Alphabe Thursday - "C" is for Carmen ( Miranda, That Is ) - October 7, 2010
Back in Columbus, Georgia, when my mother was in the late stages of her pregnancy
with me, Carmen Miranda was one of her favorite actresses. singers and dancers.
I remember listening to records of her and even went with my mother to see several
of her films. As a little girl, I would play dress up and tie a basket of fruit on my head
and try to dance to her samba tunes, quite unsuccessfully, as apples and bananas
would go rolling all over the floor.
Carmen Miranda, was born in Portugal in 1909 and moved to Brazil with her mother
and sister in 1910, joining her father who had imigrated earlier. Baptized Maria, her
father called her "Carmen", after his favorite opera. She loved singing and dancing
from her early years but her father did not want her in show business. Franklin D.
Roosevelt present her at a White House banquet and she went on to star in thirteen
Hollywood films.
with me, Carmen Miranda was one of her favorite actresses. singers and dancers.
I remember listening to records of her and even went with my mother to see several
of her films. As a little girl, I would play dress up and tie a basket of fruit on my head
and try to dance to her samba tunes, quite unsuccessfully, as apples and bananas
would go rolling all over the floor.
Carmen Miranda, was born in Portugal in 1909 and moved to Brazil with her mother
and sister in 1910, joining her father who had imigrated earlier. Baptized Maria, her
father called her "Carmen", after his favorite opera. She loved singing and dancing
from her early years but her father did not want her in show business. Franklin D.
Roosevelt present her at a White House banquet and she went on to star in thirteen
Hollywood films.
According to Wikipedia, "By 1946 she was Hollywood's highest-paid entertainer and top female tax payer in the United States,[3] earning more than $200,000 that year, according to IRS records."
Her marriage, in 1947, to American film producer, David Sebastian, lasted only a few
months but his alcoholism precipated her heavy drinking. Sje ultimately became an
amphetamine and barbiturate abuser.
She died, far too young, at the age of 46, having suffered a heart attack during an
evening performance.
Carmen Miranda is buried in Rio de Janeiro. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame and there is a Carmen Miranda Square in Hollywood, near Grauman's Chinese
Theatre. She was, apparently, beloved by a great number of people.
Fame and there is a Carmen Miranda Square in Hollywood, near Grauman's Chinese
Theatre. She was, apparently, beloved by a great number of people.
