Popi (1969)

Today one does not hear very much about the movie Popi (1969), but upon its release it received mostly positive reviews and it did moderately well at the box office. It was also nominated for various awards, from the Golden Globes to the WGA. It also happens to be significant in the history of Latinos in American film.

Popi (1969) centres on Abraham Rodriguez (Alan Arkin), a Puerto Rican living in Brooklyn, New York. He is the father of two sons, who both refer to him as "Popi." He wants to marry his girlfriend Lupe (Rita Moreno), but hasn't the money to do so. What is worse, his neighbourhood is increasingly being affected by gang violence. Popi then hatches a scheme to get a better life for his sons. 

Popi (1969) was written by Lester and Tina Pine, both of who had earlier written for television. It was directed by Arthur Hiller, who had already directed such films as The Wheeler Dealers (1963), The Americanization of Emily (1964), and Penelope (1966). Alan Arkin had initially rejected the part of Popi, whereupon producer Herbert B. Leonard offered it to Marcello Mastroianni, who turned it down, but he rejected the idea of playing a Puerto Rican. The script was then reworked and once more offer to Alan Arkin, who this time accepted the role of Abraham "Popi" Rodriguez. As to Popi's sons, around 5000 boys auditioned for the roles. Many of the boys who tried out for the role came from both Spanish Harlem (in which Popi was set) and  the 11th & Second Avenue Boys Club in East Harlem.

Filming began on Popi (1969) on April 21, 1968. It was shot on location in New York. Among the locations used in the film were 91 Central Park West, the apartment building where Popi worked as a handyman and the New York Hilton Midtown, where Popi worked as a busboy. Part of the film was also shot in Miami, Florida, where the latter part of the movie takes place.

Popi premiered in New York City on May 27, 1969. Popi (1969) premiered in New York City on May 27, 1969. For the most part it received positive reviews with a few critics who did not care for the film very much. Roger Ebert in The Chicago Sun-Times was among the critics who gave Popi (1969) a good review, although he did have some problems with the movie. He felt with Popi's scheme in the second half of the movie that it was where the film "...bogs down."  He went onto write, "The first half, set in New York, is rich and warm, filled with the flavor of city life. The second half, involving the Florida plan, functions only on the level of TV situation comedy." While Roger Ebert liked Popi (1969), the critic at Variety did not, commenting, "Arkin is given too much free rein for his very personal style, and is sometimes guilty of working a scene, meant to be poignant or even dramatic, for a laugh, which he usually gets. The undecided mood of the film works against it for any lasting impression on the viewer." Vincent Canby in The New York Times outright hated Popi (1968). He referred to it as "insidious" and even claimed it played poverty for laughs. Regardless of what critics thought of Popi (1968), it did fairly well at the box office, where it made $2 million in North America.

Today viewers (including myself0 would object to Alan Arkin being cast as a Puerto Rican. Apparently, neither Herbert B. Leonard nor Arthur Hiller considered any Latinos for the role of Popi. Even in the Sixties it was not unusual for actors of other ethnicities to play Latino characters. Except for Rita Moreno, the Sharks and other Puerto Rican characters were all played by whites in West Side Story (1961). Egyptian Omar Sharif played Che Guevara in the movie Che! released the same year as Popi (1969). Brownface was still very much a fact of life in Hollywood in the late Sixties. It is perhaps fortunate that Rita Moreno, who is Puerto Rican, played Lupe in the film.

While Alan Arkin was miscast as Popi, his performance in the role is a bit more complicated. Alan Arkin's performance as Popi is nuanced and does possess emotional depth. It is not one-dimensional at all. At the same time, there are times where Alan Arkin's accent seems a bit too exaggerated and there is a stark contrast between Mr. Arkin and Rita Moreno and the young actors who played Popi's sons. The emphasis on slapstick, prominent in the latter half of the film, has also been criticised in later years. Regardless, Alan Arkin's portrayal of Popi was much more sensitive and much more humanistic than other Latino characters played by non-Latno actors.

The success of Popi (1969) would lead to a short-lived sitcom of the same name that aired during the 1975-1976. In the TV show Popi, Popi was played by an actual Puerto Rican, Héctor Elizondo. The show received positive reviews from critics, but it failed in the ratings. Scheduled against Laverne & Shirley on ABC and Movin' On on NBC, it was cancelled after 10 episodes.

