Thirty years Later, Cheech Marin's Born in East L.A. Turns Tragicomic in Trump Times
Updated: Aug 18, 2020
The summer of 1987 was a great time for Mexicans in Southern California. Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela delivered his last decent season before wearing out his arm. Three million paisanos enjoyed amnesty gracias to Ronald Reagan. La Bamba burned up the screen, and its soundtrack by East Los Angeles' Los Lobos offered multiple songs of el verano. And Cheech Marin put Latinos on the big screen with Born in East L.A., a low-budget comedy about a Chicano who mistakenly gets deported to Tijuana that opened strong, grossing more than $17 million at the box office.
Read more on my latest OC Weekly Film Feature out on newsstands and online:
http://www.ocweekly.com/film/thirty-years-later-cheech-marins-born-in-east-la-turns-tragicomic