Sweet 15 (1990): A Mexican American Focused Episode of WonderWorks

From the late Eighties into the Nineties, there was a cycle in movies centred on Chicanos that included such films as La Bamba (1987), Stand and Deliver (1988), and Mi Vida Loca (1993). Despite this, there was still very little in the way of Chicano content on American television during the same period. A notable exception aired on PBS in early 1990. Although most often described as a TV movie, Sweet 15 (1990) may be better described as a two-part episode of the TV series WonderWorks. For those either too young to remember or who were never aware of it, WonderWorks was an American children's anthology series that aired on PBS from 1984 to 1993. Sweet 15 (1990) aired in two parts on WonderWorks on January 13 1990 and January 20 1990. It was the first episode of the sixth season of WonderWorks. For myself, Sweet 15 (1990) is also notable because it features my dearest Vanessa Marquez in a small role.

Sweet 15 (1990) starred Karla Montana, best known as Claudia in Stand and Deliver (1988), as Marta Delacruz, a fourteen year old Mexican American girl looking forward to her quinceañera, the celebration held when a girl turns 15.. Marta's chances of having the quinceañera of her dreams are complicated when she discovers that her father migrated to the United States illegally years before. It is set in the final days of the amnesty for illegal aliens that had come about due to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Sweet 15 (1990), featured some well-known names in its cast, including Tony Plana as Marta's father Samuel, Jerry Stiller as his boss Mr. Waterman, Liz Torres as Gloria Diaz, and Jan Merlin as one of Samuel's old employers. 

The teleplay for Sweet 15 (1990) was written by Sharon Weil, who also served as a co-producer. She later wrote the novel Donny and Ursula Save the World, as well as several non-fiction books. It was directed by Victoria Hochberg. She had earlier directed music videos for The Eagles, an ABC Afternoon Special, and the TV movie Jacob Have I Loved. She would go on to direct episodes of such shows as Touched by an Angel; Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; and Melrose Place. Its casting director was Toni Livingston, who had earlier cast Stand and Deliver (1990). This perhaps explains the presence of Karla Montana and Vanessa Marquez in the film. Its cinematographer Hal Trussell had worked on the feature film Bachelor Party (1984)  and episodes of the show Downtown. Afterwards, he would direct episodes of CBS Schoolbreak Special and the TV movie Family Business.

Upon its debut on PBS, Sweet 15 (1990) received largely positive reviews. John Voorhes in The Seattle Times wrote, "Sweet 15 is a charming, funny, intelligent drama about a Latino family living in contemporary Los Angeles." He described Karla Montana as "...a delight as Marta." Lynne Heffley in The Los Angeles Times gave a more restrained,  but still positive review of Sweet 15. She described it as "...a predictable but well-acted drama about a Mexican American girl's coming of age." She noted that "The telling could be shorter" but "...a smooth ensemble makes it all worth while." John J. O'Connor in The New York Times also gave Sweet 15 (1990) a good, if somewhat restrained review, noting, " plot logistics are patly contrived, but Sweet 15 provides unusual glimpses into ordinary Hispanic-American lives."

Sweet 15 would also win some awards. Even though it aired in primetime, Sweet 15's director Victoria Hochberg won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Directing - Special Class. As writer and co-producer, Sharon Weil won the Women in Film Lillian Gish Award for Best Children's Film. 

Oddly enough for a WonderWorks episode that received positive reviews and awards upon its debut, Sweet 15 (1990) had received overly negative reviews from viewers on various websites. At IMDB it is rated a pathetic 4.1 out of 10. On Rotten Tomatoes, it does even worse, with a 28% on the Popcornmeter out of 500 ratings. Much more realistic is its rating at Letterboxd, where it receives a respectable rating of 2.7 out of 5. I think I have an explanation for why Sweet 15 (1990) has received such negative reviews on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. Just as Stand and Deliver (1988) has often been shown in mathematics classes, Sweet 15 (1990) was apparently shown in Spanish classes. Unfortunately, while many math students recognised the greatness of Stand and Deliver (1990), Spanish students simply resented having to watch Sweet 15 (1990).

