Carmen Miranda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carmen Miranda GCIH • OMC
Miranda in the New York Sunday News (1941)
Born	Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (1909-02-09)9 February 1909 Marco de Canaveses, Kingdom of Portugal
Died	5 August 1955(1955-08-05) (aged 46) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting place	São João Batista Cemetery, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Other names	The Brazilian Bombshell The Chiquita Banana Girl A Pequena Notável (in Brazil)
Education	Convent of Saint Therese of Lisieux
Occupation	Singer dancer actress
Years active	1928–1955
Spouse(s)	David Alfred Sebastian ​ (m. 1947)​
Relatives	Aurora Miranda (sister) Cecilia Miranda de Carvalho (sister)
Musical career
Genres	Samba
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	RCA Brunswick Records EMI-Odeon Decca Records PolyGram
Signature

Carmen Miranda (born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a famous singer, dancer, and actress. She was born in Portugal but grew up in Brazil. People called her "The Brazilian Bombshell" because of her lively performances. She was also known for her unique fruit hats.

Before becoming a star, Carmen designed hats. She made her first recordings in 1929. Her song "Taí (Pra Você Gostar de Mim)" in 1930 made her super famous in Brazil. She became the top singer of samba music.

In the 1930s, Carmen sang on Brazilian radio. She also appeared in five Brazilian films called chanchadas. These movies celebrated Brazilian music, dance, and the country's carnival fun. Films like Hello, Hello Brazil! and Hello, Hello, Carnival! showed off her early style. In 1939, the movie Banana da Terra introduced her famous "Baiana" look. This look was inspired by Afro-Brazilians from the state of Bahia.

In 1939, a Broadway producer named Lee Shubert saw Carmen perform. He offered her a contract to sing in New York. The next year, she made her first Hollywood film, Down Argentine Way. Her colorful clothes and Portuguese accent became her special style. By 1945, she was the highest-paid woman in the United States.

Carmen Miranda made 14 Hollywood films between 1940 and 1953. Even though her popularity changed over time, her performances helped make Brazilian music and Latin culture popular around the world. In 1941, she was the first Latin American star to put her hand and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. She was also the first South American to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A museum was built in Rio de Janeiro to honor her.

Early Life and Beginnings

Travessa do Comércio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Miranda lived at number 13 when she was young.

Carmen Miranda was born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha. She was born in a village in northern Portugal in 1909. When she was ten months old, her family moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her father opened a barber shop there. Carmen never went back to Portugal, but she always kept her Portuguese citizenship.

Her father loved opera, and he named her Carmen after the famous opera Carmen. This love for music influenced Carmen. She loved singing and dancing from a young age. She went to school at the Convent of Saint Therese of Lisieux.

Carmen's father did not want her to become a performer. However, her mother supported her dream. To help her family, Carmen worked in a tie shop when she was 14. Later, she worked in a boutique where she learned to make hats. She even opened her own successful hat business.

Career Highlights

Becoming a Star in Brazil

Miranda in 1930

Carmen Miranda met Josué de Barros, a musician, while working at her family's inn. With his help, she recorded her first song in 1929. Her second song, "Prá Você Gostar de Mim" (also known as "Taí"), was a huge hit in 1930. It sold 35,000 copies! She then signed a contract with RCA Victor.

In 1933, Carmen signed with Rádio Mayrink Veiga, a very popular radio station. She was the first singer in Brazilian radio history to have a contract. Later, she became the highest-paid radio singer in Brazil.

Carmen's fame grew with the popularity of samba music. Her lively performances earned her nicknames like "Cantora do It" and "A Pequena Notável" (The Little Notable One).

Her Brazilian films were musicals that showed off Brazil's carnival traditions. She sang in O Carnaval Cantado no Rio (1932) and A Voz do Carnaval (1933). In Hello, Hello Brazil! (1935), she sang the closing song. She even had her first speaking role in Estudantes (1935).

Poster for the 1936 Brazilian film, Hello, Hello, Carnival!

She also starred in Hello, Hello, Carnival! (1936). This film had many popular singers and radio stars, including Carmen's sister, Aurora. Carmen's star power was clear, with her photo and name at the top of the movie poster.

Carmen started wearing her famous fruit hats in 1939. She wore them in the film Banana da Terra. Her costume was a fancy version of the traditional dress of poor black girls from Bahia. She sang "O Que É Que A Baiana Tem?", a song that celebrated this social group.

Broadway producer Lee Shubert saw Carmen perform in Rio. He offered her a contract to perform in New York. Carmen agreed, but only if her band, the Bando da Lua, could come too. The Brazilian government even helped pay for the band's travel. They believed Carmen would help connect Brazil and the United States. Carmen left for New York in May 1939, just before World War II.

