Zoot Suit (1981)

A kind of musical accompanying the story of the early 1940's and the effect that the "zoot suit" (a man's suit of long jacket and pegged pants, always worn with a long keychain that looped ... See full summary »

Director:

Luis Valdez

Writer:

Luis Valdez (play)

Stars:

Daniel Valdez, Edward James Olmos, Charles Aidman

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Valdez	...	Henry Reyna
Edward James Olmos	...	El Pachuco
Charles Aidman	...	George Shearer
Tyne Daly	...	Alice Bloomfield
John Anderson	...	Judge F.W. Charles
Abel Franco	...	Enrique
Mike Gomez	...	Joey / Jose Torres
Alma Martinez	...	Lupe (as Alma Rosa Martínez)
Francis X. McCarthy	...	Press (as Frank McCarthy)
Lupe Ontiveros	...	Dolores
Ed Peck	...	Lieutenant Edwards
Robert Phalen	...	District Attorney
Tony Plana	...	Rudy
Rose Portillo	...	Della
Marco Rodríguez	...	Smiley / Ismael Torres

Storyline

A kind of musical accompanying the story of the early 1940's and the effect that the "zoot suit" (a man's suit of long jacket and pegged pants, always worn with a long keychain that looped almost to the ankle.... the rebellious fashion of young men) had on the morals and attitudes of the people of that era.

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Plot Keywords:

zoot suit | 1940s | murder | mexican american | adaptation directed by original author | 

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Genres:

Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chicanos Story

Filming Locations:

Prescott, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Sensurround

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Henry Reyna was based upon the real-life zoot-suiter Henry "Hank" Leyvas, who was tried and wrongfully convicted for first-degree murder of Jose Diaz, after an incident on 1 August 1942. The film and the play that preceded it conformed to the facts of the actual case. The appeals court overturned the earlier verdict and Reyna and his friends were set free in 1945, following the Zoot Suit Riots and the banning of zoot suits in Los Angeles (courtesy of the Los Angeles City Council) in 1944. Many futures and outcomes for Reyna were given in the film and the play. In real life, Leyvas was convicted some years later for selling drugs. He served ten years and was released, and soon opened a family restaurant. He died of a heart attack in 1971.

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Quotes

El Pachuco: The Press distorted the very meaning of the word "Zoot Suit." All it is for you guys is another way to say Mexican

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Crazy Credits

The film opens with the 1940's Universal logo.

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Connections

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Sleepy Lagoon"
Performed by Harry James and His Orchestra

User Reviews

East LA's "Angels With Dirty Faces"

While I am willing to agree with the one reviewer here who takes Luis to task for staging a somewhat lopsided revision of history, I'm surprised at the 6.4 rating for this very artfully laid out rundown of the Sleepy Lagoon screwiness in wartime LA. My father was in fact one of the sheriff's deputies involved. His version was understandably authoritarian and legalistic. But all that aside...

This is the best examination I've ever seen or even heard of regarding the psyche of the Mexican-American gang bangers on the east side of that dry wash that separated the fix-is-in boys downtown from the second- and third-generation campesinos of mid-century SoCal. I went to Woodrow Wilson Junior & High School in El Sereno. There is nothing in Eddie James's =stunning= (to me, anyway) real-ization of "El Pachuco" that is off the mark. Nada. He had the peculiar, paranoid-delusional, narcissistic-machismo, defense mechanism menudo of the vato loco =down=, ese.

And anyone who understands even a =little= of what it really means to be =Hispanically= antisocial in hyper-starched khakis & Sir Guys =or= peg pants & porkpies -- and =dig= it -- ought to be fascinated. (Go see the outfits some of the guys in El Chicano, Tierra and Thee Midnighters are sporting to this day.)

Lalo Guerrero's "Marijuana Boogie" and the rest of the "bop" lend further flavor to this nifty little play-turned-film. Watch it =carefully=. Valdez's script is subtle. This is sophisticated trabajo.