Vanessa Marquez

Indeed, while I would not say that Sweet 15 (1990) is a classic waiting to be discovered, it is not a bad movie either. As critics pointed out when it was first released, it does benefit from a good cast. Karla Montana does a very good job of playing Marta. Tony Plana also does a good job of playing her father, Samuel. Both Jerry Stiller and Liz Torres deliver the quality performances one would expect of them. Most of the rest of the cast also does well. As to my dearest Vanessa Marquez, she played a small, but somewhat significant part as Marta's friend Lupe. Lupe is similar to Vanessa's other early juvenile roles, a sweet girl who at times takes up for Marta and can be determined when doing so. Sweet 15 (1990) also has good direction, and looks more like an independent movie with a good budget than an episode of a television series.

Of course, I do think Sweet 15 (1990) has some flaws. The one thing I do have to agree with its critics on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes is that I think Panchito Gómez was miscast as Marta's romantic interest  Ramón. According to IMDB, Panchito Gómez was born in 1963, which would have made him 26 years old in 1989. While I suspect his character is supposed to be much younger (I am guessing anywhere from 16 to 18), Panchito Gómez looks his age. It is at times hard to suspend disbelief, so that instead of viewing Ramón as a teenager wooing a fellow teenager, the viewer might well view him as an adult grooming a teenager. Of course, here I must point out that Karla Montana and, for that matter, Vanessa were several years past 14 when they appeared in Sweet 15 (Vanessa would have been 21 and I believe Karla Montana was born before Vanessa was). The difference is that both Karla Montana and Vanessa Marquez could realistically pass for 14 or 15.

Another legitimate criticism of Sweet 15 (1990) is one that was expressed in The Los Angeles Times review from 1990. Quite simply, Sweet 15 (1990) could have been shorter. At nearly two hours in length, it is simply too long. Of course, here I must point out that it was made to fit the time slot occupied by WonderWorks, which was one hour. I have to think that Sweet 15 (1990) might have worked better in a more flexible format than an episode of a TV show, such as a feature film.

Regardless of any flaws that Sweet 15 (1990) might have, it broke new ground on American television. In 1990, it was rare to see Mexican Americans on television, and rarer still for viewers to be exposed to their culture. For many viewers, Sweet 15 (1990) may have been the first time they had ever hard of quinceañeras. I also have to think that in 1990 it was rare that one saw sympathetic portrayals of undocumented immigrants and also rare that one heard immigration law discussed in a TV show episode to any extent. Although it might not be particularly famous now, Sweet 15 (1990) was in many ways a pioneering work, exposing television viewers to a Mexican American family years before American Family or George Lopez. 

The Centenary of Honor Blackman's Birth

It was 100 years ago on this date that Honor Blackman was born in Canning Town, Essex. At least in the United States, I am guessing that she is probably best known as Pussy Galore in the James Bond movie Goldfinger. As for myself (not to mention the United Kingdom), she may be best remembered as John Steed's partner in fighting crime, Mrs. Cathy Gale, on the classic TV show The Avengers. Of course, long-time readers of this blog know that The Avengers is my favourite TV show of all time. While I would not see Honor Blackman in The Avengers until I was an adult (series three and four of The Avengers weren't available in the US until the Nineties, it is primarily because of that role that she numbers among my favourite actresses.

As to the first place I probably ever saw Honor Blackman, it was also the first movie I can remember watching all the way through, Jason and the Argonauts (1963). In the movie, Honor Blackman played the goddess Hera, who plays a game of wits against her husband Zeus (Peter Ustinov) with regard to the hero Jason (Todd Armstrong, dubbed by Tim Turner). Honor Blackman impressed me as a four-year-old in the role and she impresses me still. While others have played the role of Hera, when I picture her in my head it is still Honor Blackman I see.