Success in the U.S.

Bud Abbott (left) and Lou Costello with Miranda

Carmen arrived in New York in May 1939. Her first Broadway show, The Streets of Paris, opened in June. Even though her part was small, she got great reviews. She became a huge sensation! A newspaper called her "the girl who saved Broadway." Her fame grew quickly, and she even met President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Hollywood quickly noticed the "Brazilian Bombshell." Twentieth Century-Fox made a film for her called Down Argentine Way (1940). The movie was a big success.

Carmen returned to Broadway in 1941 in Sons o' Fun. Critics praised her unique style. She also recorded music for Decca Records.

The U.S. government supported Carmen Miranda. They believed performers like her would help improve relations with Latin American countries. Carmen was seen as a "goodwill ambassador" for intercontinental culture.

On the cover of Brazilian magazine A Cena Muda, 1941

Brazilian Reactions

Miranda in 1943

While Carmen's fame grew in the U.S., some Brazilians were not happy. When she returned to Brazil in 1940, some critics said she was too "Americanized." They felt her image was "too black" and that she was singing "bad-taste black sambas."

At a charity concert, Carmen greeted the audience in English. When she sang an American song, the audience booed her. This made Carmen very sad. The next day, the Brazilian newspapers criticized her.

Carmen responded to the criticism with a Portuguese song called "Disseram que Voltei Americanizada" ("They Say I've Come Back Americanized"). Another song, "Bananas Is My Business," also talked about her image. Because of this criticism, Carmen did not return to Brazil for 14 years.

Her films were also criticized in Latin America. Some people felt her movies showed Latin American cultures in a way that wasn't accurate. For example, Down Argentine Way was banned in Argentina for "wrongfully portraying life in Buenos Aires."

Peak of Her Career

Miranda with Don Ameche in That Night in Rio (1941)

During World War II, Carmen starred in eight of her 14 films. Studios called her the "Brazilian Bombshell." Her second Hollywood film, That Night in Rio (1941), was very popular. On 24 March 1941, Carmen was one of the first Latinas to leave her hand and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

Her next film, Week-End in Havana, was also a hit. In 1942, she filmed Springtime in the Rockies, which was one of the most successful films that year.

In 1941 Miranda was invited to leave her hand and (high-heeled) footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the first Latin American to do so.

In 1943, Carmen appeared in The Gang's All Here. This film featured her famous "The Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat" number. By this time, she was often cast as an exotic singer. One of her songs, "I Make My Money With Bananas," seemed to joke about her typecasting. The Gang's All Here was one of the highest-grossing films of 1943.

By 1945, Carmen Miranda was Hollywood's highest-paid entertainer. She was also the top female taxpayer in the United States.

Later Career

Doll Face (1945), Miranda's first black-and-white film for Fox

After World War II, Carmen's films were made in black-and-white. This showed that Hollywood's interest in her and Latin Americans was changing. In Doll Face (1945), she had a smaller role. Critics said she wasn't as good in this film.

When her contract with Fox ended in 1946, Carmen wanted to try new roles. She starred with Groucho Marx in Copacabana (1947). But critics and the public didn't really accept her new image.

Even though her film career slowed down, Carmen was still a popular nightclub singer. She recorded songs with the Andrews Sisters. Their song "Cuanto La Gusta" was very popular in 1947.

Andy Russell and Miranda in Copacabana (1947)

Carmen made two more musicals for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: A Date with Judy (1948) and Nancy Goes to Rio (1950). In these films, they tried to change her look. She wore elegant dresses instead of her "baiana" outfits. But her roles were still small and relied on her accent and over-the-top musical numbers.

Her last film was Scared Stiff (1953) with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. In this movie, she played a Brazilian showgirl. Her costumes and performances almost seemed to make fun of her own image.

In April 1953, she went on a European tour. In October, she collapsed from tiredness and had to cancel some shows.

Personal Life

Miranda and her husband, David Sebastian

Carmen Miranda wanted more creative freedom. In 1947, she decided to produce her own film, Copacabana. One of the investors sent his brother, David Sebastian, to watch over Carmen. They became friends and started dating.

Carmen and David Sebastian got married on 17 March 1947. Carmen became pregnant in 1948, but she lost the baby after a show. The marriage was short, but Carmen, who was Catholic, did not want a divorce. Her sister, Aurora, said that David married her for selfish reasons and that Carmen became very sad after they married. They separated in September 1949 but got back together a few months later.

Carmen was a private person. Before she went to the U.S., she had relationships with other people. In the U.S., she also dated actors like John Payne and John Wayne.

