![]() ![]() (SOUNDBITE OF LALO SCHIFRIN'S "THEME FROM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE")ĭEL BARCO: For "Mission: Impossible" and more than 100 films and TV shows, Schifrin blended jazz and Latin American rhythms and sounds. For example, Argentine American composer Lalo Schifrin created one of the most iconic 1960s TV themes ever. That one set of sounds become sonic stereotypes.ĭEL BARCO: Even so, there were Latino film composers who innovated soundtracks. KUN: This idea that there would be one sound was a problem then and frankly is a problem now. KUN: Either making Latin America feel safe to Americans, make it seem romantic or, increasingly, make it seem dangerous.ĭEL BARCO: Kun says then and now, films would often use tropical music for any Latin American setting. But more often, they would appropriate generic Latin sounds and rhythms. He says film studios turn to successful Latin American composers like Lara and Grever for authenticity. Then the film features music by a Mexican who'd come to Hollywood to record it.ĭEL BARCO: Josh Kun is interim dean of the USC Thornton School of Music. JOSH KUN: The film itself is about a Hollywood screenwriter who's looking for inspiration in Mexico. as "You Belong To My Heart." Lara's first American film composition was for the 1938 picture "Tropic Holiday." UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing in Spanish).ĭEL BARCO: "Solamente Una Vez" became a hit in the U.S. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES")ĭINAH WASHINGTON: (Singing) Where there used to be rain.ĭEL BARCO: In the 1930s and '40s, renowned Mexican composer and musician Agustin Lara also wrote beautiful songs for movies. ![]() (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CUANDO VUELVA A TU LADO")ĮYDIE GORME & THE TRIO LOS PANCHOS: (Singing in Spanish).ĭEL BARCO: Translated to "What A Difference A Day Makes," the song became a staple of Hollywood films. JAVIER SOLIS: (Singing) Mucho, mucho, mucho.ĭEL BARCO: The 1944 MGM musical "Bathing Beauty" features Grever's song "Te Quiero Dijiste", later translated to "Magic Is The Moonlight." Grever wrote another song, "Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado," about missing her husband during the Mexican Revolution. After writing wildly popular boleros in Mexico, Grever composed for Hollywood in the 1920s, '30s and '40s. MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: A century ago, Maria Grever was a maverick in the male-dominated film world. As part of her Latinos in Hollywood series, NPR's Mandalit del Barco runs down a playlist by some legends. Latin American composers have created the theme songs and soundtracks to some classic and iconic movies and TV shows. ![]()
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