moreno in a scene from the documentary “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It.”
AP: What struck me most watching the film is that despite going through what would defeat or embitter most, you seem to have emerged with such joy and appreciation for life.
MORENO: I have a very strong constitution. Maybe you inherit it. Maybe it’s due to learning how to cope with my tumultuous life through psychotherapy. I really credit that for helping me through some really, really bad times. My mom was like that, too. And you know what? I have a feeling that a lot of people who are outliers have strong constitutions because it’s either sink or swim, right? And I think you learn early on in life that swimming is preferable to sinking.
AP: How early did you learn that?
MORENO: The first test, I think, was learning English in kindergarten when I didn’t know a word, not a word. That’s the first thing that happened to me literally when I came to this country. Children are impressively resilient. And then, in a way, they’re also extremely tender and fragile. I think the reason I ending up having such a hard time in life is that I ran into a racial bias very early on. When you’re young — I mean 5, 6, 7 — and people call you bad names like “spic” or “garlic mouth” or “gold tooth,” like in “West Side Story,” you’re tender, you’re a child. You believe these things. You believe that you’re not worthy. You don’t know why, but you know that there’s something wrong with you.
AP: Do you remember the first time you performed?
MORENO: Oh, yeah. It was for my grandpa in Puerto Rico to a rhumba record. Shaking my little booty. And he loved it. He was clapping in time to the music. And I was thinking: Wow, this is fun. And he’s loving this. I like this a lot. I mean, I was born to be a performer. I think some people are just wired that way. I was just born to perform and please people — and that got out of hand, too.
AP: You said you wanted to be completely honest in the film but were there some things that were difficult to be candid about? You speak about being raped by your agent.
MORENO: Oh, yeah. That was difficult. And talking about my husband (cardiologist Lenny Gordon, who died in 2010) was difficult in a different way. In so many ways he was a remarkable man. He was loving. I’ve never seen a more devoted grandfather and father and husband. But what happened with us is that he was a controlling person. I have a theory that when some people have relationships, they make a contract with each other that is never spoken or verbalized. In our case, it was I’ll be the little girl and I’ll be charming and I will please you. But you have to be my daddy and take care of me and protect me. That was our agreement. It was never spoken. But that’s what it was. I didn’t realize it until one day I wanted to start growing up and the marriage was not working. It’s so much not a part of who I am. Plus, I was brought up that way. You have to please the man. But I suffered a lot. I remember times when I’d say I was going to go to the grocery store and I’d go somewhere to park the car and cry.
Rita Moreno arrives at the 25th annual Critics’ Choice Awards on Jan. 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, Calif. Moreno, an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner whose career spans over seven decades says she has seen huge progress for women and other minorities in Hollywood but is still “mightily and profoundly” concerned about why Hispanics haven’t gotten a hold on their profession.
AP: Your life seems to be this long process of unlearning the wrong things you were told about yourself.
MORENO: What a wonderful way to put it. You’re absolutely on the money. I had to learn that I was a person of value like all other people. But it’s very difficult when you learn something from childhood. It’s not as though I came to this country when I was 20 and learned something different. I was a little girl and you’re very impressionable. You believe that you don’t have value. You don’t know why you don’t have it, but you believe it. And, man, that is so hard to get rid of. You know, there’s still a little girl with me, but the difference is that I can now send her to her room. There’s still a nasty little girl in me who says, “I told you that couldn’t happen.” And I’m now able to say: “Go to your room!”
AP: Your central therapy session followed years with Marlon Brando. In your memoir, you spoke about him as your greatest lover but your time with him was torturous.
MORENO: Here’s what’s hilarious to me. It was he who said to me: “You need help. You need therapy.” So the lunatic is telling the crazy woman that she needs help! (Laughs). But he was right! He was right. I remember the day he said that to me, I thought: “Yeah, but he’s crazy as a loon!”
AP: It’s not everyone that dates Elvis just to make Brando jealous, as you did. Are you sometimes amazed by the life you’ve led?
MORENO: Yes. But I have to say that after I saw the documentary for the very first time — my daughter and I saw it together — I left the screening room saying, “Wow, that’s quite a life I’ve led!” (Laughs) But you don’t think that way about yourself. Very likely, if you had something like this done about you, you would also say the same thing about yourself.
