For as much as we see the Glamour Girl era as a light-hearted
time of pin-ups and movie scarlets, there was a tendency to stereotype
talented women into one-dimentional categories. You were either a dumb
blonde (ala
Jayne Mansfield); a European sex kitten
(Brigitte Bardot); a quick-witted vixen (Mae
West); or, in the case of Rita Moreno, a fiery Latina.
These stereotypes were propagated mostly by the major movie studios and
lead to a lot ot typecasting. In order for a glamour girl like Moreno
to get work, she had to play along. But a surprising thing happened while
playing those parts--people quickly realized what a talented woman she
was. Her film credits include such masterpieces as "The King and I," "West
Side Story" (for which she won an Oscar for), "Carnal Knowledge," and a
host of others. But that wasn't the only area where she excelled. She also
won a Grammy for her work in the children's program the "Electric Company",
Emmys for TV appearances on the "Muppet Show" and "The Rockford Files",
and a Tony for her performance in "The Ritz." Some might find Rita
Moreno an odd addition to the Femme Fatale section,
but she does belong here. Unlike most of her contemporaries, she has survived
because of her talents instead of being just another pretty pin-up girl.
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