Strictly Dynamite

The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez

by Eve Golden

Published by: The University Press of Kentucky

Series: Screen Classics

Imprint: The University Press of Kentucky

Sales Date: 09/19/2023

488 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 x 1.64 in, 62 b&w illustrations

Hardcover
9780813198088
Published: September 2023

$40.00 SR

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Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

Before Salma Hayek, Eva Longoria, and Penelope Cruz, there was Lupe Velez—one of the first Latin-American stars to sweep past the xenophobia of old Hollywood and pave the way for future icons from around the world. Her career began in the silent era, when her beauty was enough to make it onto the silver screen, but with the rise of talkies, Velez could no longer hope to hide her Mexican accent. Yet Velez proved to be a talented dramatic and comedic actress (and singer) and was much more versatile than Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Gloria Swanson, and other legends of the time. Velez starred in such films as Hot Pepper (1933), Strictly Dynamite (1934), and Hollywood Party (1934), and her popularity peaked in the 1940s after she appeared as Carmelita Fuentes in eight Mexican Spitfire films, a series created to capitalize on Velez's reputed fiery personality.

The media emphasized the "Mexican Spitfire" persona, and by many accounts, Velez's private life was as colorful as the characters she portrayed on-screen. Fan magazines mythologized her mysterious childhood in Mexico, while mainstream publications obsessed over the drama of her romances with Gary Cooper, Erich Maria Remarque, and John Gilbert, along with her stormy marriage to Johnny Weissmuller. In 1944, a pregnant and unmarried Velez died of an intentional drug overdose. Her tumultuous life and the circumstances surrounding her early death have been the subject of speculation and controversy.

In Strictly Dynamite: The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez, author Eve Golden uses extensive research to separate fact from fiction and offer a thorough and riveting examination of the real woman beneath the gossip columns' caricature. Through astute analysis of the actress's filmography and interviews, Golden illuminates the path Velez blazed through Hollywood. Her success was unexpected and extraordinary at a time when a distinctive accent was an obstacle, and yet very few books have focused entirely on Velez's life and career. Written with evenhandedness, humor, and empathy, this biography finally gives the remarkable Mexican actress the unique and nuanced portrait she deserves.

A Note on the Text
Introduction
1. "I never study how to sing or dance from any teacher... Maybe I don't sing so well on the key but I sing like I feel."—Lupe Velez
2. "She was like a young colt, and just as hard to tie down."— Harold Bucquet
3. "Tomorrow she'll be heralded as another discovery in the way of cinema stars."—Irene Thirer
4. "The sons and daughters of old Spain again are marching on southern California."—Arthur L. Marek
5. "The Mexican heart-breaker de luxe... reaching out for the veteran scalps of Movieland."—Mollie Merrick
6. "I do not exaggerate when I say that her talent is distinctive, far-reaching, and something at which to marvel."—D.W. Griffith
7. "Lupe's vivaciousness, her sparkling black eyes and ready laugh dispel any offense that one might take at her actions."—Dan Thomas
8. "Gilbert and Garbo haven't got much on Cooper and Velez"—the New York Daily News
9. "The realest, most unaffected, unposey child who ever came down the picture pike."— Mayme Ober Peak
10. "United Artists will be just plain crazy if they didn't keep Lupe Velez at their own studio and find some stories for her."—Louella Parsons
11. "I don't believe Lupe is ever quite still. Even when she sleeps, I'd wager, in her dreams she dances, gesticulates, pounces, shrieks with merriment, throws back her head in wild peals of primitive silvery laughter."—Robbin Coons
12. "Lupe Velez is wonderful in a role that calls for and brings to the screen one of the greatest pieces of acting of the year."—The Hastings and Saint Leonards Observer
13. "I sing, not good but loud; I dance, not good but move around a lot. I stop the show."—Lupe Velez
14. "The only way you could satisfy our Latin friends would be to show them as holy cherubs on the screen."—Harry Carr
15. "I know men. They are all the same. You love them. They want to be bosses. I will never have a boss over me except myself. I earn my own money."—Lupe Velez
16. "Who is this so-and-so who writes this stuff? What do you think I am; you write this in English!"—Lupe Velez
17. "I take the minutes as they come. When I cry, I enjoy my crying. I enjoy terribly to get mad. I enjoy to laugh and to love. I don't worry about yesterday or tomorrow."—Lupe Velez
18. "To marry, I expect my husband to be the boss, every man should be the boss of his wife. But with me it doesn't work, understand?"—Lupe Velez
19. "Tarzan Weissmuller threw Lupe Velez from deep center to the home plate at Malibu beach the other afternoon."—The New York Daily News
20. "The only way I could quiet her down was to smash one of her antiques. That used to break her spirit."—Johnny Weissmuller
21. "That film industry – what is the matter with it? They pick wrong stars for parts... Those films like Strictly Dynamite. Ugh! Two more like that and Lupe she is finished."—Lupe Velez
22. "From the moment that Miss Velez was lowered from the ceiling in a silver throne she was decidedly a hit."—Variety
23. "Lupe Velez doesn't do any picture work, but her fights with her husband, Johnny Weissmuller, keep her name in the local papers."— Harry T. Brundidge
24. "Some little—or big—voice inside me says, 'go out there looking like a star.' And I'm damned uncomfortable when I don't."—Joan Crawford
25. "The feeling concerning Miss Velez is simply that she cast her lot with Hollywood and... that there were plenty of Mexican girls who could just as well have essayed the role."—Read Kendall, Los Angeles Times
26. "I have tried hard, but we just can't get along... I am so tired of fighting."—Lupe Velez
27. "Miss Velez plays herself... in her own delightful manner."—The Arizona Republic
28. "We've been here for a hundred and fifty years, nobody paid a goddam bit of attention to us. All of a sudden they say, 'I want to be your friend."—Desi Arnaz
29. "They are not 'important' pictures... It has no rhyme, and its only reason is laughter."—Robin Koon, the Hazleton Standard Speaker
30. "Not a lady to see too much if you're inclined to be neurotic. She is very wearing indeed."—Alice Hughes
31. "I am no more a little girl. I am now a divorcée. I am mature. I am industrious. I cannot take chances with my career."—Lupe Velez
32. "Low comedy makes everybody laugh, the high-hat people and the cap people too... there is nothing to make everybody laugh like a pie in the face, except maybe the kick in the pants."—Lupe Velez
33. "They say I am too Latin, too passionate, too intense to play comedy. Now they are saying that I am too giddy and too Latin to do anything but comedy."—Lupe Velez
34. "Again Lupe Velez races about, screeching at the top of her lungs."—The Hammond Indiana Times
35. "I can't waste my time on a romance that will only mean unhappiness for both of us."—Lupe Velez
36. "It's not only him, it's all, it's everything. I'm very unhappy. Oh! I know! They'll say again that I'm an abominable woman."— Émile Zola's Nana
37. "I just want to have a little fun. I don't work – I play. Just so they keep on liking me."—Lupe Velez
38. "I'm so tired of it all. Ever since I was a baby I have been fighting. I'm getting to the point where the only thing I'm afraid of is life itself."—Lupe Velez
39. "Lupe took her own life last night... She was so full of life. Sad."—Erich Maria Remarque
40. "The air was filled with whistles and wolf cries. All in good, clean fun, understand... And that was Hollywood's adios to Lupe."— Florabel Muir, the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News
41. "We only pick on the dead because they can't defend themselves."—Hollywood Tours guide

