This book explores the role film and television stardom has played in establishing, reinforcing, and challenging popular ethnic notions of Latina/os in the United States since the silent film era of the 1920s. In addition to documenting the importance of Latina and Latino stars to American film and television history, Mary C. Beltrán focuses on key moments in the construction of "Hollywood Latinidad" by analyzing the public images of these stars as promoted by Hollywood film studios, television networks, producers, and the performers themselves. Critically surveying the careers of such film and television stars as Dolores Del Rio, Desi Arnaz, Rita Moreno, Freddie Prinze, Edward James Olmos, Jessica Alba, and Jennifer Lopez, Latina/o Stars in U.S. Eyes also addresses the impact of the rise in Latina and Latino media producers and the current status of Latina/o stardom.

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.

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