While I have fond memories of Jason and the Argonauts (1963) from my childhood, I also have fond memories of Goldfinger (1964). Even as a kid I was a big fan of spy dramas, having watched shows like The Avengers and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., so I was naturally drawn to the James Bond movies. As a kid, my favourite was Goldfinger, in part because of Honor Blackman. It was Honor Blackman's talent that made Pussy Galore one of the coolest women in a Bond movie ever. She was smart. She could fight. She could fly a plane. Although I didn't realise it at the time, in many respects Pussy Galore was Cathy Gale transplanted from The Avengers to a James Bond movie.

As a kid, I also remember Honor Blackman in the Columbo episode "Dagger of the Mind." In the episode, she plays Lillian Stanhope, one half of a Shakespearean acting duo with Nicholas Frame (Richard Basehart). 'Dagger of the Mind" is one of the weakest Columbo episodes and has more than its share of flaws, but I do enjoy Honor Blackman and Richard Basehart as Lillian Stanhope and Nicholas Frame. I will admit that they were over the top, but it seems fitting given they are actors who are apparently always acting and are both off their trolleys. 

I wouldn't see A Night to Remember (1958) until I was a teen or a young adult, but I was impressed with Honor Blackman as Mrs. Liz Lucas in the film. It is not a big part, but Honor Blackman does well with it, playing a passenger on the Titanic who does not want to leave her husband when the ship is sinking. Honor Blackman plays the part well, and grants Liz Lucas the sort of dignity one might expect of an upper-crust British woman of the time.

I would be an adult when I first saw the second and third series of The Avengers, and while Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) remains my favourite of John Steed's partners, I have adored Mrs. Cathy Gale ever since I first saw her. Indeed, there would not be an Emma Peel without Cathy Gale. There also wouldn't have been a Honey West of the TV show of the same name. While Honey West was based on the novels by Gloria and Forest Fickling, the television version of Honey was inspired by Cathy Gale on The Avengers. Quite simply, Cathy Gale was the first female action hero in the history of either British or American television. She held a doctorate in archaeology, was an expert photographer, and was skilled in both the use of firearms and the martial art of judo. Cathy Gale would prove enormously popular with audiences, and it would be her partnership with John Steed that would make The Avengers a success.

I have no doubt that this was because of Honor Blackman's enormous talent. She was entirely convincing in the role. She endowed Cathy with intelligence, class, and charm. She made it fully believable for Cathy Gale to be at home serving tea or fencing. When Honor Blackman died five years ago, in the United Kingdom it was always the role of Cathy Gale that was cited in the headlines and ledes of new stories, and it was with good reason. She was remarkable in the role.

Of course, Honor Blackman played many more roles throughout her career. She appeared in movies from The Secret of My Success (1965) to To the Devil a Daughter (1976) to Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and TV shows from Danger Man to The Saint to Midsomer Murders. Honor Blackman had an enormous talent and could play a wide array of roles. She was Cathy Gales, Pussy Galore, and Hera, but she was also so much more. 

Vintage Fall Television Promos

I watch so little broadcast network television any more that I don't know if promos for television shows debuting on the fall are as big as they once were, but when I was growing up and well into my adult they would be ubiquitous from about late July to the start of the fall television season in September. And, of course, in addition to these individual commercials for new shows debuting in the fall, in the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties each network would often have their own fall preview special in early September that would give viewers a look ahead at the new television shows. Here are a few television promos from the late Twentieth and early Twenty First Centuries.

Star Trek

From this promo for Star Trek. it seems fairly clear that NBC's promotional department did not quite know what to make of the show. The advertisement makes Star Trek sound less like an optimistic look at the future than a horror show The announcer on this promo sounds familiar to me, but I cannot place who it is. I seem to recall the voice from movie trailers from the era.

