1 9 5 9 - Maysa, Sylvio Caldas, Teddy Randazzo...

30 April 1959 - American rock'n'roll sensation Teddy Randazzo premieres on 1st of May 1959 at Jardim de Inverno Fasano where he stays for the whole week.

29 April 1959 - Mary Wynne says Maysa would start a stint at Boite Oasis tonight while Sylvio Caldas with American singer Wanda Curtis had premiered last night at Michel. Actually, Ms Curtis was barred from singing by the Musicians's Union due to a invalid work permit. Mary actually says: 'Assistindo aos ensaios durante o cocktail de ante-ontem (27 April), Sylvio Caldas com o violão cantando uma porção das músicas queridas e guardando as novidades para o show e Wanda Curtis expressivamente demonstrando seus 'hits' norte-americanos, me parece que o movimento do 'betting' durante a temporada deve ser bem grande'.

30 April 1959 - just having a look at Mary Wynne's column at Estadão one may gather what 1959 was like: singer-musician Nat King Cole having just visited São Paulo left the impression his was the biggest tour ever performed by any foreign (or national) act. This turned out to be not an 'impression' but real truth. Not even rock band Queen (in 1981) broke this record. Nat Cole was really KING. 

Another look at Ms Wynne's column and one sees that rua Barão de Itapetininga was where fashion sat... Mme. Rosita (Rosa de Libman, born on 10 May 1904 in Montevideo, Uruguay) had her atelier on rua Barão: Vocês notaram todo o movimento da rua Barão de Itapetininga, aquele elegante toldo cor-de-laranja (cor da moda), ante-ontem e ontem à tarde? Mme. Rosita apresentou a sua coleção dos ultra-novos modelos franceses e finíssimas peles a um seleto grupo de senhoras da sociedade. Espetacular sucesso.

French model at Mme. Rosita's on Rua Barão de Itapetininga in the 1950s.

5 May 1959 - Mary Wynne shows a photo taken at Maysa's parents' house with Wanda Curtis & Ginger Ryan, two American singers who were trying their luck at nightclubs in São Paulo. The lovely girls weren't very successful though for Ms Curtis who was supposed to have premiered at Michel's in the same bill as 'old timer' Sylvio Caldas, was barred from it by an injunction from Ordem dos Musicos, Brazilian's Musician Union. 

6 May 1959 - at Michel's the biggest 'come back' of 1959: Sylvio Caldas (born on 23 May 1908) who had been a major Brazilian star since 1931 competing with the other 2 popular singers Francisco Alves and Orlando Silva... was still as good as gold. Mary Wynne says Sylvio's recitals at Michel's were eagerly awaited by many with the house packed to the rafters. Everyone knew Sylvio could quit the whole thing at a drop of a hat... and that's what happened a few days after this note was printed at Estadão. Mr Caldas couldn't wait to celebrate his 51st birthday on the 23rd. He took off and probably went fishing which was his favourite sport; while this was going on at Michel, Maysa, who had been a 'disciple' of Sylvio's herself was doing well at Boite Oasis. 

13 May 1959 - As we have anticipated, Sylvio Caldas 'fell ill' and had to stop his stint at Michel's... Caldas worked less than a week... American Wanda Curtis could not get her 'working permit' so Jimmy Christie, Michel's owner had to make do with Maria Ribeiro a young hopeful who struck lucky... We don't know whatever happened to Ms Curtis... she's probably gone back to the States; Mary Wynne tells us she had a long phone conversation with Mr. Figueiredo Rocha who is Mary Gonçalves' father. The old man, who knows about show business told about his daughter's activities in Chile and Argentina where Mary sang at various theatres & night clubs. Mary Gonçalves who was not a novice when it came to living abroad - would probably extend her trip to Venezuela & Mexico. 