Death and Legacy

Scarf worn by Miranda in her final performance, an episode of The Jimmy Durante Show filmed hours before her death, 4 August 1955

In April 1955, Carmen Miranda performed in Las Vegas. In August, she was filming a TV show called The Jimmy Durante Show. She told Jimmy Durante she wasn't feeling well, but she still performed. After finishing a song and dance, she fell to one knee. Jimmy thought she had just slipped.

After the show, Carmen went home with friends for a small party. She went to bed around 3 a.m. In the hallway outside her bedroom, she collapsed from a fatal heart attack. Carmen Miranda was 46 years old. Her body was found at about 10:30 a.m. The TV episode she filmed aired two months after she passed away.

Miranda's funeral cortège in Rio de Janeiro, 12 August 1955

Carmen's body was flown back to Rio de Janeiro, as she wished. The flag of Brazil covered her casket. The Brazilian government declared a time of national mourning. About 60,000 people attended her memorial service. More than half a million Brazilians walked with her funeral procession to the cemetery.

Miranda's grave in São João Batista Cemetery, Rio de Janeiro

Carmen Miranda is buried in São João Batista Cemetery in Rio de Janeiro. In 1956, her family donated her belongings to the Carmen Miranda Museum, which opened in Rio in 1976. For her contributions to entertainment, Carmen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her Famous Image

Miranda's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Miranda in a 1945 advertisement for a General Electric FM radio in The Saturday Evening Post

In Hollywood, Carmen Miranda was seen as a general "Latina" star. Her image was very colorful and showy. She often wore platform shoes and tall headdresses made of fruit. This made her known as "the lady in the tutti-frutti hat." Her huge, fruit-filled hats became famous worldwide. Stores like Saks Fifth Avenue even made turbans and jewelry inspired by her.

Her tutti-frutti hat from The Gang's All Here (1943) even inspired the United Fruit Company's Chiquita Banana logo! In the 1960s, Brazilian filmmakers were influenced by Carmen's Hollywood movies.

In 2009, she was the focus of São Paulo Fashion Week. Two years later, Macy's wanted to use her image to promote a clothing line. Many products today, like bags and clocks, are inspired by Carmen Miranda.

Lasting Impact

Daffy Duck as Miranda in Yankee Doodle Daffy, 1943

Miranda's hand- and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre

The Museu da Imagem e do Som do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro Museum of Image and Sound) on Copacabana Beach in June 2014. The building will house the Carmen Miranda Museum collection.

Miranda's dresses and photos exhibited at the Museum in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso said that Carmen Miranda made Brazilians feel both proud and a little embarrassed. She became a symbol that made them think about their own culture. Carmen became famous in "White" America like no other South American artist.

Even though she was more popular outside Brazil when she died, Carmen Miranda greatly helped Brazilian music and culture. She was sometimes accused of making Brazilian music too commercial. But she definitely brought samba to a worldwide audience. She also introduced the baiana dress, with its wide skirts and turbans, as a Brazilian showgirl look. This baiana style became a key part of Carnival for many people.

Since her death, Carmen Miranda is remembered as an important Brazilian artist. She is one of the most influential figures in Hollywood history. She was even nominated as one of the 50 greatest screen legends by the American Film Institute.

In 1998, a square in Hollywood was named Carmen Miranda Square. It is near Grauman's Chinese Theatre, where she left her handprints.

To celebrate 50 years since her death, a "Carmen Miranda Forever" exhibit was shown in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in 2005. That same year, a 600-page book about her life was published.

Carmen Miranda's song "O Que É Que A Baiana Tem?" was added to the National Recording Registry in 2008. This song introduced samba and Carmen to the U.S. in 1939.

In 2011, Carmen Miranda appeared on a set of special U.S. Postal Service stamps. These stamps honored Latin Music Legends.

Her films Down Argentine Way and The Gang's All Here were added to the National Film Registry in 2014. At the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Rio, there was a tribute to Carmen Miranda. On 9 February 2017, Google Doodle celebrated her 108th birthday.

In Popular Culture

Carmen Miranda's unique style has inspired many characters and performances:

