Every month we throw the spotlight on an actor or actress who exemplifies what it means to be a class act. As always, we welcome your emails if you have a suggestion for a future Star of the Month. The Midnight Palace is pleased to present the Star of the Month for February 2008: Rita Hayworth.

Date of Birth
October 17, 1918, Brooklyn, New York

Date of Death
May 14, 1987, New York, New York

Birth Name
Margarita Carmen Cansino

Nickname(s)
The Love Goddess

Height
5' 6"

Overview:

Rita Hayworth was known for many things. Her natural beauty and presence made her one of the most popular faces of the World War II era. She was also the cousin of actress and longtime Fred Astaire dancing partner Ginger Rogers. But long before she ever graced the silver screen, her abilities as an all-around performer were evident during childhood. Born to Spanish flamenco dancer Eduardo Cansino and Ziegfeld girl Volga Hayworth, Margarita Carmen Cansino first joined her parents on-stage at the young age of six. The trio formed a troupe dubbed The Cansinos, and performed on the Vaudeville circuit. Later, Margarita replaced her aunt (Eduardo?s sister) as her father?s dancing partner, delighting nightclub audiences around California and Mexico. The family appeared in 1926's Anna Case in La Fiesta, a short musical that goes on record as Margarita's first film. Their only job was to dance in the background while Anna Case, a soprano with the Metropolitan Opera Company, broke into song. Margarita was uncredited but showed enough potential to light a fire under Fox Studios.

After a decade, the 16-year-old Margarita helped The Dancing Cansinos grab the attention of film producers. Fox Studios signed her to a contract in 1935, but it would last only a short while. After a very small role as an uncredited extra in 1934's Cruz Diablo, Fox declined the option to renew her contract and Margarita spent over a year freelancing before Columbia Pictures offered her a deal in 1937. That year, Margarita Carmen Cansino became Rita Hayworth, shortening her first name and adopting her mother's maiden name. Though her initial film roles were all but forgettable, the 1939 Cary Grant drama Only Angels Have Wings gave her a better platform. Rita, as Judy MacPherson, took the second female lead to Jean Arthur's Bonnie Lee. Her role made the other studios take notice. MGM borrowed her for 1940's Susan and God with Joan Crawford, and Warner Brothers commissioned her for their 1941 James Cagney picture The Strawberry Blonde.

With third billing underneath Cagney and Olivia de Havilland, Strawberry served as a launching pad for the 23-year-old Hayworth. The 1940s were kind to her, placing her alongside such headliners as Tyrone Power, Fred Astaire, Charles Boyer, Henry Fonda, Edward G. Robinson, and in 1944, Gene Kelly in Cover Girl. Rita was praised in a 1941 Time Magazine article titled "California Carmen" for keeping up with Astaire's dancing when the two appeared in You'll Never Get Rich. But like every other big star, Rita found her signature role in 1946. It was perhaps the largest catalyst for her superstardom. It was such a success that audiences found it difficult to separate her from the character. Gilda became Rita and Rita became Gilda. The timeless romantic drama/noir gave her top billing over co-star Glenn Ford. Her character is borderline apathetic, yet captures the sympathy of all who watch from the outside. One can never fully tell if she is sincere or just another femme fatale of the noir ilk. Despite Bosley Crowther's scathing review of the film in the March 15, 1946 edition of the New York Times, it solidified itself as the face and voice of post-WWII America. Crowther claimed to be "baffled by what happened on the screen" and that it "simply did not make sense". But to scores of other critics and film-goers alike, it made perfect sense. Set in Buenos Aires and loosely touching on the effects of the Nazis, all the negative aspects of the plot are overshadowed by a single song and dance routine. Hayworth managed to pull off the only "fully clothed strip tease" with "Put the Blame on Mame". It wasn't a bad accomplishment considering Hayworth had given birth to her first child Rebecca just a few months prior (with then husband Orson Welles) and had to wear a corset. With all of the film's varied undertones, the seductive performance became its biggest representation. Check it out here:

One year before they divorced, Rita and Orson Welles starred together in 1947's The Lady from Shanghai. It was a crime thriller that once again gave her top billing. Though noted as one of her best performances, it failed miserably at the box office, partly due to Welles. Hailed as a genius ever since his masterpiece Citizen Kane, Welles made an error in judgment when he had Rita's famous red hair cut short and dyed blonde for the role. The cut wasn't sanctioned by executive producer Harry Cohn, who fumed over Welles' decision. Cohn also believed that the film would completely ruin Hayworth's image and chose not to release it until 1947 (even though it was completed a year prior). To offset any negative consequences, Cohn ordered Welles to intentionally film close-up shots of Hayworth. He also ordered filming of the scene where Hayworth sings "Please Don't Kiss Me" to capitalize on the success she'd enjoyed while singing in past films. Afterwards, Cohn admitted that he felt the plot was confusing and offered $1,000 to anyone who could explain it to him. Nevertheless, in the years since its release, The Lady from Shanghai has become a must-see among film gurus.

Settling Down

Rita played the princess (and the title role) in 1953's Salome. But, it was abundantly clear that the queen she had been in the 1940s was gone. Her film roles started to decline, more so in quality than in quantity. She still maintained top billing in her subsequent films like Miss Sadie Thompson, Fire Down Below and 1957's Pal Joey with Frank Sinatra, but the times were changing with the 1960s on the horizon. Her status as a sex symbol was diminishing. During the 60s and into the 1970s, she appeared in a few foreign films which gradually pushed her into lower billings and did little justice to the career she'd built from the ground up. Her last role was in 1972's The Wrath of God, a western with Robert Mitchum. She had already suffered the early onset of Alzheimer's Disease, though she was not officially diagnosed until 1980. Both of Rita's brothers died in 1974, within a week of each other, which caused her to drown her depression. She passed away from Alzheimer's in 1987 at the age of 68. Her marker in California's Holy Cross Cemetery reads "To yesterday's companionship and tomorrow's reunion". Rita's second daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan (with third husband Prince Aly Khan), has hosted the annual Rita Hayworth Gala every year for the Alzheimer's Association, which has raised more than $48 million dollars for Alzheimer's research.

Our Rita Hayworth Film Reviews:
Film Review: Gilda (1946)

Special Links of Interest:
RitaHayworth.net
Rita Hayworth Galas at the Alzheimer's Association
Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess

Downloads:
Rita Hayworth SOTM Wallpaper (1024x768)
Rita Hayworth SOTM Wallpaper (800x600)
Trailer: The Loves of Carmen (1948)