AP: In watching what has and hasn’t changed in that time, what stands out to you? You were there when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
It’s hard enough to win one big Hollywood award, let alone four, but a few lucky stars have managed to score an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. Here are our Top 3 EGOT Winners
MORENO: I feel extremely fortunate that I’m still around to see the sea changes that are taking place. I’ll be 90 in December and I don’t think I’m going to see the women’s movement really progress more because I won’t be around. But I’ve seen it change. I’ve seen a change in such meaningful ways and I’m grateful for that. What still concerns me mightily and profoundly is that Hispanics haven’t gotten their hold on our profession, I don’t know what the hell is wrong. I don’t know what is not working right. The Black community has done incredibly and I have nothing but the deepest admiration for the Black professional community. They’ve done it and I think we can take some lessons from them. But where is our “Moonlight”? Why are we not advancing?
AP: Do you have any answers?
MORENO: We tend in this country to silo ourselves. We are Puerto Rican and then we are also Mexican. We are also Argentinian. We are Spanish Spain. And somehow those twains haven’t really met and coalesced the way we need to. That may be the answer. But it’s very complicated. People forget that we’re not just Hispanic. We are from other countries. Maybe the answer, or the beginning of the answer, lies in a summit, some kind of summit. I’m not going to see that. My age forbids it. But I sure as hell hope something happens. I can’t believe we’re still struggling the way we are. And when we do something that’s Latino, it doesn’t do as well. “One Day at a Time” (a Netflix sitcom begun in 2017) was hilarious. It was marvelous. It was no accident because it had Norman Lear who chose the writers. And we lasted three and a half seasons. You wonder: Why didn’t that happen?
AP: Many would attribute it to the entrenched biases in Hollywood.
MORENO: It’s one of the very few things about my career that really makes me sad. A lot of the reviews for this documentary were fabulous. A number of the critics said something to the effect of: It’s sad to think that this woman might have had a real career in films had she not had this career when she had it. And I think that’s true. I think it’s very, very true. I want to say I’ve been robbed. But you know, what good does that do?
AP: After “West Side Story,” you’ve said you were offered only similar, stereotypical roles for years.
MORENO: Those were brutal. Brutal! When I got the Oscar and the Golden Globe, I thought: “OK, finally.” And that’s not what happened at all. In fact, it was the opposite. I was offered more Anita-type roles when I was offered something, which was not that frequent. I made a decision not to accept any more of those kinds of roles. It was a lot of coffee pourers, housewives and stuff. I said I’m not going to do them anymore. Ha-ha, I showed them. I didn’t make a movie for seven years. I mean, how stubborn can you get?
AP: You recently revisited “West Side Story” with Spielberg. How was that?
MORENO: It was just grand. I’ve been a fan of Steven’s work for years. When he called, he offered me a part in “West Side Story.” I nearly peed my pants because this is Steven Spielberg, one of my idols. I said to him that I would love to do a cameo, but I said, “You don’t really want me to do that, do you?” And he said, “Oh, no, no. It’s a part. It’s a real part. Tony Kushner wrote it for you.” First of all, Tony Kushner’s writing the script? What! I was thrilled. I was excited the way a child would be excited. Tony kept adding to the part. It’s a wonderful part. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
AP: I don’t imagine you do, but do you have any regrets?
MORENO: If I can’t have all the movies I always wanted to be in — which are all the Meryl Streep movies, I wanted to be her — but if I can’t do that, I’ve done pretty well, considering. And I think I’ve left an important legacy in a very, very meaningful sense and that is: That I have never gave up. I have never given up. I just cling and hang on to what is important to me. A great deal of that has to do with self-respect and earning respect.
AP: I know it’s early, but have you picked out a theme for your 90th birthday in December?
MORENO: I think it’s going to be Puerto Rico. (Laughs.) It means the food. It means people have to dress a certain way. I’m probably going to say Puerto Rico in the ’30s. I’ll make them wear Panama hats.
***
The 25 best comedy TV shows of the ’70s
Best comedy TV shows of the ’70s
Updated
From the time television entered mainstream culture, TV programing has mirrored our lives, evolving and shifting as society has grown and changed. In the ’50s and ’60s, there were crime dramas like “Dragnet,” Westerns such as “Bonanza,” and of course, sitcoms like “I Love Lucy” and “The Honeymooners.” And while comedy series have always been a big part of the world of television broadcasting, the comedies of the 1970s were something special.
Television of the ’70s opened up topics that were previously off-limits, such as sexuality and racism, pushing out the more mundane Westerns and family-centric shows of the ’60s for series that were more in tune with the changes taking place in the world. Comedy TV also evolved, from escapist fun like “Mork & Mindy” to satirical comedies that dealt with real-world problems, as seen in “Maude” or “Soap.”
While modern-day comedy is great, it’s also fun to take a look at hits from the past, especially those classic comedy shows from the ’70s. Stacker compiled data on all comedy TV shows from 1970-1979 and ranked them according toIMDb user rating, with ties broken by votes. To qualify, the show had to have at least 1,000 votes. Only English-language shows were considered.