M*A*S*H

In contrast to the promo for Star Trek six years earlier, this promo for M*A*S*H is very upbeat. Of course, at the time no one, not even the producers, may have realised that M*A*S*H would become a somewhat more serious comedy drama examining war and the human condition, but one of the greatest shows of all time, hence the emphasis on laughs. 

Cheers

Given how brief this promo is and how it tells nothing about the show, I have to think this, the first promo ever for Cheers, was teaser more than anything else. One would think they would have used one of the cast from the show, like Ted Danson or Shelley Long, but not only was this woman not part of the Cheers cast, but I have no idea who she is.

Eerie Indiana

I don't think this was actually a fall promo for Eerie Indiana, but more a coming up next on NBC promo. Still, it captures the show pretty well and I seem to remember the actual fall promos being pretty similar. 

Firefly


Many fans of Firefly probably remember the notorious "Walking in the Sun" fall promo that described Mal Reynolds (Nate Fillion) as a "whacked out space cowboy," Wash (Alan Tudyk), the pilot of the ship Serenity on the show, as a "flighty pilot," and so on. I have to think it was the absolute worst fall promo for any TV show ever. Unfortunately, I can't post it for you, as it appears to have been wiped from the Web. Here then is a somewhat more serious promo more fitting the show.

Vintage Back to School Ads

This week the kids in my county are going back to school. This boggles my mind as I can remember when I attended school, we did not go back to school until the Wednesday before Labour Day. Even then, that first Wednesday back was only half a day. I never particularly liked school, so memories of going back to school do not invoke a good deal of nostalgia in me. While I am not nostalgic about the yearly return to school as a kid, I do have some nostalgia for the back-to-school ads that would start coming out in July and August. By today's standards, some of them would be rather bizarre. Here then are some vintage ads (most of which are from well before I started attending school).

Today smoking is considered objectionable even for adults, let alone college students. This was not the case in 1941, when Old Gold could target college students in their ads and no one would even bat an eye.

I grew up on a farm, so I never rode my bike to school, although a lot of my friends who lived in town did. This AMF Roadmaster ad from 1953 then makes a lot of sense.

An ad from First National Bank in 1969, encouraging parents to pay for their kids' school supplies using MasterCharge. MasterCharge would change its name to MasterCard ten years later, in 1979.

From 1970, an ad for the Jeep Wagoneer. While SUVs seem to be the family vehicle of choice now, in 1970 most people would prefer a sedan or station wagon. This Jeep ad obviously sought to change that.

An ad from 1986, for Dayton Hudson and the May Company. Both companies owned department stores, which were dying out in the Eighties but were once commonly found in the United States. Anyway, to me this ad definitely screams, "Eighties."

The Late Great Terence Stamp

Terence Stamp, famed for his roles in such movies as Billy Budd (1962), Superman II (1980), and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), died yesterday, August 17 2025, at the age of 87.

Terence Henry Stamp was born on July 22 1938 in Stepney, London. His father was often away from home for long stretches of time as part of the Merchant Navy, so that he was mostly raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunts. His desire to become an actor began when he was three years old and his mother took him to see Beau Geste (1939). Because of that film, he became a fan of both Gary Cooper and movies in general. When he was older he became a fan of James Dean.

After he left school, Terence Stamp worked at various advertising agencies in London. He won a scholarship to Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, and he began performing at various repertory theatres. At the time his roommate was fellow actor Michael Caine. It was also at this time that he became friends with Peter O'Toole. Terence Stamp toured the United Kingdom in The Long and the Short and the Tall in 1959 and then in 1960 appeared in This Year, Next Year at the Vaudeville Theatre on the West End. He made his television debut in an episode of Spy-Catcher in 1960.

