Los Angeles, CA, May 24, 2024 – L.A. Cultural Heritage Preservation Society in partnership with Cervantes Institute of Los Angeles and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument presents ¡HABLADA EN ESPAÑOL! THE LEGACY OF HOLLYWOOD's SPANISH LANGUAGE CINEMA (1929-1939), a gallery exhibition and public programs that celebrate the Hollywood films produced in the Spanish-language during the 1930s in Los Angeles.
The exhibition will be open for free to the public during the entire month of June at the Pico House on 424 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-3pm. Parking information: https://elpueblo.lacity.gov/getting-here
HOLLYWOOD EN ESPAÑOL
In the late 1920s, during the advent of motion picture sound technologies, Hollywood studios transitioned from making silent film narratives to film talkies. This era was officially launched with the premiere of Warner Bros. Studios’ The Jazz Singer (1927).Overnight, film actors who had previously mastered the art of physical expression became irrelevant to the needs of a new cinema, where the quality of a good voice was key, and singers in high demand.
By 1929, Hollywood enjoyed a steady stream of international box-office sales, thanks to the appeal of their attractive star system, genre-structured narratives, effective publicity campaigns, and the strategic presence of distribution branches scattered around the world. However, this international appeal presented a major challenge: While the pantomime of the silent era was universally understood, how could Hollywood engage audiences with their talkies if they did not understand English?
Considering the high level of illiteracy at the time, subtitles were not an option, and with dubbing still in its infancy, Hollywood opted for an audacious solution: the making of multilingual film versions. These included Spanish-language productions meant to captivate audiences from Latin America and Spain. The experiment pushed Hollywood's floodgates wide open, allowing a diverse group of artists—from Los Angeles and abroad—to collaborate with the studio system in creating an American cinema en español.
The exhibition celebrates the overlooked films and actors–including, Antonio Moreno, Ramón Novarro, Lupe Vélez, Lupita Tovar, José Mojica and Carlos Gardel– featured in the American Spanish-language films produced by Hollywood in Los Angeles, Astoria (New York), and Joinville (France). The materials on display bear witness to a cinema on the brink of extinction that was a daily staple of the vibrant movie-going experience enjoyed by Angelenos throughout the 1930s. Out of the estimated 180 films that comprise this cinema, less than 10% exist in local and international archives, and less than 2% are available for streaming.
¡HABLADA EN ESPAÑOL! is curated by film archivist and researcher Alejandra Espasande-Bouza, who is currently writing a book about the subject. The exhibition will display rarely seen images, ephemera and moving image clips–from private collections and archives–that trace the early presence of local and international artists who were called to work in the Spanish-language films made in Los Angeles following the industry’s transition to sound films in 1929.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Presented with the support of the City of Los Angeles, Council District 14, and
and El Pueblo Park Association
Note: All screenings will take place inside the historic Pico House
For an updated schedule, visit: laculturalheritage.org
Saturday, June 8th at 3 p.m. - Tribute to actor Lupita Tovar (1910-2016)
Screening of DRÁCULA (1931, Universal) | w/ English subtitles
Guests panelists:
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Pancho Kohner, Producer
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Alejandra Espasande, Exhibition curator
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Juan Rodríguez Flores, Cinemateca Mexicana de Los Ángeles
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Randy Haberkamp, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
Sunday, June 9th at 3 p.m. - Tribute to actor Antonio Moreno (1887-1967)
Screening of THE SPANISH DANCER (2015) | w/ English subtitles
Guests panelists:
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Mar Torres, filmmaker
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Pancho Kohner, Producer
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Alejandra Espasande, Exhibition curator
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Randy Haberkamp, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
Saturday, June 22nd at 3 p.m. - Tribute to actor and singer Carlos Gardel (1890-1935)
Screening of EL DíA QUE ME QUIERAS (1935, Paramount) w/English subtitles
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Tango Musical performance
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Saide Abdala, Gardel Siglo XX
LOS ANGELES CULTURAL HERITAGE PRESERVATION SOCIETY is a Public Benefit Nonprofit Corporation dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of the diverse legacies of our communities through the production of educational and cultural public programs, including exhibitions, film screenings, lectures and book presentations. https://laculturalheritage.org
THE CERVANTES INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES The Instituto Cervantes is a public institution created by the Government of Spain to universally promote the teaching, study, and use of Spanish and to contribute to the dissemination of the cultures and countries that speak this language.It is present in 92 cities across 47 countries on five continents and has achieved extraordinary international prestige since its founding more than thirty years ago. The Instituto Cervantes defends the heritage of a language spoken by more than 500 million people worldwide and which in the 21st century has recognized leaders not only in the fields of literature or music but also in science, technology, business, art, education, and any discipline of human knowledge.In the United States, it has centers in New York, Chicago, Harvard, Albuquerque, and Seattle, and as of December 2022, also in Los Angeles.
https://cervantes.org/us/los-angeles/en
EL PUEBLO DE LOS ANGELES HISTORICAL MONUMENT is the oldest section of Los Angeles and is the site where the City was first established in 1781. The forty-four acre park consists of numerous historic buildings, museums, a beautiful outdoor plaza and the world famous Mexican marketplace on Olvera Street. The Monument represents the rich history, culture and ethnic diversity that is the foundation of the City of Los Angeles. https://elpueblo.lacity.gov
PICO HOUSE (1869-1870) was built by Don Pío Pico, the last governor of Mexican California who sold his land in the San Fernando Valley to raise money for the construction of the city of Los Angeles' first three story building and most elegant hotel, designed in the Italianate style by Ezra F. Kysor.
Contact information:
Alejandra Espasande
aespasande@laculturalheritage.org