Take a look at the best comedy TV shows of the ’70s.
You may also like: Top 100 TV shows of the ’60s
#25. Maude
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Years on the air: 1972–1978
Starring Bea Arthur, Maude debuted as a spin-off of the popular television series, “All In The Family,” telling the story of Edith’s cousin, a liberated woman, living in Tuckahoe, New York. The show garnered Arthur an Emmy for her performance, and received other award nominations during its run.
#24. The Dukes of Hazzard
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Years on the air: 1979–1985
Good ol’ boys and cousins Bo and Luke Duke have some wild escapades in this series, which starred Tom Wopat, John Schneider, and Catherine Bach as their cousin Daisy. The show never won any major awards, but did have a strong fan base, with lasting popularity that led to a 2005 film version with Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, and Jessica Simpson in the lead roles.
#23. Mork & Mindy
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.2
– Years on the air: 1978–1982
This sci-fi comedy hit was the first starring role for famed actor Robin Williams. The show was a spin-off from an episode of the series “Happy Days” in which Williams played an alien called “Mork, from Ork.” Williams won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series for the role, and the show was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
#22. To the Manor Born
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Years on the air: 1979–2007
A Brit-based series starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, “To the Manor Born” tells the story of a woman, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, who finds out she must leave her stately home after the death of her husband. The home is purchased by Peter Bowles’s character, Richard De Vere, and the two eventually find themselves falling in love. The show was nominated for four BAFTA awards, including two for Best Comedy Series.
#21. The Sylvester & Tweety Show
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Year on the air: 1976
An animated series featuring Warner Brothers favorites Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird, the antics of these two characters kept viewers of all ages in stitches. Famed voice actor Mel Blanc played both characters, as well as portraying many other Warner Brothers characters over the course of his career.
You may also like: 100 movies that became TV shows
#20. Happy Days
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Years on the air: 1974–1984
He’s an award-winning filmmaker and director these days, but Ron Howard was also famously known for his role of Richie Cunningham in this popular family-friendly television series. “Happy Days” also starred Marion Ross, who won an Emmy for Supporting Actress; Henry Winkler, who won a Golden Globe for his role; and Tom Bosley. The show enjoyed a long run, with multiple award nominations and wins.
#19. The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Years on the air: 1976–1978
Consisting of two 30-minute episodes, “The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour” took animated crime-fighting to the next level. One part of the show featured Scooby and the gang solving mysteries, and the other part shared the adventures of superhero The Blue Falcon and his trusty robot-dog sidekick, Dynomutt.
#18. Open All Hours
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Years on the air: 1976–1985
Another British hit, “Open All Hours” starred Ronnie Barker as Albert Arkwright, a curmudgeonly shopkeeper who cares about two things: his profit margins and his longtime love, Nurse Gladys. Barker also starred in the award-winning series “The Two Ronnies” as well as the ’70s series “Porridge.”
#17. Minder
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Years on the air: 1979–1994
A con man hires a retired boxer to protect, or “mind” him, from other small-time criminals in this hit show, which received five BAFTA award nominations over its 10-season run. The series was remade in 2009, but the remake didn’t catch on as well as the original and only lasted one season.
#16. Rising Damp
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Years on the air: 1974–1978
Starring Leonard Rossiter as conniving landlord Rigsby, “Rising Damp” kept viewers laughing through four seasons, as Rigsby tried (and failed) to scam his tenants at every turn. The show won a BAFTA award in 1978 for Best Situation Comedy, as well as receiving multiple other nominations.
You may also like: 100 best ‘Seinfeld’ episodes of all time
#15. The Two Ronnies
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Years on the air: 1971–1987
This BBC comedy enjoyed 12 successful seasons, with stars Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett performing a mix of skits and musical numbers together for each episode. The show won a total of five BAFTA Awards during its run, and was nominated for 17 others.
#14. The New Tom & Jerry Show
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Years on the air: 1975–1977
There’s nothing like a little cat and mouse to keep viewers happy, and the animated series “The New Tom & Jerry Show” was enjoyed by young and old. Featuring a modern twist on the classic cartoon, Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse had endless, always hilarious, battles as they plotted against each other. The show got its start in the 1940s, as animated shorts created by Hanna Barbera for MGM. It went on to have several television spin-offs, as well as feature films.
#13. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Years on the air: 1976–1979
Dissatisfied and bored with his life, Reginald Perrin, played by actor Leonard Rossiter, fakes his own death and returns in disguise in this series, only to find things haven’t changed at all! Rossiter also starred in the popular series “Rising Damp,” along with multiple feature film roles and television appearances.