Terence Stamp made his movie debut in Billy Budd (1962), for which he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles. At the Cannes Film Festival, he won the award for Best Actor in The Collector (1965). In the Sixties, Terence Stamp also appeared in the movies Term of Trial (1962), Modesty Blaise (1966), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Poor Cow (1967), Blue (1968), the "Toby Dammit" segment of Histoires extraordinaires (1968), Teorema (1968), and The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970). He appeared on Broadway in Alfie, and turned down the role for the movie version (which his former roommate Michael Caine ultimately played).

In the Seventies, Terence Stamp appeared in the films Una stagione all'inferno (1971), Hu-Man (1975), Divina Creatura (1975), Striptease (1977),. Black-Out (1977), Superman (1978), Meetings with Remarkable Man (1979), Amo non amo (1979), and Superman II (1980). He appeared on television in the TV movie The Thief of Baghdad. He appeared on stage in Dracula at the Shaftesbury Theatre on the West End and The Lady from the Sea at the Roundhouse on the West End.

In the Eighties, Terence Stamp appeared in the movies Misterio en isla de los monstruos (1981), Morte in Vaticano (1982), The Hit (1984), The Company of Wolves (1984), Link (1986), Legal Eagles (1986), Hud (1986), The Sicilian (1987), Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), Alien Nation (1988), Genuine Risk (1990), and Stranger in the House (1990). He starred on the TV series Chessgame. He appeared in the mini-series All the World's a Stage.

In the Nineties, he appeared in the movies Beltenbros (1991), The Real McCoy (1993), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Tiré à Part (1996), Love Walked In (1997), Bliss (1997), Kiss the Sky (1998), The Limey (1999), Star Wears Episode One -- The Phantom Menace (1999),. Bowfinger (1999), and Red Planet (2000). He was a regular on the TV series The Hunger.

In the Naughts, Terence Stamp was the voice of Jor-El on the TV show Smallville. He appeared in three episodes of His Dark Materials and was a guest voice on Static Shock. He appeared in the films Ma feeme est une actrice (2001), Revelation (2001), Full Frontal (2002), My Boss's Daughter (2003), The Haunted Mansion (2003), Elektra (2005), Separate Lies (2005), Dead Fish (2005), These Foolish Things (2006), September Dawn (2007), Wanted (2008),. Get Smart (2008). Yes Man (2008), and Valkyrie (2008).

In the Teens, Terence Stamp appeared in the movies The Adjustment Bureau (2011), Song for Marion (2012), The Art of the Steal (2013), Big Eyes (2014),. Crow (2016), Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), Bitter Harvest (2017),. Crooked House (2017),. Viking Destiny (2018), and Murder Mystery (2019).  He appeared on television in the TV series His Dark Materials. His last appearance was in the movie Last Night in Soho (2021).

Terence Stamp was an actor of such great talent that to list all of his remarkable performances could easily take a booklet. Over the years, he gave many impressive performances, well beyond those for which he is best known. I have to think Terence Stamp will always be best remembered as General Zod in Superman II by many, and there can be no doubt that it was an incredible performance. Indeed, apart from Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight, I think Terence Stamp's General Zod may well be the greatest comic book supervillain on film of all time. He was impressive even in his film debut, as the title character in Billy Budd. Billy is innocent and naive to the point that he has difficulties dealing with evil.

Over the years, Terence Stamp would play many other impressive roles. In The Collector he played awkward, lonely butterfly collector  Freddie Clegg who abducts art student Miranda Grey (Samantha Eggar). He was the debauched Shakespearean actor of the title in "Toby Dammit."  In Young Guns he played John Tunstall, the English-born rancher who employed William Bonney AKA Billy the Kid). In The Hit, he played London gangster Willie Parker who betrayed his fellow gangsters in exchange for immunity. He also played a criminal, albeit a much more serious, much grittier one, in The Limey. In The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert he played witty, strong-willed trans woman Bernadette. Terence Stamp could play a wide array of roles, from an innocent like Billy Budd to the worldly but noble John Tunstall to archvillain General Zod. He was quite simply one of the most talented actors of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.