The First Generation: Calderóns in the Cinema
Mauricio Calderón
Courtesy of the Arhoolie Foundation.
Mauricio was the first among his brothers to relocate to Los Angeles as a result of the unrest occasioned by the Mexican Revolution. From the mid-1910s to the mid-1940s, he operated Repertorio Musical Mexicano, one of the first music stores catering to the city’s Spanish-language population.
Courtesy of the Arhoolie Foundation.
As the owner of the store, he was also a broker for local talent and helped his brothers gauge the popularity of songs and artists, which would then guide their production decisions in Mexico.
Courtesy of the Arhoolie Foundation.
José U. Calderón
José and his brother Rafael entered the movie business by opening a small silent film theater in Chihuahua. Along with Juan Salas Porras, they would go on to buy the Cine Alcázar in Chihuahua (1919). They would soon operate the Alcázar theater chain, which included theaters in Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, including the Colón. Along with their cousin Juan de la Cruz Alarcón, they also established the distribution companies International Amusement Co. and International Pictures Company. They then founded Azteca Film Distribution Company (1932), a distribution company headquartered in El Paso, TX that specialized in distributing Mexican cinema in the United States. Azteca would eventually open offices in major cities with a significant immigrant population, including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. The brothers were also part of the team that produced Mexico’s first sound feature, Santa (Antonio Moreno, Mexico: Compañía Nacional Productora de Películas, 1932). In order to guarantee his theater chain a regular supply of films, José also financed a significant number of Mexican features and convinced his sons to become producers.
Rafael Calderón
Rafael and his brother José entered the movie business by opening a small silent film theater in Chihuahua. Along with Juan Salas Porras, they would go on to buy the Cine Alcázar in Chihuahua (1919). They would soon operate the Alcázar theater chain, which included theaters in Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, including the Colón. Along with their cousin Juan de la Cruz Alarcón, they also established the distribution companies International Amusement Co. and International Pictures Company. They then founded Azteca Film Distribution Company (1932), a distribution company headquartered in El Paso, TX that specialized in distributing Mexican cinema in the United States. Azteca would eventually open offices in major cities with a significant immigrant population, including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. The brothers were also part of the team that produced Mexico’s first sound feature, Santa (Antonio Moreno, Mexico: Compañía Nacional Productora de Películas, 1932).
The Calderón Cinemas: https://wordpress.com/page/slacextras.com/344