Zoot Suit

YEAR: 1981

LENGTH: 103 minutes

CAST: Tyne Daly, Daniel Valdez, Charles Aidman, Edward James Olmos, John Anderson, Abel Franco

SYNOPSIS: This is based on the real "Sleepy Lagoon" trial in Los Angeles in 1942 when several Hispanics were sent to jail on trumped-up charges of murder. It was shot in only 11 days on a budget of $2.5 million.

(From another source:) Part fact and part fiction. Zoot suit is the blistering film version of Luis Valdez' critically acclaimed play, based on the actual Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the zoot suit riots of 1940's Los Angeles.

Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez) is the leader of a group of Mexican Americans being sent to San Quentin without substantial evidence for the death of a man at Sleepy Lagoon.

As part of the defense committee, Alice Bloomfield (Tyne Daly) and George Shearer fight the blatant miscarriage of justice for the freedom of Henry and his friends.

Featuring a dazzling performance by Edward James Olmos as the mythical "El Pachuco," Zoot Suit is an unforgettable blend of action, music, excitement."

(another summary) 1940, Los Angeles. Henry Reyna is the leader of a group of Mexican-Americans being sent to San Quentin without substantial evidence. Two members of the defense committee fight the blatant miscarriage of justice for the freedom of Henry and his friends. Based on the actual Sleepy Lagoon murder case.