Table of Contents
Part I Paradise Lost
"Hey, Boy" 3
Puerto Rico 9
The Great Change 23
Frigid City 31
Thawing Out 45
American Dream 52
Papo 57
The Loss of Papo 67
Part II Hyperbolic Hollywood
Making Movies: My Leap to the Silver Screen 77
Hollywood Heaven: Louis B. Mayer and MGM 83
Starlet Days … and Nights 91
Still Rosita 99
Rita Rising 107
Part III Men, Love, and Romance
Eye Candy and Leggy Ladies 117
The Cocktail Party: Pimped? 129
Dating, Hollywood Style 136
Meeting Marlon 150
Love, Obsession, and Mind Games 159
How to Survive Suicide 172
Saved by West Side Story 182
Finding Myself in Politics 193
Falling in Love Again 201
Part IV Reinventing Myself
Marriage and Mami-Hood 215
Marlon and I Make a Movie 226
Big Bird, The Electric Company, and Me 235
The Accusatory Banana 244
Losses and Blessings 257
Perseverance 269
Losing Lenny 273
The Attic 284