Carmen Miranda

For the Spanish volleyball player, see Carmen Miranda (volleyball).

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Miranda and the second or paternal family name is Cunha.
Carmen Miranda
GCIH OMC
Miranda in a scene from the film Week-End in Havana (1941)
Born
Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha

(1909-02-09)9 February 1909
Marco de Canaveses, Kingdom of Portugal
Died5 August 1955(1955-08-05) (aged 46)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting placeSão João Batista Cemetery, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Other namesThe Brazilian Bombshell
A Pequena Notável (in Brazil)
EducationConvent of Saint Therese of Lisieux
Occupations
  • Singer
  • dancer
  • actress
Years active1926–1955
Spouse
David Alfred Sebastian
​
​
(m. 1947)​
Relatives
Musical career
GenresSamba
Instrument
  • Vocals
Labels
Websitewww.carmenmiranda.com.br
Signature
Miranda's signature in ink

Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha GCIH, OMC[1] (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈkaʁmẽj miˈɾɐ̃dɐ]), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell",[2][3] she was known for her signature fruit hat outfit that she wore in her American films.

As a young woman, Miranda designed clothes and hats in a boutique before making her debut as a singer, recording with composer Josué de Barros in 1929. Miranda's 1930 recording of "Taí (Pra Você Gostar de Mim)", written by Joubert de Carvalho, catapulted her to stardom in Brazil as the foremost interpreter of samba.

During the 1930s, Miranda performed on Brazilian radio and appeared in five Brazilian chanchadas, films celebrating Brazilian music, dance and the country's carnival culture.[4] Hello, Hello Brazil! and Hello, Hello, Carnival! embodied the spirit of these early Miranda films. The 1939 musical Banana da Terra (directed by Ruy Costa) gave the world her "Baiana" image, inspired by Afro-Brazilians from the north-eastern state of Bahia.[5]

In 1939, Broadway producer Lee Shubert offered Miranda an eight-week contract to perform in The Streets of Paris after seeing her at Cassino da Urca in Rio de Janeiro.[6] The following year she made her first Hollywood film, Down Argentine Way with Don Ameche and Betty Grable, and her exotic clothing and Lusophone accent became her trademark.[7] That year, she was voted the third-most-popular personality in the United States; she and her group, Bando da Lua, were invited to sing and dance for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[8] In 1943, Miranda starred in Busby Berkeley's The Gang's All Here, which featured musical numbers with the fruit hats that became her trademark. By 1945, she was the highest-paid woman in the United States.[9]

Miranda made 14 Hollywood films between 1940 and 1953. Although she was hailed as a talented performer, her popularity waned by the end of World War II. Miranda came to resent the stereotypical "Brazilian Bombshell" image she had cultivated and attempted to free herself of it with limited success. She focused on nightclub appearances and became a fixture on television variety shows. Despite being stereotyped, Miranda's performances popularized Brazilian music and increased public awareness of Latin culture.[10] In 1941, she was the first Latin American star to be invited to leave her hand and footprints in the courtyard of Grauman's Chinese Theatre and was the first South American honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[11] Miranda is considered the precursor of Brazil's 1960s Tropicalismo cultural movement.[12] A museum was built in Rio de Janeiro in her honor[13] and she was the subject of the documentary Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business (1995).[14]

  1. ^ Medeiros, Jotabê (24 November 2009). "Raul Seixas e Carmen Miranda ganham Ordem do Mérito Cultural" [Raul Seixas and Carmen Miranda win Order of Cultural Merit]. O Estado de S. Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  2. ^ Dennison & Shaw 2004, p. 112.
  3. ^ Rohter, Larry (13 December 2001). "The Real Carmen Miranda Under the Crown of Fruit". The New York Times. Rio de Janeiro. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  4. ^ Gloria Helena Rey (1 March 1985). "Brazil remembers its fruit-topped lady". Evening Independent. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  5. ^ Andrew S. Vargas (9 December 2016). Stereotype or Samba Pioneer? A Look Back at the Controversial Legacy of Carmen Miranda. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017.
  6. ^ Amanda J Ellis. Captivating a country with her curves: Examining the importance of Carmen Miranda's iconography in creating national identities. ISBN 9780549561422. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017.
  7. ^ Bloom, Stephen G. (24 August 1984). "After 30 years, Carmen Miranda still a bombshell". Edmonton Journal. p. B5. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  8. ^ Merriman, Woodene (30 May 1988). "On Trail of Miranda Museum". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Movie Stars And Detroit Auto Men Get Highest Pay". Tampa Bay Times. 17 June 1946. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  10. ^ "Biography – Carmen Miranda". Jason Ankeny. p. AllMusic.
  11. ^ DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Brazil. Penguin. 9 June 2014. ISBN 9780756695699.
  12. ^ "Carmen Miranda – Tropicália". Ana de Oliveira. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  13. ^ David Beard (29 January 1986). "Museum Shows Off The Fruits of Carmen Miranda". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  14. ^ Thomas, Kevin (7 October 1995). "TV Reviews: 'Carmen Miranda' Looks Behind Image". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2014.