#12. Not the Nine O’Clock News
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Years on the air: 1979–1982
Another award-winning British comedy series, “Not the Nine O’clock News” starred Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, and Mel Smith, with various sketch comedy performances. The show won two BAFTA Awards and was nominated for five others during its four-season run.
#11. The Professionals
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Years on the air: 1977–1983
Actors Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins play British Criminal Intelligence agents Doyle and Bodie, working with their controller, George Cowley, played by Gordon Jackson. In addition to “The Professionals,” Jackson starred in several feature films, as well as the popular British drama series “Upstairs Downstairs.”
You may also like: Best single-season TV shows
#10. The Good Life
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Years on the air: 1975–1978
In this series, a suburban family decides to live a self-supporting lifestyle by growing their own vegetables and raising their own farm animals—much to the horror of their neighbors, as the family lives in the suburbs. Starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, and Penelope Keith, the show ran for four seasons, with Keith winning a BAFTA Award in 1977 for Best Light Entertainment Performance.
#9. Are You Being Served?
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Years on the air: 1972–1985
Showcasing classic British humor at its finest, “Are You Being Served?” takes viewers into the world of an old-school style department store, where staff and management alike get into all kinds of mischief. The series ran for 10 seasons, and was revived in 1992 as the show “Are You Being Served? Again!” which brought back the original cast and had them trying to make a go of running a rural hotel after the department store shuts down.
#8. Saturday Night Live
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Years on the air: 1975–present
Debuting in 1975, this sketch comedy show is still going strong, launching the careers of countless comedians over the last 40-plus years. Created by writer-producer Lorne Michaels, the series originally featured a group of then-unknown actors, including John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and Gilda Radner, performing skits that were as irreverent as they were funny. The storied show has had its ups and downs, but remains one of the most iconic series on television.
#7. The Persuaders!
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Years on the air: 1971–1972
Award-winning actors Tony Curtis and Roger Moore team up in the 1971 hit “The Persuaders!” where they portray two playboys who are forced to work together as crime investigators. The show, which ran for just one season, won a Bambi Award for TV Series International, and a Logie Award for Best Overseas Drama: U.K.
#6. Porridge
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Years on the air: 1974–1977
After getting sentenced to five years in prison, Norman Stanley Fletcher, played by actor Ronnie Barker, must learn to navigate life behind bars and everything that goes with it in this comedy series. Barker won two BAFTA Awards for Best Light Entertainment Performance for his work, and the show also won a BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy.
You may also like: 30 best nature documentaries of all time
#5. Soap
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Years on the air: 1977–1981
This soap opera spoof starred Katherine Helmond and Cathryn Damon as sisters Jessica Tate and Mary Campbell, who were constantly (and quite dramatically) dealing with their family’s problematic lives and various issues. The show also starred comedian and actor Billy Crystal in his breakout role as Jodie Dallas, Mary Campbell’s son, which was the first time an openly gay character was portrayed in American television.
#4. The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Years on the air: 1978–1985
Featuring the best of the beloved Looney Tunes episodes, “The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show” ran for six seasons, eventually getting sold to ABC and developed into “The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show.” This particular Looney Tunes series was somewhat infamous amongst fans, as it edited out much of the violence that appeared in the original Warner Brothers cartoons.
#3. The Muppet Show
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.4
– Years on the air: 1976–1981
It might seem hard to believe that a show with a cast that consisted primarily of puppets would become a beloved and long-lasting hit, much less the winner of multiple awards, but “The Muppet Show” did just that. Created by writer and actor Jim Henson, the series starred assorted Muppet characters in its core cast, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear, as well as assorted celebrities who would appear on each episode. The show won a total of four Emmys, and was nominated for 25 other awards.
#2. SCTV
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.5
– Years on the air: 1976–1981
SCTV, which starred actors such as Eugene Levy, John Candy, and Catherine O’Hara, was set around a fictional television station, with skits that were satires of film and television. Levy and O’Hara went on to act together in several feature films, including the Christopher Guest mockumentaries “Waiting for Guffman” and “Best in Show,” as well as the much-loved television series, “Schitt’s Creek.”
#1. Fawlty Towers
Updated
– IMDb user rating: 8.7
– Years on the air: 1975–1979
The story of incompetent hotel owner Basil Fawlty, played by actor John Cleese, “Fawlty Towers” ran for two seasons, during which time it won two BAFTA Awards and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award. The series was also awarded an Online Film & Television Association Hall of Fame Award in 2009.
You may also like: Best ‘Simpsons’ episodes of all time
Q&A: Rita Moreno on finding self-worth and never giving up | Entertainment News Source link Q&A: Rita Moreno on finding self-worth and never giving up | Entertainment News
