Showtune Sunday: All About Rita Moreno!

Rita Moreno is one of the great showbiz legends who keeps on going strong.

She turns 91 today and has a new movie coming out in February called 80 For Brady also starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Sally Field.

A year ago, she was basking in the spotlight with a role in the remake of West Side Story and as the focus of the documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It. She had previously been starring in the acclaimed sitcom One Day at a Time in a hilarious, sexy, feisty and moving role as a mother of a single mom and grandmother of a lesbian teenager. The show was cancelled after four seasons.

Miss Moreno is one of the few performers to have WON all four major annual American entertainment awards – an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony – and pointed out to me last year that she is a legitimate EGOT because none of her awards are honorary. Not even Barbra Streisand or Liza Minnelli can say that! She also has a Peabody Award so I’m calling her a PEGOT! I’m also thrilled that five years ago she was one of the recipients of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. She has also received a Golden Globe, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

Of course she’s best known for West Side Story and The Ritz (on Broadway and film) but as a kid I only knew her as that lady from The Electric Company.

Here are some memorable musical numbers. Enjoy!