20 May 1959 - Mary Wynne's style of writing Portuguese was really quaint for she sprinkled English words everywhere. Look at this particular note about young singer Agnaldo Rayol: 'Atenção brotos! 'Calling all bobby-soxer'! Estreou ontem no Blue Room da Sears o simpático jovem cantor Agnaldo Rayol, cantanto especialmente para vocês em 'show' durante o 'five o'clock tea'. Naturalmente, seus pais também são 'welcome'; Mary Wynne says Freddy Feld spent the week-end in Rio de Janeiro and told her Cab Calloway (born on 25 December 1907) was still the same at 52 years old as he was at 32 when he was on top. Ms Wynne gets all nostalgic remembering her young years at college when she'd hear a lot of Mr Calloway's 'hey-de-ho'... The Cotton Club Revue has a cast of 30 dancers and singers presenting a complete vaudeville show. 

21 May 1959 - here's the Cotton Club Revue of 1959 which received rave-reviews from Mary Wynne and everyone else led by the great Cabell (Cab) Calloway - jazz singer & band-leader.

Cab Calloway in the 1930s.

Cab in his famous zoot-suit in the 1940s. 

21 May 1959 - Teatro Bela Vista had a more conservative repertoire: Eugene O'Neill's 'Before breakfast', translated by Madalena Nicol as 'Antes do café'; Luigi Pirandello's 'L'uomo dal fiore in bocca' translated by Adacto Filho as 'O homem da flor na boca' and Tennessee Willams' 'Hello from Bertha' translated by Guilherme de Almeida as 'Lembranças de Berta' with Nydica Licia, Sergio Cardoso, Wanda Kosmos, Rita Cléos, Suzy & Alceu. 

21 May 1959 - playwright Gianfrancesco Guarnieri's 'Gimba' in which Maria Della Costa plays a dark woman who lives in the slums directed by Flavio Rangel.

10 October 1959 - The day TV Record started its first rock show 'Programa da Juventude' (Youths's Hour) with rock sensational teenage singer Celly Campello as an anchor & Randal Juliano as an MC. It was beamed live - as there was no video-tape in 1959 - straight from Teatro Record on Rua da Consolação, 1992. 

10 October 1959 - at Black Jack Boite a rock'n'roll act straight from Japan called Takashi Ikeda who lived and worked in Brazil a couple of years. Ikeda played the guitar Elvis Presley style and sang 'Hound dog' and 'Tutti Frutti' as part of his war horse; at the Captain's Bar on Avenida Duque de Caxias, 525, one could hear Claudia Barroso's singing and Paulinho Nogueira's playing; at CHICOTE, pianist Robledo did his routine & Zezé Gonzaga sang beautifully.

10 October 1959 - columnist Mary Wynne tells all about pianist Robledo's premiere at Chicote... with Odilon singing for free... and even Caco Velho dueting 'Rag Mop' maybe to remember his time living in the USA.  

11 October 1959 - Ruth de Souza & Nidia Licia in 'Oração para uma negra' (A prayer for a Black woman) at Teatro Bela Vista.

28 November 1959 - US act Billy Eckstine appears at Teatro Record nightly from 1st to 6 December.

5 December 1959 - the opening act for Billy Eckstine was a millionaire revue 'Você falou, tá falado' (You've always got the last word) with top show girl Mara Rubia and Consuelo Leandro who could be a show girl and a comedienne to boot.

6 December 1959 - Mary-go-round's Carrossel shows a photo with a smiling Billy Eckstine and Michel's owner Jimmy Christie. Eckstein was accompanied by the Fred Feld Trio. 

6 December 1959 - see at Black Jack Boite a real Japanese young man called Takashi Ikeda who played guitar and sang many rock'n'roll tunes he copied from Elvis Presley like 'Hound dog' or Little Richard's 'Tutti Frutti'. I wish I knew how Ikeda arrived in Brazil and how he got himself a working permit to perform at Brazilian night clubs. Brazilian youths were usually too shy to try and sing in English at the end of the 1950s. The Japanese boy had no such qualms...