Villa Alegre (TV series)

Villa Alegre (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbiʎa aˈleɣɾe], Happy Village), a children's television show, was the first national bilingual (Spanish/English) program in the United States.[1] It was produced by Bilingual Children's Television as its inaugural project on the company's founding in 1970.[2] Villa Alegre debuted on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television in 1973 and ran there until funding disputes ended the project in 1980.[1][2] During its run, the show won a Peabody Award along with many other honors.[3] The show was also seen in syndication on commercial stations in some markets, on at least a weekly basis.

Much like another bilingual children's show of the era, Carrascolendas (produced at KLRN in Austin, Texas), Villa Alegre centered on life in a Mexican village. The program had an upbeat, catchy salsa-flavored theme song, which ended with adults and kids shouting "¡Villa Alegre!" The series was similar in format to Sesame Street (after which it was often aired) in that it featured various educational subjects (such as mathematics and science), in addition to Hispanic culture.

Actors and staff

Villa Alegre was the creation of Dr. Rene Cardenas, who served as president of Bilingual Children's Television and Executive Producer.[1] Other producers included Moctesuma Esparza, who worked on only the first season,[4] and David Ochoa.[5] Kenia Hernandez Cueto played the child actress/singer Maria on the show. Actress Carmen Zapata starred in the program for nine seasons in the role of "Doña Luz," the mayor of Villa Alegre,[6][7] and Marisela, the Mexican-American singer-actress, appeared on the show in her youth.[8] Actress Linda Dangcil played Elena on the show.[9] The show was directed by Argentinian actor and director Alejandro Rey.[10]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Carmina Danini. "Rivas-Estrella was part of the first national bilingual TV show," San Antonio Express-News, January 25, 2006, State & Metro section, p. 4B.
  2. ^ a b Retroland: Villa Alegre. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
  3. ^ Victor Payan. "Interview with Moctesuma Esparza: From the L.A. High School walkouts to "Selena" and "The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca", In Motion Magazine. May 21, 1998. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
  4. ^ Villa Alegre on Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 15, 2007.
  5. ^ "Militant found career in films," Rocky Mountain News (Colorado), May 21, 1994, Local section, special feature "La Gente", page 74A.
  6. ^ Lowe Kilmer. "Celebrities" (column), Watertown Daily Times (New York), October 7, 2003, Lifestyles & Leisure section, page B2.
  7. ^ Matt S. Meier, Conchita Franco Serri, and Richard A. Garcia. Notable Latino Americans: A Biographical Dictionary, Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 1997, page 410: "Most important, in her role of Doña Luz she was, for nine years, the heart and soul of the Public Broadcasting System's bilingual program, 'Villa Alegre.'"
  8. ^ Blanca Arroyo. "Ahora 'sin él', pero lista para volver - La cantante confiesa que a los 15 años tuvo un tórrido romance con Marco Antonio Solís y que le 'encantaría' trabajar otra vez con 'El Buki Mayor,'" ["Now 'Without Him', but ready to return: The singer confesses that at age 15 she had a torrid romance with Marco Antonio Solís and that she would be 'delighted' to work again with 'El Buki Mayor'"], La Opinión (Los Angeles, California), May 6, 2001, Espectáculos section. (In Spanish)
  9. ^ Barnes, Mike (2009-05-08). "Actress, dancer Linda Dangcil dies at 67, show.". Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i123610bbb7b491bfe7d4983102049b8d. Retrieved 2009-05-09. 
  10. ^ Associated Press. "Alejandro Rey, 57, starred in TV's 'The Flying Nun,'" San José Mercury-News, May 23, 1987, Local News section, page 10B.

External links