Carlos Zara, actor

Antonio Carlos Zarattini was born in Campinas-SP on 14 February 1930.

19 January 1958 - a piece of news at OESP says actor Carlos Zara will have to leave the cast of Ariano Suassuna's 'O casamento suspeitoso' due to his having to study hard for his yearly exams at Polytecnic School of Engineering. Actor Geraldo Ferraz was invited to take Zara's place but hadn't said yes yet.  

Berta Zemel, actress

Berta Zemel nee Bertha Zemelmacher was born in Bela Vista, an inner suburb of São Paulo on 6 August 1934. 

As a child Berta spent most of the day with an Italian family nearby, because her parents worked. - 'With them I learned to face difficulties without ever rebelling'. 

She was 38 years old when she got the title-role in 'Vitoria Bonelli', a nightly soap-opera broadcast by TV Tupi from 13 September 1972 through to 14 July 1973.

In 1976, Berta talked to a 'Melodias' journalist and told him a little about her earlier life. She was only child of Polish immigrants, Berta was born and raised in Bela Vista, where she lived most of her life having only recently moved. 

Nathan, her father was born in 1904, now 72 years old, is a willing and well-preserved man. Her mother, Rosa, was born in 1903, now 73 years old, still waits up for Berta to come home even if it's 3:00 in the morning. - 'We have tea together. She always waits for me with an orange juice or a glass of milk'.

Berta is not married; she is married to her art. - 'It's been 7 years since I opened Teatro Móvel de São Paulo, in 1969, my own company, which travels around the state of São Paulo and the rest of the country, taking plays, mainly to schools. In addition to producing, directing and performing, I write and adapt texts. This takes up all my time, so if I had gotten married I would be sacrificing other people and children that would eventually come. 

Berta Zemel has always been very shy, so much so that her parents did not object when she went to the School of Dramatic Arts because they were sure she would not make it. 

- 'I have something in common with Berenice - the 1976 soap opera character portrayed by Ms Zemel in 'Os Apóstolos de Judas' ('Apostles of Judah') - I had even more economic problems than she did. When I was little, there were times when we barely had anything to eat. Another common point, perhaps, is shyness; which Berenice hides; the reason she usually gives up on things. To overcome shyness I've have to make a great effort.

Ms Zemel died on 25 February 2021. 

Nathalia Timberg & Berta Zemel in 'Duas Cabeças', Grande Teatro Tupi, 1951. 

Berta Zemel is congratulated by Leonardo Vilar for her Sacy in 1962.

Zemel in Dostoievsky's 'White nights' staged at TV Tupi. 

'Melodias' column 'Gente de Teatro' of June 1964, brings a photo of Berta Zemel, Odavlas Petti (*1929 +24 July 1997) and Gustavo Pinheiro in Dostoievsky's 'White Nights' Noites brancas), produced by Teatro Popular do Sesi, translated and adapted by Ms Zemel herself. It opened on 28 February 1964, at Teatro Maria Della Costa. It ran for months on end. I must have seen it by the end of 1964. It was the first time I saw a real theatre play in my life. 

'Vitoria Bonelli' ran from 13 September 1972 through to 14 July 1973.

Berta Zemel & director Geraldo Vietri at the set of TV Tupi's 'Vitória Bonelli', in 1972.

revista 'Amiga', 1973.

Ana Maria Dias (Verônica), Tony Ramos (Tiago) born Antonio , Carlos Alberto Riccelli (Mateus) born on 3rd July 1946; Flamíneo Fávero (Lucas) & Berta Zemmel (Vitoria Bonelli). 

Monthly magazine 'Melodias' of January 1973, interviews Berta Zemmel who was on the top of her popularity playing a middle-aged woman called Vitória Bonelli, at TV Tupi's 6 days a week. Zemmel declares: 'Vitória says the things I like'. 

Berta confesses she's a shy and simple woman who found in the character she portrays at the novela a little of her own Ego. 

Miss Zemmel says she was born and raised at the inner suburb of Bela Vista. 'I graduated at Escola de Arte Dramática, a department of USP, class of 1955, which had its premisses at the top floor of Teatro Brasileiro de Comédia, on Rua Major Diogo, Bela Vista. My first professional job was in 'Hamlet' at Teatro Bela Vista, which was owned by Sergio Cardoso, in 1956.  

