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Strictly Dynamite: The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez
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 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.
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 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.
488 pages, Hardcover
Published September 19, 2023
6 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Eve Golden
17 books57 followersEve Golden is a biographer whose work focuses on American silent film, theater and early twentieth century actresses.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 11, 2024
I have never seen a Lupe Velez film but I had heard of her death...she infamously drowned in her toilet after taking sleeping pills to commit suicide and having one last large meal of her favorite Mexican foods....
Except that's not true at all.
Lupe Velez was an actress who did it all. Vaudeville, broadway and movies. Her biggest years were the 1930s. She was one of the first Mexican actors to find fame in Hollywood without changing her name to a more American sounding name or getting rid of her accent, if anything she played up her accent. She is probably best remembered for her Mexican Spitfire series of comedy movies but she was also a very talented dramatic actress when she allowed to.
Her personal life was perfect for tabloids. She had many high profile romances including a long time relationship with Gary Cooper and a stormy marriage to Tarzan himself Johnny Weissmuller. The author never goes into Lupe's mental health but from the way she is described it sounds like she might have been Bi Polar. She is described as being exhausting to be around because she was either loudly singing and pulling pranks or angry and throwing things. It's also mentioned multiple times that the men she was in relationships with often had black eyes and bruises and in her marriage she also appeared to have been hit. Given that she committed suicide( I hate that term) I think more time should have been devoted to her mental health. The author mostly just treats her behavior as Lupe being "zany" and her death was kinda out of nowhere.
In 1944 at the age of 36 Lupe intentionally overdosed on sleeping pills. She was pregnant and single in the 1940s that was a big problem. It's unclear why she didn't get an abortion, despite abortion being illegal for rich and famous actress that wouldn't have been a problem. The book states that those around her believed that her Catholic faith drove her to kill herself but 1. She was a practicing Catholic and 2. Suicide is a BIG NO NO in the Catholic faith. I was taught as a child in elementary school that if you committed suicide your soul would be trapped in purgatory forever. So that reasoning for Lupe doesn't make sense but also suicide often doesn't make sense so maybe that was the reason. I just wish we had a better sense of her mentality.
Overall I didn't feel like I got to know Lupe as a person. She seemed like a cartoon character but maybe that was her real self I just don't think that's true. I think the author mostly wrote this book to set the record straight that she didn't drown in the toilet but she really dropped the ball on everything else.
I don't recommend this book but I do recommend we all watch some of her movies instead.
Except that's not true at all.
Lupe Velez was an actress who did it all. Vaudeville, broadway and movies. Her biggest years were the 1930s. She was one of the first Mexican actors to find fame in Hollywood without changing her name to a more American sounding name or getting rid of her accent, if anything she played up her accent. She is probably best remembered for her Mexican Spitfire series of comedy movies but she was also a very talented dramatic actress when she allowed to.
Her personal life was perfect for tabloids. She had many high profile romances including a long time relationship with Gary Cooper and a stormy marriage to Tarzan himself Johnny Weissmuller. The author never goes into Lupe's mental health but from the way she is described it sounds like she might have been Bi Polar. She is described as being exhausting to be around because she was either loudly singing and pulling pranks or angry and throwing things. It's also mentioned multiple times that the men she was in relationships with often had black eyes and bruises and in her marriage she also appeared to have been hit. Given that she committed suicide( I hate that term) I think more time should have been devoted to her mental health. The author mostly just treats her behavior as Lupe being "zany" and her death was kinda out of nowhere.
In 1944 at the age of 36 Lupe intentionally overdosed on sleeping pills. She was pregnant and single in the 1940s that was a big problem. It's unclear why she didn't get an abortion, despite abortion being illegal for rich and famous actress that wouldn't have been a problem. The book states that those around her believed that her Catholic faith drove her to kill herself but 1. She was a practicing Catholic and 2. Suicide is a BIG NO NO in the Catholic faith. I was taught as a child in elementary school that if you committed suicide your soul would be trapped in purgatory forever. So that reasoning for Lupe doesn't make sense but also suicide often doesn't make sense so maybe that was the reason. I just wish we had a better sense of her mentality.
Overall I didn't feel like I got to know Lupe as a person. She seemed like a cartoon character but maybe that was her real self I just don't think that's true. I think the author mostly wrote this book to set the record straight that she didn't drown in the toilet but she really dropped the ball on everything else.
I don't recommend this book but I do recommend we all watch some of her movies instead.
December 18, 2023
This was just released, and I was lucky enough to reserve it at the library and get to read the hardcover edition.
It's a fascinating biography and a deep look into the film business and community of the silent film era, the silent to talkies transition, and the post silent era up until the early 40's.
My kind of book.
It's a fascinating biography and a deep look into the film business and community of the silent film era, the silent to talkies transition, and the post silent era up until the early 40's.
My kind of book.
July 3, 2024
Lupe Velez has been a favorite of mine from a young age, so I was very keen on reading this. I’m not sure if it was the writing style or maybe just the fact that Lupe wound up living a somewhat repetitive life but much of this felt like reading a new chapter with only slight differences from the previous one.
Glad it exists though and glad it rebuffs the unsavory lies about her passing
Glad it exists though and glad it rebuffs the unsavory lies about her passing
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews