Zoot Suit (film)
Encyclopedia
Zoot Suit is a 1981
filmed version of the Broadway
play Zoot Suit
. Both the play and film were written and directed by Luis Valdez
. The film stars Daniel Valdez, Edward James Olmos
— both reprising their roles from the stage production — and Tyne Daly
. Many members of the cast of the Broadway production also appeared in the film. Like the play, the film features music from Daniel Valdez and Lalo Guerrero
, the "father of Chicano music."
trial — when a group of young Mexican-Americans were wrongfully charged with murder — and the Zoot Suit Riots
. In the play, Henry Reyna (inspired by real-life defendant Hank Leyvas) is a pachuco
gangster and his gang, who were unfairly prosecuted, are thrown in jail for a murder they did not commit. The play is set in the barrio
s of Los Angeles
in the early 1940s against the backdrop of the Zoot Suit Riots and World War II
. As in the play, Edward James Olmos
portrays El Pachuco, an idealized Zoot Suiter, who functions as narrator throughout the story and serves as Henry's conscience.
for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (won by Arthur).
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
filmed version of the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play Zoot Suit
Zoot Suit (play)
Zoot Suit is a play written by Luis Valdez, featuring incidental music by Daniel Valdez and Lalo Guerrero, the "father of Chicano music." Zoot Suit is a fictionalized version of the real-life Sleepy Lagoon murder trial – when a group of Chicano youths were charged with a murder that they did...
. Both the play and film were written and directed by Luis Valdez
Luis Valdez
Luis Valdez is an American playwright, writer and film director.He is regarded as the father of Chicano theater in the United States.-Education:...
. The film stars Daniel Valdez, Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
— both reprising their roles from the stage production — and Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
. Many members of the cast of the Broadway production also appeared in the film. Like the play, the film features music from Daniel Valdez and Lalo Guerrero
Lalo Guerrero
Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero , was a Mexican-American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist best known for his strong influence on today's Latin musical artists.-Life Summary:...
, the "father of Chicano music."
Story
In Zoot Suit, Luis Valdez weaves a story involving the real-life events of the Sleepy Lagoon murderSleepy Lagoon murder
Sleepy Lagoon murder was the name that newspapers and radio commentators used to describe the alleged murder of Jose Diaz, whose body was found on the Williams Ranch near a lagoon in southeast Los Angeles, California, on August 2, 1942...
trial — when a group of young Mexican-Americans were wrongfully charged with murder — and the Zoot Suit Riots
Zoot Suit Riots
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots in 1943 during World War II that erupted in Los Angeles, California between white sailors and Marines stationed throughout thehi c mlc city and Latino youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored...
. In the play, Henry Reyna (inspired by real-life defendant Hank Leyvas) is a pachuco
Pachuco
Pachucos are Chicano youths who developed their own subculture during the 1930s and 1940s in the Southwestern United States. They wore distinctive clothing and spoke their own dialect of Mexican Spanish, called Caló or Pachuco...
gangster and his gang, who were unfairly prosecuted, are thrown in jail for a murder they did not commit. The play is set in the barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in the early 1940s against the backdrop of the Zoot Suit Riots and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. As in the play, Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
portrays El Pachuco, an idealized Zoot Suiter, who functions as narrator throughout the story and serves as Henry's conscience.
Awards
The film was nominated for the 1982 Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (won by Arthur).
Cast
The cast of the film (in credits order):- Daniel Valdez as Henry Reyna
- Edward James OlmosEdward James OlmosEdward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
as El Pachuco - Charles AidmanCharles AidmanCharles Aidman was an American film scenarist and television actor.-Career:Among his many television credits include appearances on NBC's western series The Road West in the 1966 episode "The Lean Years"...
as George Shearer - Tyne DalyTyne DalyTyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
as Alice Bloomfield - John AndersonJohn Anderson (actor)-Biography:Born in Clayton, John Anderson grew up in Quincy and Adams County, Illinois.Prior to a prolific acting career, Anderson served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II where he met artist Orazio Fumagalli who became one of his best lifelong friends.He was known for several...
as Judge F.W. Charles - Abel Franco as Enrique
- Mike GomezMike GomezMike Gomez is an American actor. Best known for his performances in such cult classics as The Big Lebowski and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Mike Gomez has costarred in numerous films including Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge and Robert Redford's Milagro Beanfield War, Zoot Suit , 'The Border'...
as Joey/Jose Castro - Alma MartínezAlma MartinézAlma Socorro Martínez Toores is a female footballer from Mexico.-Career:Martinéz competed for her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where she finished in 8th place with the Women's National Team.-References:*...
