“Waas sappening?”: narrative structure and iconography in Born in East L.A

Coffee? When, on August 21, 1987, Universal Studios released Cheech Marin’s directorial debut, Born in East L.A. (Fig. 10.1), it seemed as if the studio did not know what to do with the film. After all, it was unlike the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, and more drugs, of the Cheech and Chong “occasions-on-film” that had earned almost $300 million since Up in Smoke (1978). Even so, Marin’s past reputation conflicted with the “just say no” ethos of the Reagan era.3 To make matters worse, Universal changed studio heads mid-film, which all but guaranteed a lackluster promotion, since the film’s success would accrue to the old, and not the new person in charge. And so, Born in East L.A. was dumped on the national market without the usual advance press screenings.