Lupe Velez had beauty, talent, humor, and an abundance of life. What more could one expect from a Hollywood star? In Strictly Dynamite, accomplished author Eve Golden explores the life and career of this most mercurial and unpredictable film actress with candor, compassion, and innate joy. Though Velez's life ended in tragedy, the author's writing style is breezy yet succinct, with touches of tongue-in-cheek humor.... Well-researched... a recommended read.
~Stephen Michael Shearer, author of Glamour and Style: The Beauty of Hedy Lamarr

A colorful portrait of a fabulous film female and a deep dive into the egocentric, sometimes sordid and sensational, world of Hollywood.
~Jan Wahl, Armed Forces Radio Network, Sportsline USA, and the San Francisco Bay Times

Eve Golden is one of the great historians of American popular culture. Strictly Dynamite restores the reputation of a delightful actress and comedienne, rescuing the Mexican Spitfire from Kenneth Anger's lurid fantasies. Lupe comes to life on the page in a book rich in detail and enlivened by Eve Golden's great humor and brilliant grasp of Hollywood's golden age.
~Gary Shapiro, host of The Bookshelf podcast

Lupe Velez has always been situated within film history as a sort of tragic cartoon, not to be taken entirely seriously. Eve Golden's welcome biography acknowledges her erotic misadventures but also gives us a talented actress and comedian who deserved deeper consideration from her industry and from posterity.
~Scott Eyman, author of 20th Century Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio

Eve Golden's Strictly Dynamite finally delivers an evenhanded, incredibly human, and witty account of Velez's colorful life. Instead of sensationalizing Velez's tumultuous career and love life, Golden meticulously teases apart fact and fiction, revealing a multifaceted woman who was raring to challenge convention as well as the stereotypes shoved upon Hispanic actresses of the day. Velez was, in the words of photographer Alice Hughes, "very wearing indeed." But, to state a cliche, well-behaved women seldom make history, and Lupe Velez is a case in point. She was far more than a juicy sex-and-violence headline; she was eccentric, individualistic, troubled, and lovable. Reading Golden's book made me feel like a studio head discovering a brand new star.... A snappy, fresh take on this underestimated "spitfire" of the silver screen.
~Cynthia Brideson, author of He's Got Rhythm: The Life and Career of Gene Kelly and Ziegfeld and His Follies: A Biography of Broadway's Greatest Producer

