Unsung Pioneering East LA Chicano actor Lalo Rios (1928-1973) is to be given a tribute on Turner Classic Movies Channel on Sunday September 18th, 5:00 P.M. (PT) with Two groundbreaking Movies The Lawless 1950 and The Ring 1952 with Rita Moreno. Rios was the first young Chicano screen rebel hero who came to epitomize the Chicano Civil rights movement almost a decade later.

The tribute to Rios will be hosted on camera by L.A based Film Historian Luis I. Reyes, who is the author of the new book Viva Hollywod which highlights the achievements of Latinx in the Hollywood film industry.

Rios was born in Sonora Mexico and his family immigrated to The United States in 1938 and settled in Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights. He was not a trained actor but a construction worker, when he was discovered by Director Joseph Losey who found him to possess a natural talent in front of the camera. His only theatrical experience was participating in local posadas or religious nativity plays where he also played the guitar.

Reyes, whose knowledge of the careers of Latinos in Hollywood, has featured now in three of his books: Hispanics in Hollywood, Made in Mexico and now Viva Hollywood. Beginning with Hispanics in Hollywood, one of the most comprehensive look at Latinos in Hollywood, highlighted the careers of may throughout the history of Hollywood where Latinos have played a part since the silent era. Reyes impressed upon us the importance of knowing the history of talents like Rios. “It is important that we document our Latinx history in the entertainment industry as it is a part of the whole picture of the history of those individuals of diverse (ethnic, racial, immigrants and emigres) backgrounds that participated and contributed to the Hollywood Film Industry and gave us treasured Classic cinema,” he told Latin Heat. 

He talked about his new book, “Viva Hollywood” which has given him the opportunity to “…give fresh new insights to the history especially the advancements of the last 25 years and put them in perspective”.

“Viva Hollywood” is an overview and highlights recognized and unrecognized Latinx talent in Hollywood both in front of and behind the camera. Reyes explains that this book is not a comprehensive book with some personal favorites may be missing.  

“If we don’t document it, it will be lost,” Reyes reminds us. The book celebrates and honors the latest generation of artists like Edward James Olmos, Andy Garcia, Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, and Eva Longoria who have paved the way for Ana de Armas, Michael Pena, Zoe Saldana, Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac, among many others.

Jimmy Smits, who will be starring in a new CBS TV series East New York, and is a long-time friend of Reyes’ contributed the forward to the book. Viva Hollywood  is lavishly illustrated with more than 200 color and black and white photos.

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Latino Hollywood expert and historian Luis Reyes is featured as an on-camera guest programmer for Turner Classic Movies Hispanic Heritage month celebration on Wed., Sept. 15 with TCM host Eddie Muller.  

Reyes will discuss three films to be shown on the cable channel highlighting Hollywood Latino stars Academy-Award winner Anthony Quinn, silver screen goddess Rita Hayworth and the Golden Globe-nominated Puerto Rican actor Juano Hernandez who was a pioneer in Black cinema.

The first film will be Back To Bataan, a 1945 RKO World War II adventure set in the Philippines co-starring a young Quinn in one of his first leading roles alongside John Wayne. Quinn was an actor of Mexican descent whose real name was Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca. The movie will play at 8 pm ET, 5 pm PT.

Following will be The Strawberry Blonde, a 1940 Warner Bros. romcom starring a young Hayworth–whose real name was Margarita Carmen Cansino and who was Spanish on her father side. The actress made this film at the height of her stardom alongside Oscar-winning actor James Cagney and director Raoul Walsh, who was a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film will air at 10 pm ET, 7 pm PT.

The third film, Intruder in The Dust, is a 1949 MGM drama starring Hernandez in a tale of a proud black man falsely accused of killing a white neighbor in a small Southern town. It will broadcast at 12 midnight ET, 9 pm PT.

Reyes is a frequent contributor to this trade outlet, Latin Heat. He is the author of five books on film including the seminal works Hispanics In Hollywood and co-author of The Hawaii Movie and TV Book. The Los Angeles-based writer is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Publicists Guild. The respected film historian has written numerous film-related articles for The Los Angeles Times, Hawaii Magazine, DGA Quarterly and Latin Heat. Reyes has lectured on film at UCLA, USC and New York’s Public Theater and Film Forum.

For more information, visit www.tcm.com.

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New to Chicago P.D. is Lisseth Chavez!

Lisseth Chavez will appear in a recurring role on the upcoming 7^th season of NBC’s Chicago P.D.  Chavez will take on the role of Vanessa Rojas, a streetwise undercover cop. The NBC crime drama revolves around the men and women of the Chicago Police Departments elite intelligence unit combatting the city’s most notorious crimes. 

Chavez‘s contract has the possibility of extending into a regular character on the series now that Jon Seda’s Detective Antonio Dawson has left the show. The young actress recently recurred on ABC’s medical drama Station 19 as fire academy graduate “Kat” Noonan.

Lisseth is best known for her role as Ximena Sinfuego on the long-running Freeform series The Fosters.  Chicago P. D. is produced by Wolf Entertainment in association with Universal Television filmed on location in Chicago. Chavez is represented by Osbrink talent agency, Link Entertainment and Stone Genow.

