The "Latin Lover" Thread

[ClassyCo]

The "Latin lover" is a stock character, primarily a part of the traditional studio system of Old Hollywood. The term and trend first became popular in the 1920s with movie star Rudolph Valentino, but it has mostly lost its zeal since World War II.

When I think of the Latin lover, I generally of someone like Valentino. He's been dead close to a century, and it is kind of difficult for us in 2021 to understand the magnitude of his fame. He was handsome and popular, and he became the prototype for male sexiness of his time. Women were crazy about him, but men felt he was a threat to their masculinity and fueled male effeminacy. When Valentino died in 1926, thousands attended his funeral, and the streets were flooded with flowers and pictures.

There are other men and women that can fit the Latin lover image as well.

Do you have anyone that comes to mind?
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[Crimson]

I'm rather fond of Cesar Romero. I found him suave and genial, although that image is mostly from his later, TV career. I don't think I've seen any films from his younger days, other than THE DEVIL IS A WOMAN with Dietrich (who apparently loathed him).

 

[Willie Oleson]

Tyrone Power...and maybe Omar Sharif?

 

[Crimson]

I've never thought of Tyrone Power as a "Latin Lover" but, now that I think about it, I can't disagree. He did play Zorro, the bullfighter in BLOOD & SAND, and THE CAPTAIN FROM CASTILLE. Either way, he's one of my favorite actors of the era.

 

[ClassyCo]

What Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda from those frothy wartime Fox musicals in the forties? They fit the bill, don't they?

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[ClassyCo]

Tyrone Power...and maybe Omar Sharif?

I've never viewed Tyrone Power as the Latin Lover type, either, but he does fit the troupe. He was handsome and played those types of roles, especially when he was young.

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[Willie Oleson]

I've never viewed Tyrone Power as the Latin Lover type, either, but he does fit the troupe

But what exactly is a Latin Lover type? Is it simply a Latin (looking) actor in the romantic lead role?
I could be wrong but I think it has a slightly disapproving ring to it. Too smooth, too suave - the playboy type, or the exotic male prostitute type.
A cheesy "hausfrau" fantasy.

 

[ClassyCo]

But what exactly is a Latin Lover type? Is it simply a Latin (looking) actor in the romantic lead role?
I could be wrong but I think it has a slightly disapproving ring to it. Too smooth, too suave - the playboy type, or the exotic male prostitute type.
A cheesy "hausfrau" fantasy.

I suppose it is a term, or a trend, or an archetype, that progresses as movies evolve. The Latin Lover has probably taken different forms depending on what is currently popular.​

 

[Crimson]

Carmen Miranda

I think Carmen Miranda defies categorization. There's simply never been anyone else like her. She has no predecessors, no contemporaries and no successors (except, maybe, Charo ).

 

[ClassyCo]

I think Carmen Miranda defies categorization. There's simply never been anyone else like her. She has no predecessors, no contemporaries and no successors (except, maybe, Charo ).

Carmen Miranda, the Brazilian Bombshell, was truly one of a kind. She starred in those frothy wartime musicals and filled a vacancy that people had not realized was missing. Her cheeky and campy performances have stood the test of time as over-the-top Old Hollywood glitz and glamour, especially when it comes to musicals. Her appearance in DOWN ARGENTINE WAY, the 1940 movie musical that made Betty Grable a star, is typical of her movie appearances; appearing clothed in flashy clothes and headwear, and having little (to no) impact on the story. Over time, of course, she was more substantial part of her films, but this is where she started.

Miranda is an interesting woman. The entirety of her fame lies right there in that World War II era when America was ushering the Good Neighbor Policy, and Miranda fit the bill being an exotic foreigner from some vague Latin American city.
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[Grant Jennings]

Ramon Novarro was Valentino's successor as Hollywood's "Latin Lover", he successfully transitioned from silent films to talkies and acted opposite Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo and Myrna Loy. He often appeared shirtless in his films though he didn't have the type of physique current movie hunks posses. He apparently didn't go to great pains to conceal his homosexuality, though it did cause him some conflict due to his Catholic faith. Despite his success at the box office, MGM chose not to renew his contract in the mid 30s. Novarro is probably better known today because of the circumstances of his death: he was brutally murdered in his home by two hustlers who were looking for money they believed Novarro had stashed in his house.

He may not have had a Hemsworth or Cavill physique but that face:

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[Jessie]

How about Richard Montalban ?

 

[Jessie]

Lalo Rios and Rita Moreno in “The Ring “ 1952