Lupe Velez, the Mexican Spitfire, finally gets her due in Eve Golden's frank, in-depth study tracing her ascent from vaudeville to Hollywood and the New York stage. Golden's account of Velez's steamy romance with Gary Cooper and her tempestuous marriage to Johnny Weissmuller will delight fans of Hollywood's golden age.
~Robert Dance, author of The Savvy Sphinx: How Garbo Conquered Hollywood, Hollywood Icons and Glamour of the Gods

A sensitive, impeccably researched portrait that looks beyond the mythical "Mexican Spitfire" and the one-line jokes based on poisonous Tinseltown lies. Eve Golden considers Lupe Velez's legacy in Hollywood and her impact on Latina actresses who followed.
~Larry Harnisch, writer, blogger, columnist, and retired L.A. Times editor

Lupe Velez was a talented, if frequently underutilized, actress—a beauty whose tempestuous life is tantalizing to contemplate and whose final fate remains a mystery, though slandered by spiteful legend. Eve Golden, master of insightful truths and humorous asides, uses honesty, thoughtful analysis, and her typical thorough research to explore the life and work of this fascinating subject.... A page-turning pleasure from start to finish: the book to read about Lupe.
~Hugh Munro Neely, producer/director, Timeline Films

With her signature freewheeling style, Eve Golden takes a deep dive into the life and films of Lupe Velez and comes up with a restless, sexy goddess of great, if frequently underappreciated, talent. Eve Golden is a master of insightful truths and humorous asides. Her deeply researched life of Lupe Velez is a page-turning pleasure from start to finish. Lupe Velez was a talented, if frequently under-utilized actress; a beauty whose tempestuous life is tantalizing to contemplate and whose final fate remains a mystery, though slandered by spiteful legend. Eve Golden uses honesty, humor, thoughtful analysis and her typical thorough research to explore both the life and work of her fascinating subject. With its publication, this becomes the book to read about Lupe. She is revealed here as never before.
~Hugh Munro Neely, producer/director, Timeline Films

For way too long, the personal and professional life of Lupe Velez has been oversimplified and stereotyped. Finally, Eve Golden gives us an in-depth and nuanced look at the talented singer, dramatic actress, and comedian whose story reflects the real and racist challenges faced by too many in the history of Hollywood.
~Cari Beauchamp, author of Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood

Golden's writing is as vivid and bubbly as the subject—Lupe Velez—herself. She captivates the reader with a high density of valuable and bias-free information. Moreover, she splashes out facts and interesting details on other great stars who played a part in Velez's life. Highly recommended.
~Bettina Uhlich, author of Marilyns Idol: Das Leben der Leinwandgöttin Jean Harlow

Aside from the most ardent movie buffs, few today have heard of Lupe Velez. Author Eve Golden adds to her stunning pantheon with Strictly Dynamite, the first English-language biography of the insanely talented, vibrant, and heinously underrated actress. Velez's boundless enthusiasm for anything she set her sights on (acting, stardom, and, yep, sex) is chronicled, from her near-poverty upbringing in Mexico to her taking Hollywood by storm in the 1920s. She rose quite swiftly—due not only to her physical beauty but also to her thespian abilities. Her professional life is meticulously researched by Golden, who spent years tracking down scarce prints of Lupe's more obscure work, rare quotes/interviews, reviews—all seasoned with a generous sprinkling of the author's trademark wit, snark, and unbridled affection for her subject.
~Mel Neuhaus, film critic, Supervistaramacolorscope

A top-notch biography that ardently recreates Vélez's ebullient personality.
~Library Journal

As a biographer, Eve Golden has a knack for clearing the fog around her subjects. In previous books about Jayne Mansfield, Jean Harlow, and John Gilbert, she dug for the truth behind the scandals that overshadowed these stars while also revealing the real person beyond the marquee. She does that once again for Lupe Velez, a multi-talented, vivacious star.
~Kendahl Cruver, Watching Classic Movies podcast

Strictly Dynamite explores how Velez was one of the first Latin actresses to cross over in Hollywood, paving the way for stars like Jennifer Lopez, Sofia Vergara and Salma Hayek. It examines her "Mexican spitfire" persona, her scandalous affairs and her shocking death, which became a punchline in the '90s when referenced in sitcoms like "Frasier" and "The Simpsons."
~Fox News Digital

Author Eve Golden expertly utilizes her extensive research to separate fact from fiction and offer the reader a thorough and riveting examination of the real woman beneath the gossip columns' caricature. Written with evenhandedness, humor, and empathy, Strictly Dynamite: The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez rescues this remarkable Mexican actress from an undeserved and fading obscurity.
~Midwest Book Review

Strictly Dynamite

The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez

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