Alita: Battle Angels’ Rosa Salazar Stars in New Amazon Prime Series Undone

Rosa Salazar is starring in a new one-hour Sci-Fi series for Amazon studios called Undone. It uses cutting edge Rotoscope animation technology to tell the story of Alma, a dissatisfied San Antonio daycare worker who survives a car crash, only to realize she now has an unusual relationship with time and seeks to solve the mystery of her father’s death.

The advanced animation technology Rotoscope takes place when animators sketch colors and texture over each frame of recorded digital video. Season 1 of Undone consists of eight episodes that will debut on Amazon Prime later this year, but no premiere date has been set.

With $404 million in the worldwide box-office and generally favorable review from film critics, Robert Rodriquez and James Cameron’s manga film adaptation Alita: Battle Angel with Salazar in the title role has just been released on DVD and is sure to expand its fan base. 

 At the recent Comic-Con in San Diego star, Rosa Salazar urged everyone to buy DVD’s or Blu Rays to prove to Disney/Fox that there are interest and a demand for a sequel to Alita: Battle Angel. Michelle Rodriguez’sRos mentor Gelda and other characters were briefly included in the movie in hopes of developing the characters in a sequel. Rodriguez concluded the movie with the intention of making a sequel and he and Cameron, inspired by the original source material, had worked out continuing storylines.

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By Luis Reyes

She was the beautiful senorita the Three Amigos could not say no to; the ethereal girl Tom Selleck fell for in Magnum P.I.; and Vicoria, the innkeeper who aided Zorro in his new adventures.

That was actress Patrice Martinez who sadly passed away unexpectedly on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018 at her home in Burbank, California after a long illness and at the young age of 55.    

The first time I saw Patrice Martinez was in 1986 on the big screen in the now iconic slapstick comedy spoof film Three Amigos.  I was awestruck by her beauty, grace, and presence in her starring role as Carmen who seeks help to free her defenseless village from a rampaging bandit gang. Her skillfully rounded portrayal of Carmen, rooted in the classic Commedia dell’arte was a foil and in sharp contrast to the past senorita screen stereotypes.   

Patrice held her own on screen opposite a trio of comedians (no easy task for a young actress in her first major film). Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short played Hollywood silent screen cowboy heroes who under the mistaken assumption of a personal appearance, find themselves rescuing a real life South of the border Mexican village from the grips of bandidos.                             

A tremendous hit when first released, Three Amigos has for more than thirty years entertained several generations of kids growing up through repeated viewings on television, cassette tapes,  DVD, Blu-ray, cable and streaming services, becoming a perennial family favorite and Patrice’s best known film role. Millions of young men and boys were smitten and young girls and women emulated her strength and humor becoming instant fans. She would be recognized by fans on the street more from this film than anything else she was to do.  

Patrice was also featured as the after-life receptionist Miss Argentina in Tim Burton’s horror comedy Beetlejuice (1988) opposite Michael Keaton.

Her classic training was put to good use as the spirited Victoria Escalante starring opposite Duncan Regher and Henry Darrow for four seasons (1990-1993) on New World’s syndicated TV series, the 18th century swashbuckling Zorro which was filmed in Spain.     

On the original Magnum P.I. TV series starring Selleck Patrice played Linda Lee Ellison, Magnum’s Eurasian love interest in a two part episode. You could see why Magnum would fall for her.  She also played a Native-American girl opposite James Arness’ Matt Dillon in a television film based on the classic long running western TV series Gunsmoke titled Gunsmoke Return to Dodge. Her other television credits include guest starring on such series as Miami vice and Air America.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on June 12, 1963 to a family of theater, her mother Margarita Martinez founded the La Compania de Teatro de Albuquerque and later managed the Ricardo Montalban theatre in Hollywood. Her father was a musician. Patrice’s brother Benito Martinez is a respected actor (How to Get Away With Murder, The Shield) and her sister Benita Andre, is also an actress.

Patrice was discovered as a teenager by legendary director Sam Peckinpah who gave her a bit part in his film Convoy (1978) filmed in Albuquerque.

After high school, Patrice was one of the few American students (along with her future Three Amigos co-star Tony Plana), accepted into the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England where she honed her acting skills. Her time in the school provided classic stage training and experience.  

Upon finishing her classical studies, she returned to the US  pursue her acting career in Los Angeles, landed her first acting job in an independent film called A Walk on the Moon that was released later in 1987.

Off screen, Patrice was known by her friends and colleagues to be a “sweetheart of a human being,” a kind and gentle woman who did not take herself seriously but took her acting profession seriously, remained largely a private person.

Actress Dyana Ortelli remembers first meeting Patrice on location in the Mexican town, the film set of Santo Poco when they were working on Three Amigos. “Everything I had heard about her was true! She was a stunning beauty, who was also kind, generous, gracious, funny and amazingly talented,” Ortelli recalled.  “She was proud of her Latina roots and passionate about giving back to our community. From that day forward Patrice became one of my dearest friends and will forever hold a place in my heart.” 

In recent years Martinez sought other life and career interests and worked in real estate and management.

Her real life dignity, natural elegance and acting talent illuminated every role she undertook and every facet of her life. In a youth obsessed Hollywood where opportunities are limited for Latinos and actresses become a disposable commodity as they age, Patrice didn’t find more of the great leading roles again, for she was capable of giving so much more. For me and film fans the world over, the luminous Patrice Martinez will forever live on the blazing technicolor screen as Carmen, the perfect senorita of Three Amigos.

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