While most people today would object to Alan Arkin being cast as a Puerto Rican, Popi (1969) is still somewhat historic with regards to Latino characters in American films. In 1969, there were not very many movies centred on Latino characters. When Latino characters did appear in movies of the era, they were often blatant stereotypes. Popi (1969), for what flaws it may have, presented a Puerto Rican father with some sympathy and even some dignity. 

The Legendary Eva Marie Saint

Eva Marie Saint, who starred in such movies as On the Waterfront (1954) and North by Northwest (1959), died yesterday, October 6, 2026, at the age of 102.

Eva Marie Saint was born on July 4, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. She grew up in Delmar, New York attended Bethlehem Central High School there. In high school she played field hockey and she was a cheerleader. She attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where she majored in elementary education. She tried out for the school play Personal Appearance, and was cast as the lead. Afterwards, she changed her major to drama. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, she moved to New York City to pursue a career as an actress. 

Her first work as a professional actress was for The Borden Show, for which she was paid to applaud off camera. She also appeared as a cheerleader in a commercial for Keds and had bit part consisting of two lines as a telephone operator on the radio soap opera Rosemary. During this period, she studied acting at  Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio. On television, she appeared on such shows as Kraft Television Theatre; The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre; Lights Out; Suspense; Actors Studio; The Clock; Buck Rogers; The Prudential Family Playhouse, and  One Man's Family. She also appeared on radio.

In 1953, she appeared in the Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse in "The Trip to Bountiful." It would be adapted as a Broadway play, in which she also appeared. This lead Ms.Saint to being cast as Edie Doyle on On the Waterfront (1954). She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In the Fifties, she also appeared in the movies That Certain Feeling (1956), A Hatful of Rain (1957), Raintree County (1957), and Exodus (1960). She appeared in what could be her most famous role, that of Eve Kendall, in North by Northwest in 1959. On television, she appeared on City Hospital, Man Against Crime, Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, ABC Album, The Web, Robert Montgomery Presents, Eye Witness, Studio One, The Revlon Mirror Theatre, Bonino, Kraft Television Theatre, Omnibus, General Electric Theatre, and Producer's Showcase. She was a regular on Martin Kane, Private Eye.

In the Sixties, Eva Marie Saint appeared in the movies All Fall Down (1962), 36 Hours (1964), The Sandpiper (1965), The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming (1966), Grand Prix (1966), The Stalking Moon (1968), and Loving (1970). She appeared on television in Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre and the TV movie Carol for Another Christmas.

In the Seventies, she concentrated on television appearances rather than movies. She appeared several TV movies and on the TV series How the West Was Won. She appeared on Broadway in The Lincoln Mask. She appeared in the movie Cancel My Reservation (1982). In the Eighties, Eva Marie Saint appeared as Maddie Hayes's mother on the TV show Moonlighting. She guest starred on the TV show The Love Boat and was a narrator on an episode of American Masters. She appeared in the mini-series Fatal Vision and A Year in the Life, as well as several TV movies. She appeared in the movie Nothing in Common (1986).

In the Nineties, Eva Marie Saint appeared n television in the mini-series Titanic. She appeared in several TV movies, including an adaptation of Willa Cahter's My Antonia. She guest starred on the sitcom Frasier.  She appeared in the movie I Dream of Africa (2000). In 2003, she appeared in the TV movie Open House. She was a voice on the TV series The Legend of Korra from 2012 to 2014. In the Naughts, she appeared in the movies Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), Don't Come Knocking (2005), and Superman Returns (2006). In the Teens, she appeared in the movies Winter's Tale (2014) and Mariette in Ecstasy (2019). 

Eva Marie Saint was a remarkable actress with an incredible range. This can be seen in her two best-known roles. Edie Doyle in On the Waterfront was virginal and yet at the same time bold, indignant, and resilient. Eve Kendall in North by Northwest was nearly her opposite. She ws cool and confident, and could be both seductive and duplicitous. In between those two parts, Eva Marie Saint played a wide variety of roles. She played Elspeth Whittaker, the wife of Walt (Carl Reiner). While Walt was constantly stressed out, Elspeth was calm, composed,  and level-headed. As Maddie's mother Virginia on Moonlighting, she was both intelligent and resourceful, yet the same time vulnerable. Eva Marie Saint gave a number of great performances during her career, and in a variety of roles.

