Olga San Juan

American actor, singer, and dancer

• Born: March 16, 1927
• Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
• Died: January 3, 2009
• Place of death: Burbank, California

San Juan, whose studio publicized her as “The Puerto Rican Pepperpot,” appeared in a number of films that highlighted her dancing and singing. She also starred in a Broadway musical.

Early Life

Olga San Juan (OHL-gah san wahn) was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Puerto Rican parents Mercedes and Luis San Juan. The family moved back to Puerto Rico, living in Santurce, when San Juan was three years old. They returned to New York City after three years. San Juan started dancing when she was four. By age seven she was a member of the Latino dance ensemble Infantile Ballet Valencia and danced the fandango for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House. By age ten she was singing and dancing with the Hispanic Theater in the Bronx. As she grew older, San Juan began dancing and singing at New York nightclubs, including El Morocco and the Copacabana. She worked with Tito Puente, the famed jazz and mambo musician. She also appeared on radio and formed a nightclub act, Olga San Juan and Her Rumba Band. With her tiny frame and fiery Latin temperament, San Juan was an eye-catching entertainer.

San Juan was “discovered” by a talent scout for Paramount Studios and signed to a contract in 1943. Her first film was a tropical musical short, Caribbean Romance (1943); her second short film was Bombalera (1945), where she was billed as “the Cuban Cyclone.” Hollywood did not differentiate between Latin types, as far as geography was concerned. In her third short film, The Little Witch (1945), she played a nightclub singer.

Life’s Work

San Juan’s first feature-length film was Rainbow Island (1944), in which she played a supporting role to leading lady Dorothy Lamour. Other roles followed for San Juan, who was publicized by the studio as “The Puerto Rican Pepperpot.” She was in Duffy’s Tavern (1945) and had an important role, although not the lead, in Blue Skies (1946). Featuring the music of Irving Berlin, Blue Skies was one of the top-grossing films of the year and introduced San Juan to a number of future fans. In this film she danced with Fred Astaire and sang with Bing Crosby; she sang a duet “I’ll See You in C-U-B-A” with Crosby, and her torrid dance number “Heat Wave” with Astaire has become a film classic. She also illustrated her comic timing, deftly exchanging lines with star comedian Billy De Wolfe. San Juan appeared in a number of “B” films, such as Variety Girl (1947); her number “He Can Waltz” was a highlight of this film. She moved to Universal Studios and appeared in Are You with It (1948), dancing with Donald O’Connor.

She was also in One Touch of Venus (1948), singing with stars Ava Gardner and Eve Arden. In The Countess of Monte Cristo (1948), starring ice skating phenomena Sonja Henie, San Juan played a film extra trying to pass herself off as an aristocrat. In the Western musical The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949), she played Conchita, actorBetty Grable’s sidekick. San Juan generally had roles that stressed her cute looks and spunky nature. With her heavy accent, San Juan was not perceived as leading lady material.

San Juan left Hollywood for Broadway. She had been singing at a Hollywood party and caught the attention of party guests Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. They were currently looking for a young woman to play the part of Jennifer Rumson in their new musical Paint Your Wagon. San Juan was invited to New York to audition and immediately got the part. In the show, which opened on Broadway on November 12, 1951, San Juan played the leading role and sang two showstoppers, “What’s Going on Here?” and “How Can I Wait.” New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson praised her performance, and San Juan won the Donaldson Award for Best Debut Performance by an Actress. Paint Your Wagon ran only eight months, but before it closed, San Juan had already left the show to focus on her family.

In 1948, she met actor Edmund O’Brien at a publicity function; they were married the same year. They had three children, and San Juan essentially retired from performing, although she did some work on television and radio. One of her appearances was on the radio program Musical Comedy Theater, starring in The Kissing Bandit with John Conte in 1952. She had small parts in two films starring her husband, The Barefoot Contessa (1954) and The Third Voice (1960). San Juan and O’Brien divorced in 1976. After years of failing health, she died of kidney failure on January 3, 2009.

Significance

Despite her small stature and heavy accent, San Juan found a niche in film, playing roles that highlighted her dancing, singing, and comic appeal. During her career, she appeared with a number of top box office favorites and held her own. She was also a success in her one and only Broadway play. San Juan was honored for her contributions in entertainment and received the Screen Actors Guild Latino Legacy Award.

Bibliography

Lerner, Alan Jay. “Painting the Wagon.” The New York Times, November 11, 1951, p. X1. Lerner describes the musical and tells how he discovered San Juan for the lead.

The New York Times. “Olga San Juan, 81, ‘Puerto Rican Pepperpot’ Actress.” January 7, 2009, p. A20. An obituary, providing an overview of San Juan’s life and career.

Otfinoski, Steven. Latinos in the Arts. New York: Facts on File, 2007. A brief article, including biographical material on her early life.

Vallance, Tom. “Olga San Juan.” Independent, February 20, 2009, p. 40. A lengthy obituary with a focus on her career.