Carmen Miranda; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha; February 9, 1909 - August 5, 1955), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress, & film star who was popular from the 1930s to the 1950s. Nicknamed The Brazilian Bombshell, Miranda is noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in her American films. As a young woman, she designed hats in a boutique before making her first recordings with composer Josu de Barros in 1929. Miranda’s 1930 recording of Ta (Pra Voc 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 & appeared in five Brazilian chanchadas, films celebrating Brazilian music, dance, & the country’s carnival culture. Hello, Hello Brazil! & 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 African-Brazilians from the northeastern state of Bahia. 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. The following year she made her first Hollywood film, Down Argentine Way with Don Ameche & Betty Grable, & her exotic clothing & Lusophone accent became her trademark. That year, she was voted the third-most-popular personality in the United States; she & her group, Bando da Lua, were invited to sing & dance for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. in 1943, Miranda starred in Busby Berkeley’s The Gang’s All Here, which was noted for its musical numbers with the fruit hats that became her trademark. By 1945, she was the highest-paid woman in the United States. Miranda made 14 Hollywood films between 1940 & 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, & attempted to free herself of it with limited success. She focused on nightclub appearances & became a fixture on television variety shows. Despite being stereotyped, Miranda’s performances popularized Brazilian music & increased public awareness of Latin culture. in 1941 she was the first Latin American star to be invited to leave her hand & footprints in the courtyard of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, & was the first South American honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Miranda is considered the precursor of Brazil’s 1960s Tropicalismo cultural movement. A museum was built in Rio de Janeiro in her honor & in 1995 she was the subject of the documentary Carmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business. When framed, these vibrant graphic art prints make an attractive addition to any movie lovers decor. Lovingly printed to order on heavyweight matt 210 g/m2 photo paper using high end printing techniques. All prints shipped securely in hard backed envelopes