Berta as Victoria Bonelli... 

'Os Apóstolos de Judas' (Apostles of Judas) a telenovela shown by TV Tupi, was aired from 31st May 1976 to 27 November 1976, replacing 'Um dia, o Amor' and being replaced by 'Tchan, a Grande Sacada'. Written by Geraldo Vietri; directed by Geraldo Vietri and Duarte Gil Gouveia.

Berta Zemel talks to 'Melodias' journalist about Berenice, a character she plays at 'Os Apóstolos de Judas', at TV Tupi, in 1976.  

Zemel as Berenice, an elementary school teacher. 

1 9 5 5 - Rio de Janeiro theatre scene

6 April 1955 - Rio de Janeiro was the capital city of Brazil until 1960. One could go to the movies to watch the latest Oscarito film... or one could repair to Teatro Gloria and see Oscarito in the flesh alongside Violeta Ferraz, simply the best comedienne in the country...

Oscarito & Violeta Ferraz. 

 6 April 1955 - at Teatro Serrador Eva Todor in Roussin's 'Esse casal é de morte', directed by Dame Henriette Morineau. 

6 April 1955 - at Teatro Rival, Alda Garrido in Pedro Bloch's 'Mulher de briga'.

12 June 1955 - This may not be exactly 'theatre' in the strict sense of the word but show business it definetely: Silki, Brazil's most popular fakir was lying in a glass coffin for 45 days now at a public space in downtown Rio de Janeiro - Edificio Cineac mezzanine.

28 August 1955 - Tauted as 'young & blonde', Rossana took Silki's place at the mezzanine of Cineac, on Avenida Rio Branco and was on her 21st day of fasting.

28 August 1955 - Just 3 weeks after the body of Carmen Miranda was buried at Cemitério São João Baptista, on 13 August 1955, Cineac shows a documentary shot during the funeral that involved crowds in the streets of the Federal Capital.

28 August 1955 - Two ladies who were very influential in the Brazilian musical-comedy theatre: Hungarian Eva Todor and Argentine Renata Fronzi... both were born abroad but raised in Brazil.

30 October 1955 - Everything you always wanted to know about sex, sex diseases, forensic medicine, sexual anomalies... Dupuytren de Paris would show you made in wax... at the Automóvel Clube do Brasil, on Rua do Passeio, 90. 

Morales J. Morales 1959 - July to December

5 July 1959 - at Teatro Leopoldo Fróes, Cacilda Becker and sister Cleyde Yaconis in 'Mary Stuart'.

12 July 1959 - At Teatro de Arena: Roberto Freire's 'Gente como a gente' with Lélia Abramo (Assunta), Milton Gonçalves, Arnaldo Weiss, Chico de Assis, Flavio Migliaccio, Henrique Cesar, Oduvaldo Vianna Filho, Riva Nimitz, Vera Gertel & Xandó Baptista. Directed by Augusto Boal. 

Inicia-se na 3a.feira, 7 July 1959, no Teatro de Arena, a apresentação de 'Gente como a gente', peça em 3 atos de Roberto Freire. Continua o conjunto o programa de encenar originais brasileiros, sucedendo esse novo cartaz a 'Eles não usam black-tie' e 'Chapetuba F.C.' 

De Roberto Freire, o público paulista teve a oportunidade de assistir 'Quarto de empregada', peça de um ato, interditada pela censura e depois liberada pelo ex-governador Janio Quadros. Sobre o espetáculo o diretor Augusto Boal escreveu a seguinte apresentação para o programa:

'Nunca esteve a dramaturgia brasileira tão exuberante e farta como agora. Estreiam 'chapetuba' e 'gimba', volta a 'compadecida', vem para São Paulo 'Pedro Mico' e 'O santo e a porca', anunciam Jorge de Andrade, Nelson Rodrigues, Callado, Catalano talvez Alencar. E nós apresentamos 'Gente como a gente'.

Augusto Boal.

Escreve-se sobre a Central do Brasil, sobre futebol, o morro carioca, um lugarejo mineiro, um bairro do Rio, gente do Nordeste, e escreve-se sobre o Brasil. O caminho está se impondo: escrever brasileiro sobre temas nossos. Interpretar brasileiro, peças nossas. 