• In The House Across the Bay (1940), Joan Bennett performed a song like Carmen Miranda.
• In Babes on Broadway (1941), Mickey Rooney dressed as Carmen Miranda and sang "Mamãe Eu Quero."
• Curly Howard of the Three Stooges dressed as Carmen Miranda in Time Out for Rhythm (1941).
• In Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943), Daffy Duck performs "Chica Chica Boom Chic" dressed as Carmen Miranda.
• The United Fruit Company created the Chiquita Banana character in 1944, whose fruit hat looked like Carmen's.
• In a Tom & Jerry cartoon called "Baby Puss" (1943), a cat dressed as Carmen Miranda sings "Mamãe Eu Quero".
• Lucille Ball imitated Carmen Miranda in an episode of I Love Lucy.
• Musician Leslie Fish wrote a song called "Carmen Miranda's Ghost" in 1989.
• A documentary about her, Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business, was filmed in 1995.
• In 2004, Caetano Veloso and David Byrne wrote a song called "Dreamworld: Marco de Canaveses" to honor her.
• In 2007, BBC Four made a documentary about her.
• For Carmen's 100th birthday, singer Daniela Mercury recorded a "duet" with her on "O Que É Que A Baiana Tem?".
• The film The Shape of Water (2017) features Carmen's song "Chica Chica Boom Chic."
• Bonita Flamingo, a character in the children's show Noddy, is a flamingo version of Carmen Miranda.
• In 2009, Carmen Miranda was the inspiration for a photo shoot on America's Next Top Model.

Filmography

Singles

Brazilian Singles

1935

• "Anoiteceu"
• "Entre Outras Coisas"
• "Esqueci de Sorrir"
• "Foi Numa Noite Assim"
• "Fogueira Do Meu Coração"
• "Fruto Proibido"
• "Cor de Guiné"
• "Casaco de Tricô"
• "Dia de Natal"
• "Fala, Meu Pandeiro"
• "Deixa Esse Povo Falar"
• "Sonho de Papel"
• "E Bateu-Se a Chapa"
• "O Tique-Taque do Meu Coração"
• "Adeus, Batucada"
• "Querido Adão"

1936

• "Alô, Alô, Carnaval"
• "Duvi-dê-ó-dó"
• "Dou-lhe Uma"
• "Capelinha do Coração"
• "Cuíca, Pandeiro, Tamborim ..."
• "Beijo Bamba"
• "Balancê"
• "Entra no cordão"
• "Como Eu Chorei"
• "As Cantoras do Rádio"
• "No Tabuleiro da Baiana"
• "Como Vai Você?"

1937

• "Dance Rumba"
• "Em Tudo, Menos em Ti"
• "Canjiquinha Quente"
• "Cabaret No Morro"
• "Baiana Do Tabuleiro"
• "Dona Geisha"
• "Cachorro Vira-Lata"
• "Me Dá, Me Dá"
• "Camisa Amarela"
• "Eu Dei"

1938

• "Endereço Errado"
• "Falar!"
• "Escrevi um Bilhetinho"
• "Batalhão do amor"
• "E a Festa, Maria?"
• "Cuidado Com a Gaita do Ary"
• "A Pensão Da Dona Stella"
• "A Vizinha Das Vantagens"
• "Samba Rasgado"
• "E o Mundo Não Se Acabou" ("And the World Would Not End")
• "Boneca de Piche"
• "Na Baixa do Sapateiro"

1939

• "A Preta Do Acarajé"
• "Deixa Comigo"
• "Candeeiro"
• "Amor Ideal"
• "Essa Cabrocha"
• "A Nossa Vida Hoje É Diferente"
• "Cozinheira Grã-fina"
• "O Que É Que A Baiana Tem?"
• "Uva de Caminhão"
• "Camisa Listrada"

1940

• "Voltei pro Morro"
• "Ela Diz Que Tem"
• "Disso É Que Eu Gosto"
• "Disseram que Voltei Americanizada"
• "Bruxinha de Pano"
• "O Dengo Que a Nêga Tem"
• "É Um Quê Que a Gente Tem"
• "Blaque-Blaque"
• "Recenseamento"
• "Ginga-Ginga"

American Singles

1939

• "South American Way"
• "Touradas Em Madrid"
• "Marchinha do grande galo"
• "Mamãe Eu Quero"
• "Bambú, Bambú"

1941

• "I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much)"
• "Alô Alô"
• "Chica Chica Boom Chic"
• "Bambalê"
• "Cai, Cai"
• "Arca de Noé"
• "A Weekend in Havana"
• "Diz Que Tem ..."
• "When I Love I Love"
• "Rebola, Bola"
• "The Man With the Lollipop Song"
• "Não Te Dou A Chupeta"
• "Manuelo"
• "Thank You, North America"

1942

• "Chattanooga Choo Choo"
• "Tic-tac do Meu Coração"
• "O Passo Do Kanguru (Brazilly Willy)"
• "Boncea de Pixe"

1945

• "Upa! Upa!"
• "Tico Tico"

1947

• "The Matador (Touradas Em Madrid)"
• "Cuanto La Gusta"

1949

• "Asi Asi (I See, I See)"
• "The Wedding Samba"

1950

• "Baião Ca Room' Pa Pa"
• "Ipse-A-I-O"

See also

In Spanish: Carmen Miranda para niños