Maurice Jara(1922-1995)

Latino actor-singer Maurice Jara, aka Mauricio, was born in Los Angeles, CA. During World War II Jara was stationed in Okinawa and was seriously wounded while serving in the United States Marines. After his return home, he joined the Padua Hill Theatre Players in Claremont California. While appearing in Serenata Tapatia he met his soon-to-be wife Hilda Ramirez, whom he married in 1947. Jara appeared in a series of Padua Hills Players stage productions, Vote Por la Reina and Festivales. It was in the latter play that he was selected by a talent scout and offered screen and vocal recording tests. In late 1949 director, Joseph Losey was shown the screen test and was impressed by his natural talent, dark good looks, and articulate voice. Jara was called in to read for a secondary role in the Paramount Studios Losey film The Lawless (1950). The film was based on Latino immigrants who crossed the Mexican border to work as fruit pickers in the fields. Under Losey's guidance arrangements were made for Jara to begin a career in the film industry. This first film, The Lawless, was a success for both its director and featured actor Maurice Jara touching on a very controversial subject matter, a quality typical of Losey films. Jara was able to crank out two more films and rushed into an uncredited role in a major Cary Grant film Crisis which was graced with every major past glorified Latino actor Hollywood had to offer. Ending with Undercover Girl. All three films were released in 1950. Then an early 1951 release placed Jara in his first uncredited indigenous role in the Western film Apache Drums. As a Mexican American he was cast in these roles and genres more times than he ever expected. Unfortunately, these types of film and television roles would remain a stereotypical scenario for the remainder of Jara's career. Times were difficult for minority opportunities in the movies. However, he may have led himself right into the rabbit hole, but he turned this into a successful life career. His next film offered what could have been a breakout role in Flying Leathernecks released in August of 1951, we see Jara playing the role of Shorty Vega sharing a scene with star John Wayne. The next few years were met with career disappointments between uncredited movie roles, featured television roles, and occasional surprise acting opportunities. Then in 1952, he made a career move that would change the next 42 years of his life. Maurice Jara auditioned for the role of Alessandro taken from the Helen Hunt Jackson book Ramona. The book had been filmed various times by Hollywood studios. The live play had been in production in Hemet, California since 1923. Jara played this coveted role for the next fifteen years. As enlightening as the Romana role was, from this moment on most of his movie and television roles were based on Latino or indigenous roles. With a few exceptions Take the High Ground, Fighter Attack and two television episodes of Fireside Theatre, and two appearances in the crime show Boston Blackie. Superman fans remember him as Red Hawk in The Adventures of Superman in 1955. It was not until 1956 that Maurice Jara appeared in his most remembered portrayal of the calm and sensible Dr. Guerra in Giant (1956). Years later he remembered, "I used to go out rabbit hunting with James Dean, he was a nice kid," said Maurice. Many more films and television roles followed enough for Maurice Jara to become a major working Latino actor in Hollywood. This same year actor and singer Maurice Jara was the host of his own Latino variety show Fandango over the Los Angeles television airwaves. Films and television work was plentiful for Jara, with Walk the Proud Land (1956), The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958), They Came to Cordura (1959), Rawhide, and three episodes on Death Valley Days. In 1959 while still in the role of Alessandro his costar Ramona in this season's production was a young just starting actress, Raquel Tejada, aka Raquel Welch. During this era, he was still active on Western television shows, appearing on the shows Lawman, Overland Trial, Bronco, Bonanza, and as Dr. Kahil Sahilar on Ben Casey. Then he briefly dabbled as a restaurateur with his own Mexican Restaurant in Pomona, California. Finally, in 1966 he took on the directorial role of the Ramona Pageant and would remain in this capacity along with his wife Hilda Jara as his assistant director. Ten years after Welch, Jara would direct Anne Archer in the role of Ramona. The seventies were still productive with appearances on Marcus Welby M.D., Bearcats, and finally Hec Ramsey in 1972. The Jara's remained as co-directors of Ramona until Mauricio's retirement in 1994. Not one to take care of himself, Maurice Jara became part of Ramona's history in their local museum on July 23, 1995.