By all accounts, Eva Marie Saint was also a remarkable person. One never heard a bad word about her. She was married to Jeffrey Hayden for 85 years and devoted to her family. She was known for both her kindness and her generosity, Eva Marie Saint was known for her elegance and dignity, and she was the very definition of a lady. 

The Late Great Bob Mackie

Bob Mackie, the costumer and fashion designer known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show and for designing fashions for everyone from Cher to Taylor Swift, died on September 14, 2026, at the age of 87. 

Bob Mackie was born on March 24, 1940 in Monterey Park, California. He attended Rosemead High School in Rosemead, California and then Pasadena City College and the Chouinard Art Institute. He started his career as a sketch artist with Jean Louis. It was during this period that he drew the original sketch of the gown work by Marilyn Monroe at President John F. Kennedy's 1962 birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He also worked as a sketch artist with Frank Thompson at Paramount. He worked under designer Ray Aghayan as a novice designer and assistant. He worked with Edith Head on the movies Donovan's Reef (1967) and A New Kind of Love (1963). 

Bob Mackie did his first work for television on the special Arthur Freed's Hollywood Melody in 1962. In the Sixties, he worked on such shows as The King Family Show; ABC Stage '67; and The Hollywood Palace. He worked on The Carol Burnett Show from the very beginning in 1967 and stayed with the show for all eleven seasons. He also worked on several TV specials and movies during the decade. He designed costumes for the movie Divorce, American Style (1967). In 1966, he was hired by Mitzi Gaynor to design her costumes for her Las Vegas shows. He would go onto work on several of her TV specials. 

In the Seventies, Bob Mackie continued to work on The Carol Burnett Show. He worked on the TV shows Cher; The Sonny & Cher Show;; Carol & Company; and Donny & Marie. He also worked on several TV specials, including the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special. He worked on the movies Lady Sings the Blues (1972) and Funny Lady (1975). On Broadway, he worked on Lorelei; Debbie; and Platinum.

The Eighties saw Bob Mackie work on the TV mini-series Fresno and several TV shows and events, including the 54th Annual Academy Awards. He worked in the movies ...All the Marbles (1981), Pennies from Heaven (1981), and Max Dugan Returns (1983). In the Nineties, he worked on Broadway on The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Goes Public; Moon Over Buffalo; Putting It Together; and Minnelli on Minnelli. On television he primarily worked on specials and big events, including various Carol Burnett specials and the TV movie Mrs. Santa Claus. On Broadway, he worked on the special benefit Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert for Broadway Barks Because Broadway Cares.

The Naugths into the Teens saw Bob Mackie work in television on the TV movie Putting It Together (based on the Broadway show), specials featuring Cher and Diahann Carroll, and and the game show Wheel of Fortune. In 2018, he worked on Broadway on The Cher Show. 

Bob Mackie was known for his over-the-top fashions. Indeed, he was known as "the King of Sequins." At the same time, his costumes were always appealing to the eye. And Bob Mackie was nothing if not versatile. Others might look to his work with Cher, The Supremes, Mitzi Gaynor and so on, but to me the height of his career was his work on The Carol Burnett Show. On the show, he proved he could design nearly anything. He not only designed evening gowns, but everyday clothing worn by characters in sketches and costumes for the musical guests on the show. He designed the famous curtain rod dress for the "Went with the Wind" Gone with the Wind parody, which could well be his best known work. He also designed the overly tight skirts for Mrs. Wiggins (Carol Burnett), the secretary of Mr. Tudball (Tim Conway) and the dowdy clothes worn by Eunice Higgins in "The Family" sketches. Quite simply, Bob Mackie was not only creative, but he had a sense of humour that came through on The Carol Burnett Show.

Beyond being a great costume and fashion designer, Bob Mackie simply seemed like a various nice man. He  not only appeared at the TCM Classic Movie Festival, but multiple times on the channel itself. He always amiable, down-to-earth, and, despite his accomplishment, entirely humble. He also had a wonderful sense-of-humour and a youthful energy that many half his age would find envious. In the end, Bob Mackie wasn't just a remarkable designer, but an all-around great human being.