Não se trata de um caminho alvitrado, mas do único necessário a evolução do nosso teatro. Tem bases teóricas e liga-se ao desenvolvimento do nacionalismo: já montamos belíssimos espetáculos alienados da nossa realidade humana e social. Agora, precisamos errar nossos erros.

'Gente como a gente' apresenta uma visão católica de um problema social. Freire julga a verdade católica, a única capaz de conduzir o homem à plenitude espiritual. Mas condena a posição atual de sua igreja, ora apática, ora reacionariamente dedicada à não-participação social. Não quer que a Igreja se transforme em líder de massas, mas que apoie as suas reivindicações. Não quer eliminar a liturgia, mas também não quer vê-la transformada na única razão de ser da religião. 'Gente como a gente' é uma exortação à sua Igreja para que tenha Deus no corpo e no pensamento - mas que nas mãos tenha Cristo.'

Em torno dessa ideia central construímos o espetáculo. Antonio incorpora a tese, os demais personagens, especialmente João, as várias antíteses. Peppino e Assunta confundem a Igreja com a novela radiofônica da vida de Jesus. Jandira fanatiza-se e procura um martírio inútil. Ditão e Wilson representam denúncias de uma sociedade. Gina e Luiz perdem-se por não terem Deus. 

19 July 1959 - at Teatro Bela Vista, Vicente Catalano's 'Sexy' with Sergio Cardoso, Rita Cleos, Alceu Nunes and Guilherme Correa.

2nd August 1959 - directed by Antunes Filho, with Dalia Palma as Anne Frank, Felipe Carone as Otto Frank, Elias Glaser, Raul Cortez, Walter Avancini, Maria Dilnah...

9 August 1959 - actress-singer Marlene Dietrich's last night at Teatro Record in São Paulo...

16 August 1959 - French title: 'Knock ou Le triomphe de la médecine' is a 1923 French satirical play about modern medicine, written by Jules Romains. It was performed for the 1st time in Paris on 15 December 1923. 

30 August 1959 - Antonio Callado's 'Frankel' 

playwright Antonio Callado types away at 'Correio da Manhã' office in Rio de Janeiro. 

6 September 1959 - 

13 September 1959 - Jean Bernard Luc's 1952's 'La feuille de vigne' (A folha de parreira) with Celia Biar, Dalia Palma, Irene de Bojano, Carlos Vergueiro, Rubens de Falco, Pedro Leardi, Ruy Affonso, Susy Arruda and Vera Ferraz. 

27 September 1959 - Marcel Achard's 'Patate' with Fregolente and Mauro Mendonça. 

 11 October 1959 - 'Requiem for a nun' is a work of fiction written by William Faulkner which was first published in 1951. It was later adapted for the stage by Ruth Ford, translated by Gert Meyer as 'Oração para uma negra'. It is the source of one of Faulkner's best-known lines, 'The past is never dead. It's not even past.'

Ruth de Souza & Grande Otelo in 1953.

 18 October 1959 - André Rouissin's 'Nina' with Gilda Mattia, Spina, Davida Neto & Gustavo Pinheiro.

25 October 1959 - 

1st November 1959 - Edy Lima's 'Farsa da esposa perfeita' (Perfect wife farce) directed by Augusto Boal with Riva Nimitz, Henrique Cesar, Cecy Pinheiro, Arnaldo Weiss and Ferreira Leite. 

15 November 1959 - actor Ricardo Bandeira specializes in mimic...

22nd November 1959 - Albert Camus' 'Caligula', a play spoken in French for Brazilian audiences...

 6 December 1959 - Giuseppe Patroni Griffi's 'D'amore si muore' (Quando se morre de amor) with Tereza Rachel, Carminha Brandão, Antonio Ganzarolli, Francisco Cuoco, Marcelo Bittencourt, Ambrosio Fregolente and Ruy Crescente.

13 December 1959 - Tonia Carrero, Paulo Autran & Adolfo Celi in Henri Ghéon's 'Natal na praça'.

 20 December 1959 - Georg Kaiser's 'Der Soldat Tanaka' (O soldado Tanaka) directed by Sergio Cardoso with Alceu Nunes, Laerte Morrone, Sergio Cardoso and Sonia Oiticica.

Tarciso Meira & Sergio Cardoso as Tanaka in WWI.

Akio Tanaka was left behind in Russia after WWII ended.

3rd January 1960 - for the final drawing of the year Morales J. Morales surpasses himself in exuberance...