Una Poca de Gracia — In the Face of Disaster

David Sackman

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4 min read

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Aug 2, 2021

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Young boys play basketball in a schoolyard to the chords of Santo and Johnny’s Sleepwalk. As one boy passes the ball, we see a plane appear in the sky. The low drone of multiple propellers. Another, smaller plane appears in another part of the sky. The higher-pitch whine of a jet engine. One boy pauses to tie his shoe. Then:

- BOOM! -

Richie Valenzuela (played by Lou Diamond Philips) wakes with a start. This is the opening dream sequence of Luis Valdez’ film - La Bamba — about the rock star known as Richie Valens.

But this wasn’t just a dream in a movie. It was a real event in the life of Richie Valenzuela (who his agent insisted go by the…