links for 2011-08-05

While I thank racialicious for introducing me to “Glossed Over”, which made me say “YES!” about 10 times in the last five minutes reading it, the section on Rita Hayworth is imprecise at best. It glosses over the fact that Rita Hayworth was half-Sephardi (Mediterranean Jewish), not Latina. (Lea Michele is Sephardi too e.g.) Harry Cohn, the Ashkenazi (German Jewish) Columbia Pictures studio boss thought that she looked too “dark” and as Sephardi people were not “on the radar” of the average White American, she was “identified” (coded) as Latina. So the whole Rita Hayworth shtick is offensive on even more levels. She “looked Hispanic” to White viewers! Harry Cohn was a huge sleezebag BTW who demanded sex from young actresses for being in films. He would threaten to squash their film careers before it had even started if they refused to service him sexually. He also demanded sex from Hayworth according to her autobiography.

In the Movieline article’s comments, there’s a commenter named Tim who notes that Movieline itself hasn’t had a black actor on its “cover” since November 2009.

Not sure whether I should be amused by Movieline’s apparent hypocrisy, or I should take that comment as an interesting derail.

I recall reading an interview of Betty Page she said that   a lot of actresses where coerced to sleep with their producers in order to get parts. I have a book of Vogue from the 1920-1930s who look at the pictures of famous actress  at the time they all fit into a very clear definition of W.A.S.P
beauty, turned up nose, peaches and creams complexion and  I only saw like one or two brunettes! That
instlye article was just hellish and how they forgot to mention that  Roger Vadim was also abusive. Things haven’t changed  you too can have fame an fortune if you just torture your body and sell your dignity.

….then  good plan of action is to bring that up to the publisher of “Glossed Over.” Perhaps the person would be amendable to your bringing up there what you’ve brought up here.

I’d take it as someone calling out Movieline’s hypocrisy. This is a definite case of teapots and kettles.

I did now.

Yeah, I figured. I was being paranoid, I guess.