as Lupe - Francis X. McCarthy as Press
- Lupe OntiverosLupe OntiverosLupe Ontiveros is an American film and television actress. Ontiveros has acted in numerous films and television shows, most often playing a maid or, more recently, an all-knowing grandmother; she estimates she has played a maid between 150 and 300 times on screen.-Early life:Ontiveros was born...
as Dolores - Ed PeckEd PeckEd Peck was an American actor.Peck was born in New York, United States, and was active in television and in films from 1951 to 1983....
as Lieutenant Edwards - Robert PhalenRobert PhalenRobert Phalen is an American actor who starred in films and on television.He was born in San Francisco, California, U.S.. He was in the 1978 hit horror movie Halloween as Dr. Terence Wynn. His character returned in the 1995 sequel Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, but the role was taken over...
as District Attorney - Tony PlanaTony PlanaTony Plana is a Cuban-American actor and director. He is well known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC show Ugly Betty.-Personal life:...
as Rudy - Rose Portillo as Della
- Marco Rodríguez as Smiley/Ismael Torres
- Kelly WardKelly WardKelly Ward is an American actor and voice director for TV animation. He is most famous for his role as T-Bird's Putzie in Grease.-Films and TV:...
as Tommy/Thomas Roberts - Helena Andreyko as Blondie
- Bob Basso as The Bailiff
- Darlene Bryan as Little Blue
- Bernadette Colognne as Legs
- Miguel Delgado as Rufus
- Roberta Delgado as Tillie
- Anacani EcheverriaAnacaniAnacani Maria Consuelo y Castillo Lopez Cantor Montoya is a Mexican-born American singer best known as a featured performer on The Lawrence Welk Show television program....
as Pachuca vocalist - Hammam Shafie as Budda
- Honey Garcia as Chola
- James HoganJames HoganJames Hogan may refer to:* James Thomas Hogan , New Zealand politician* James Patrick Hogan , American filmmaker* James P...
as Shore Patrol - Laura Leyva as Elena
- Sal Lopez as Hobo
- Luis Manuel as Cholo
- Kim MiyoriKim MiyoriKim Miyori is an American actress, best known for the role of Dr. Wendy Armstrong on the first two seasons of the 1980s medical drama St...
as Manchaka - Ángela Moya as Bertha
- Bertha E. Oropeza as Pachuca vocalist
- Jeff ReynoldsJeff ReynoldsJeff Reynolds is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the United States Air Force Academy men's basketball team. Reynolds is the seventh head coach in program history and the fourth in the last five years...
as P. Cost - Juan RíosJuan RiosJuan Oscar Ríos is a former tennis player from Puerto Rico.He represented his native country as a qualifier at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he was defeated in the first round by Italy's Omar Camporese...
as Crow - Greg Rosatti as Leatherneck
- Nancy Salis as Bonita
- Candice L. Silva as Pachuca vocalist
- Geno SilvaGeno SilvaGeno Silva is a Mexican American actor. He is best known for his role as The Skull in Scarface.Silva has also appeared in films such as 1941, Tequila Sunrise, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Amistad, Mulholland Dr. and A Man Apart.Despite a popular misconception, he is not related to either Henry...
as Galindo - Kurtwood SmithKurtwood SmithKurtwood Larson Smith is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop and stern parental characters , and for his appearances in the genre of science fiction...
as Sergeant Smith - Dennis Stewart as Swabbie
- Duke StroudDuke StroudDuke Stroud is an American actor who has appeared on screen since the 1970s.His first credited role came in 1973 when he appeared in as Jameson in an episode of Mission: Impossible. He has also appeared in TV serials including The Dukes of Hazzard, Voyagers!, The Outlaws, Hill Street Blues, Law &...
as Guard - Judy SusmanJudy SusmanJudy Susman is a noted dancer and synchronized swimmer in both film and television during the 1970s and 80s. She was the first wife of actor Todd Susman....
as Sugarfoot - Jon Thomas as Ragman
- Lewis Whitlock as Zooter
- Antoinette Yuskis as Ceucra
- Robert BeltranRobert BeltranRobert Adame Beltran is an American actor, known for his role as Commander Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager.-Early life:...
as Lowrider - Alma BeltranAlma BeltranAlma Beltran was a film actress. She appeared in 82 films between 1945 and 2002. She was born in Sonora, Mexico and died in Northridge, California.-External links:...
as Lowrider's Mother - Julio Medina as Lowrider's Father
- Diane RodriguezDiane RodriguezDiane Rodriguez is a prominent American theatre artist who directs, writes and performs. Schooled in activist art, she received her BA in Theatre Arts from the University of California at Santa Barbara. An OBIE Award winning actor, she is known for using comedy to confront various forms of...
as Court stenographer - Socorro Valdez as Lowrider's girlfriend
Trivia
- Despite the film being in color, the original theatrical trailer was in black and white.