Happy Birthday, Carmen Miranda!

Happy birthday, Carmen Miranda! The delightful, funny, and sexy Portuguese-born Brazilian actress who was a star of American musicals in the 1940s and 50s would have turned 105 today. Although she was looked down upon at the time by many Brazilians for her caricaturish persona, she was a true talent and her Portuguese-language recordings (featured today on KCSM's Latin Jazz show) stand the test of time. As a child raised on old musicals, I fell in love with the "lady in the tutti fruiti hat," silliness and all. In fact, she reminded me a little of another favorite from a different culture: Fanny Bryce. 

This number opens up with a long classical piano intro and ends with a big Broadway dance number, but Carmen is definitely the star of the show. 

Cross-posted from Facebook.