Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It

Having arrived from Puerto Rico in the 1930s, dancing in nightclubs by six, dropping out of school by fifteen, she was the family’s sole income earner.  Discovery by an MGM talent scout didn’t improve things much.  Studio heads would loan her out as arm candy.  As actor and friend Mitzi Gaynor tells us, “When you’re under a studio contract, they own you.”

Appearing as celebrity Zelda Zanders in SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, in the nine years that followed, Moreno gradually became disenchanted with Hollywood—landing only roles as one sex object or another, painted in brownface, expected to act “more latin” or “more spicy.”

After her break as the fiercely independent Anita in WEST SIDE STORY, we learn, she expanded into appearances on Broadway, variety shows, and, where in my childhood I first saw her work on PBS’ children’s show, The Electric Company, acting alongside Morgan Freeman and others for seven years she described as some of the most fun of her career.

Mariem Pérez Riera’s documentary is perfectly tailored to the woman who modestly quips that were she a star, she’d have someone else preparing the food for an upcoming party.  But she so much loves being a part of the action that you couldn’t imagine Moreno, even at 89, sidelined watching everyone else make preparations for a social gathering.

Through candid asides, she confides in us about the objectification of early roles, an agent who raped her, her extended love affair with Marlon Brando whose genius and activism attracted her, and whose control streak nearly drove her to suicide.  An outspoken activist herself, Moreno’s running comments are set to the backdrop of the Senate confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh, especially the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford.

Interviews with fellow Latinos Lin-Manuel Miranda, Eva Longoria, and Justina Machado round out Riera’s delightful and occasionally irreverent documentary.  Each acknowledges in his or her own way the barriers Moreno shattered, enduring belligerent executives who grinded up on her at parties or commanded her to lie still even while being stung by jellyfish in SEVEN CITIES OF GOLD. Even in her breakthrough role in Robert Wise’s and Jerome Robbins’ hit musical, she found ways to push through the stereotypes and shine a light on Puerto Rican culture.  A picture emerges of a woman who fought every inch for freedom, achieving it once she wrested her career from the grip of toxic men.

Generations later, true to her legacy, Moreno remains equally proud of inspiring children, whenever fans ask the Emmy-, Grammy-, Oscar-, and Tony-winning actress to belt out her signature line from The Electric Company, “Hey, you guys!”