Rita Moreno
by Claire J Rottenberg
Although Rita Moreno won an Academy Award for her
performance in a musical ("West Side
Story"), her career began primarily with
dramatic performances. Her first appearance on
Broadway in 1945 was in the play
"Skydrift." In 1952, Moreno appeared in
the musical film, "Singin' in the
Rain," playing a small, non-musical part. It
was not until 1956 that she sang in movie musicals.
In that year, she made two film musicals - "The
King and I" and "The Vagabond King"
- and she sang in both of them. Moreno did not,
however, appear in another movie musical until her
award-winning performance in "West Side
Story" in 1961.