Carmen Miranda
Arguably Brazil’s most famous export, Carmen Miranda was actually born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha in Portugal, February 9, 1909. Her family, barber father, seamstress mother and six children in total, moved to Rio de Janeiro when she was very young. At the age of 15, she dropped out of Catholic School and worked in a hat shop, where she began her love for creating and modeling hats for the customers and she danced and sang for them. An affluent customer requested a performance at one of their parties, which marked a turning point in the young women’s career. “Triste Jandaya” (Sad Parakeet) was her first hit song and the next year “Tia” sold over 35,000 copies. Brazil adored their La Pequena Notavel (The Remarkable Little Girl) and over the next ten years she recorded almost 300 songs ranging from tangos to Carnival marches and rhumbas, the majority being samba. By the age of 26, Carmen Miranda was a household name throughout Brazil, having acted in five Brazilian movies in addition to her glamorizing samba music and her extravagant salary. Soon after this she took on the Bahiana costume: “a silk turban with fruit and other items, golden earrings, bracelets, a silver buckle and sandals, with strings of beads around her neck, colorful skirt and bare midriff.” Her first American success was the song “O Que e Que a Bahiana Tem?” (What Does the Bahian Girl Have?) from the movie “Banana da Terra” and later performed in New York City in 1939. showtime
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All of her songs at this time were sung in Portuguese yet American audiences loved and praised the fresh feel of the Queen of Samba. After returning to Rio de Janeiro a year later to perform, she was accused of coming back too Americanized and later returned singing “Disseram Que Voltei Americanisada” (They Say I Came Back Americanized), which enamored her Brazilian audience. She spent the next 14 years in the United States of America where she continued with her acting, singing and radio career – adding another title, The Brazilian Bombshell. Following a rocky marriage to her co-producer David Sebastian in 1947, “Carmen suffered depression, exhaustion, overmediacation and even electroshock therapy. She took an extended vacation to Rio de Janeiro in December 1954 and the next year, on “The Jimmy Durante Show”, she collapsed during a dance routine. The next morning, August 5, 1955, Carmen Miranda died from a heart attack; she died unexpectedly at the age of 46. Millions of fans visit the Carmen Miranda Museum and Sao Joao Batista Cemetery, both in Rio de Janeiro, ever year to see where she is buried and pay homage to her amazing legacy. 2005 marks 50 years since her death and her samba beats, fiery temperament, stunning beauty and extravagant costumes still hold a place in countless hearts.
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posted by Hills @ 6:38 PM
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