What ethnicity were the JETS supposed to be?
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friendoffilm — 11 years ago(October 19, 2014 10:59 AM)
You've made some great, good points, leader-7. However:
But yes they were white american new yorkers who were Irish, Polish, probably a few Italians, and whomever.
To be more exact, the Jets were white American New Yorkers who were of Irish, Polish and Italian descent. -
friendoffilm — 9 years ago(September 03, 2016 05:30 AM)
True enough, leader-7. You've made some great, good points that clearly articulate the reason(s) that there should
absolutely
not
be a re-make of the
original
1961 film West Side Story.
at all
by
anybody
, including Spielberg! Thanks for making an excellent point. -
leader-7 — 9 years ago(April 15, 2016 06:19 AM)
WOP is the correct spelling for that epithet. It stands for "WithOut Passport" which is how many Italians came to this country. it's how MANY people came to this country, but it stuck on the Italians for some reason.
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friendoffilm — 9 years ago(April 15, 2016 03:39 PM)
That I understand, leader-7. That particular epithet also means
'Without Papers"
, or
"Working On Pavement"
.
Not only does that particular epithet look rather nasty on paper, but it has a rather nasty sound to it when it's uttered vocally, by anybody. So does the term M**k (which is a disparaging term for Irish-Catholics), for that matter. -
JujusFlix — 9 years ago(April 09, 2016 09:24 PM)
They were also Italian. Specifically, Action - who responds angrily to the derogatory term "w*p" - which is used for those of Italian descent. "M**k" was also used at the same time and is a derogatory term for those of Irish descent.
(Sorry don't want to offend anyone, so I didn't want to spell those terms straight out.)
"Good times, noodle salad" -
friendoffilm — 9 years ago(April 13, 2016 05:18 AM)
This:
They were also Italian. Specifically, Action - who responds angrily to the derogatory term "w*p" - which is used for those of Italian descent. "M**k" was also used at the same time and is a derogatory term for those of Irish descent.
is very true, JujusFlix.
I'd say, that, except for the former Jet gang leader, Tony, who was of Polish descent, the Jets were mostly of Irish and Italian
ancestory. -
friendoffilm — 9 years ago(April 21, 2016 01:13 AM)
This:
I concur. The Jets are a Polish/Irish mix. Throughout the story the Sharks refer to the Jets as polaks.
is not quite accurate. Bernardo refers to Tony as a "yellow-bellied Polack" during the Rumble, at which point, Riff moves forward and hits Bernardo.
During the pre-Rumble War Council at Doc's Candy Store, when Action refers to the Sharks as "Scs", one or two of the Jets refer to Action and the Jets as "Mks and W*ps".
Maybe it means that Action was half Italian and half Irish, and the Jets, overall were an Irish-Italian gang, with the exception of Tony, the ex-Jet, who was of Polish ancestry. -
PillowRock — 13 years ago(August 08, 2012 11:59 AM)
Rita Moreno was the only latin actor in the movie. Everyone else were "painted".
I don't know whether Chakiris was actually "painted" or not. He is of Greek descent, another "olive skinned" ethnicity. From the other things that I've seen, his complexion isn't all that much lighter than Moreno's. (You can spot Chakiris as one of the 4 dancers working with Rosemary Clooney during the "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me" number in
White Christmas
. He also has a fair sized role in
Les Demoiselles de Rochefort
, though his dialog is all dubbed by a French actor.) -
bsharporflat — 13 years ago(August 15, 2012 10:21 AM)
Yeah, its safe to conclude the Jets were a mixed bag of European ethnicities. They are mostly lighter haired though. Even the one called "A-rab". Action does look Italian. Tony does not look Polish; one of several problems with casting Richard Beymer.
One of the gangs they defeated was "The Emeralds" so I always thought that was the Irish gang. -
friendoffilm — 10 years ago(March 02, 2016 05:55 AM)
Actually, however, when one stops to really think about it, there are different ways that people of different ethnic groups look.
Not all Irish or Polish are light-haired and fair-complexioned. There are people of Irish and Polish descent who are deeper-toned in complexion, and darker-haired as well. Ever head the term "black Irish"? That's where this term comes from.
Not all people of Italian extraction are dark complected and dark-haired, either. There are lighter-skinned and fairer haired people of Italian descent, as well.
Because there are so many different ethnicities here in the United States, and there's a long history of intermarriage between the various white Euro-American groups here in this country, that's where the differences in looks come from.
Hope I've been of some help here.
I also might add, however, that most of the Jets, including Riff, Ice, and Joyboy, had mousy-brown hair and average-looking complexions, if one gets the drift. -
marvelass — 13 years ago(November 01, 2012 12:46 AM)
(You can spot Chakiris as one of the 4 dancers working with Rosemary Clooney during the "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me" number in White Christmas. He also has a fair sized role in Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, though his dialog is all dubbed by a French actor.)
He can also be spotted as one of Marilyn Monroe's suitors in her famous "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" rendition from the movie
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
. He's made up to look like an older gentlemen with the gray streaks, but he was only 19. haha
. -
TeOfLeDiKi — 13 years ago(October 09, 2012 05:39 AM)
i always interpreted that as sarcasm toward police officers in general, because historically so many NY cops (especially in the early 60s) were of Irish descent. What's interesting about Krupke is that the name itself is genealogicaly difficult to trace to a particular ethnicity.
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TeOfLeDiKi — 13 years ago(October 09, 2012 04:50 AM)
One of the points that the playwright (and later the screenwriters) made clear in one of the scenes in Doc's store was that, although the Jets were all "white," they were all descended from different ethnicities. It was the fact that they were white that consolidated them against the Puerto Ricans.