Brazilian Bombshell [Hardcover]

Martha Gil-Montero (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gil-Montero, a Spanish translator, here offers a sympathetic, minutely detailed biography of the incomparable Carmen Miranda (1909-1955). She grew up in Rio de Janeiro with parents who were desperately poor until their teenaged daughter began to prosper as a singer-dancer, specializing in the Brazilian samba. Famous by 1939, she was brought to the U.S. by Hollywood filmmakers and was soon on her way to stardom. Behind the "tutti-frutti" hats that became her symbol and the image of a happy extrovert, however, she was work-driven and insecure. The author describes the causes of Miranda's unhappiness, among them attacks by Brazilians for embracing American music. This fact is included along with virtually everything else that occurred in the actress's life until her death at age 46, following a triumphant appearance on TV. Atoning for their earlier criticisms, Brazilians honored her with a funeral rivaling the great carnival in Rio, where her tomb is a national shrine. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Miranda, the flamboyant Brazilian singer/dancer, embodied Latin American music in Hollywood films of the 1940s. Born in Portugal, she emigrated to Brazil with her parents and escaped from poverty to build a fabulous career in Brazil during the 1930s. After her exportation and huge success in Hollywood, Brazilian audiences were cold to her, partly in protest to the unrealistic image of Latin America shown by the Hollywood films. Her sudden death at age 46 was brought on by years of overwork and dependence on chemical stimulants. Gil-Montero makes much of the conflict that her rejection by Brazilian fans caused her, and the burden of maintaining her image. The author obviously adores Miranda, but the overwrought flamboyance of her style results in repetitive, murky writing.
- Marcia L. Perry, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 1St Edition edition (May 23, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556111282
• ISBN-13: 978-1556111280
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Carmen-the lovely Latin lark lives!, March 3, 2005

By 

Robert Badgley (St Thomas,Ontario,Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brazilian Bombshell (Hardcover)

Carmen Miranda da Cunha was born in Portugal and she with her family moved to Brazil when she was very young.Her family was poor but at a young age she started to sing and eventually she started to carve herself a very respectable notch in the Brazillian music scene.She toured during the thirties with the top flight Latin musicians in her country and with many recordings under her belt before she even landed in the U.S. she was in fact a bona fide star in her native country.
The U.S. recording industry got wind of this unique talent and then Hollywood who beckoned her northward.Determined,talented and driven she went on to conquer Hollywood as she had her home country.But it was the image she created there that many back home decried her for having sold out her principals and herself.Carmen so wanted everyone to like her and she especially couldn't understand the lack of tolerance in Brazil by some for what she was doing in the U.S.After all wasn't she just trying to be a success?
She unfortunately took alot of criticism to heart either from home or elsewhere and she became at times deeply depressed.She relied sometimes on alcohol and other chemical substances to asuage her inner demons but they wouldn't go away.Rest in sanitariums and even shock treatments over time didn't do it and neither did a loveless marriage with an abusive husband.
It was during a taping on Aug.4/55 of a Jimmy Durante show that she had an unexpected fall but quickly recovered.She had not been feeling her self for a while but she carried on and finished taping the show.The next morning at around 2:30AM she left to go to bed and that was the last time her family and friends saw her alive.Such a tragic ending for such a talented woman.
This book is a welcome tome on the life of Carmen but unfortunately the authors' writing gets away from her sometimes and she will devote paragraphs of florid prose on what she thinks Carmen may have thought of at a certain moment in her life.Also her chronology is sloppy as she skips forward then back from chapter to chapter.
In conclusion I would recommend this book,albeit not highly,as there are many things one can learn once you're able to seperate the wheat from the chaff.It does contains alot of photos previously unseen by this writer and contains adecdotes from many who knew her both in Brazil and in the U.S.
I can only hope there comes along another deserved book on this delightful and talented singer/actress but with a more focused and thorough approach to its' subject matter.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NO Bombshell here!, March 27, 2010

By 

Lorenzo Doria "Lorenzo Giovanni D'Oria" (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Brazilian Bombshell (Hardcover)

Brazillian Bombshell is a wonderful warm biography of Carmen Miranda. If you even think you love her this is a must read. It dispells all the Hollywood Publicity Machine foolishness about her life as well as the RCA Victor Bio bloopers. It's all finally straightened out, and now we, Carmen's Fans and Carmen herself, can rest knowing that the story has been told properly. It's about time!