Elsa M. Miranda (14 February 1922 – 27 April 2007) was a noted Puerto Rican singer who was featured on radio and television in the United States during the

Golden Age of Radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment, entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcastin ...

in the 1940s. As a naturalized Argentinian, she was also active as a film actress in South America during the 1950s.

Early years

Elsa Miranda was born in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

, a city located in the southern region of the island. She moved to New York City with her mother Amelia Miranda (1898-2007) and became a performer who first attained notoriety as a vocalist through her live performances during the

in the United States in the 1940s. Included among her most popular songs were ''Adiós Mariquita Linda'' as performed with

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the ea ...

Viva America Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * V ...

Orchestra, ''Cariñoso'' as performed with

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Lov ...

and his orchestra, ''Besos de Fuergo'' and ''Sonata Fantasía'' among others.

Miss Chiquita Banana

Miranda first appeared on the radio performing the promotional singing commercial '' Chiquita Banana'' in 1945. Her interpretation of the tropical tune proved to be immensely popular and was broadcast over 2,700 times per week. These commercial radio broadcasts created widespread notoriety for Miranda. She was also celebrated as one of the most popular models in the "Miss Chiquita Banana" contest during the 1940s, making several advertising and promotional film appearances on behalf of the Chiquita brand. She subsequently collaborated in various musical events representing the brand with

Arthur Fiedler Arthur Fiedler (December 17, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was an American conductor known for his association with both the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one o ...

and the

Boston Pops The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...

Orchestra during 1945 and 1946. As a result of this exposure, Miranda soon emerged in a series of performances on radio networks in New York City. By 1946, she appeared on such network broadcasts as ''

The Jack Smith Show ''The Jack Smith Show'' was a radio program of popular music in the United States. It was broadcast on CBS Aug. 21, 1945-Dec. 26, 1952. It first originated from New York, but production was moved to Hollywood in 1948 to allow more opportunities fo ...

'' on CBS and ''Leave It To Mike'' on Mutual. At this time she also engaged in a series of collaborations with noted interpreters of Latin American music in New York including

Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was a Spanish musician and bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. In New York City ...

on the ''C-C Spotlight Bands'' show for WOR radio and

on the ''

'' show for the

Columbia Broadcasting System CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

and

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

. While performing on '' Viva America'' she also collaborated with several international musicians of that era including: the Mexican tenors

Juan Arvizu Juan Nepomuceno Arvizu Santelices (known as Juan Arvizu; Santiago de Querétaro, May 22, 1900 - Mexico City, November 19, 1985), was an acclaimed lyric tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of the Latin American bolero and tango on the internati ...

and

Nestor Mesta Chayres Néstor Mesta Cháyres (aka Nestor Chaires, Ciudad Lerdo, February 26, 1908 - Mexico City, June 29, 1971) was an acclaimed tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of Spanish songs, boleros and Mexican romantic music on the international concert ...

, the Argentine composer/arranger

Terig Tucci Terig Tucci (June 23, 1897 – February 28, 1973) was an Argentine composer, violinist, pianist, and mandolinist. Tucci was born in Buenos Aires, in 1897. His first composition, “Cariños de madre” was performed for a zarzuela at the ...

and members of the CBS Pan American Orchestra including

John Serry Sr. John Serry Sr. (born John Serrapica; January 29, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was an American concert accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator. He performed on the CBS Radio and Television networks and contributed to Voic ...

Recording Latin American music in the United States

Before long, Miranda engaged in a series of recordings in collaboration with leading conductors of Latin American music in the United States. Her performances included renditions of ''Cariñoso'', ''Carnival in Rio'', ''I'll Never Love Again'' and ''Tia Juana'' with the Desi Arnaz Orchestra for

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

in 1946 and 1947. They also included performances with Alfredo Antonini on recordings for Pilotone Records and Alpha Records which included: ''Alma Llanera'', ''Silencio'', ''Music of the Americas'' and ''Songs and Dances of Latin America''. By 1947, Mianda also collaborated in Puerto Rican radio shows with Rafael Pont Flores, Elmo Torres Perez, Pepito Torres and his Siboney Orchestra and the Dúo Rodríguez-De Códova (Alicía and Adalberto, who once performed for WEMB).

Cinema

As the 1950s emerged, Miranda appeared in the film ''Captura Recomendada'' as a musical performer with Carlos Ginés. She also appeared later in the decade in the film ''Ensayo Final'' (1955)Entrada de Elsa Miranda en Cinenacional
/ref> in which she shared scenes with such actors as Carlos Ginés, Gloria Ferrandiz, Ricardo Lavié, Margarita Corona, Eduardo Rudy, Nathán Pinzon, Alberto Closas, Santiago Gómez Cou and Nelly Panizza. She also appeared on the television program ''Tropicana Club'' with Ángel Magaňa, Carlos Castro "Castrito" and Mario Pocoví. In addition, she collaborated in 1955 in ''Comedias Musicales'' with Pedro Quartucci, Perla Alvarado, Angel Eleta, Lita Moreno and Dorita Vernet. In 1952 she also appeared in the theater production of ''Sonrisas y Melodías''. In addition to her recordings with the Alfredo Antonini Viva America Orchestra and the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, Miranda included several recordings of boleros with the Cuban

René Touzet René Touzet y Monte (September 8, 1916 in Havana, Cuba – June 15, 2003 in Miami, Florida) was a Cuban-born American composer, pianist and bandleader. Career as bandleader Living in the city of Cojimar, he learned classical piano from the ag ...

Orchestra for Seeco Records in her discography. Miranda's musical performances on both radio and television were widely applauded by members of the public as well as professional critics of her time. For example, reviewers in ''

The Billboard The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. It was discovered in November 1934 by a Secon ...

'' magazine specifically applauded Elsa Miranda for her sweet and spirited renditions of boleros. In addition, they cited her for the intimacy of her performances and her ability to contrast English and Spanish lyrics with such ease.

Death

On 27 April 2007, Miranda passed away at the Madison Center in Old Bridge, New Jersey at the age of 85. Her cremated remains were buried in Calvary Cemetery in

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census.

. She is survived by her daughter, her sister, two granddaughters, and three great-grandchildren. Her musical legacy includes several single recordings of popular Latin American music from the

on major labels including:

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

and Alpha Records.

Discography

* ''Adios Mariquita Linda'' - Alpha (#12206) Elsa Miranda sings this bolero by Marcos A. Jimenez with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra (1946) * ''Alma Llanera'' - Pilotone (#5071) - Elsa Miranda sings with the Alfredo Antonini Viva America Orchestra (1946) * ''Caminito de Tu Casa'' - Alpha (#12206) - Elsa Miranda sings this bolero by

Julio Alberto Hernández Julio Alberto Hernández (September 27, 1900 – April 2, 1999) was a Dominican composer. He specialized in folk-music based compositions. Biography He was born in Santiago de los Caballeros and is the nephew of P.T. Camejo. In addition to st ...

with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra (1946) * ''Cariñoso'' - Victor (#25-1071) - Elsa Miranda sings with the Desi Arnaz Orchestra (1947) * ''Carnival in Rio'' - Victor (#25-1071) - Elsa Miranda performs with the Desi Arnaz Orchestra (1947) * ''Chapinita'' - Alpha (#12206) - Elsa Miranda performs this bolero by

Miguel Sandoval Miguel Sandoval (born November 16, 1951) is an American actor of film and television. Biography Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began working as a professional actor in 1975 when he joined a mime school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. H ...

with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra (1946) * ''Flores Negras'' - Pampa (#11039-A) - Elsa Miranda sings this bolero by Sergio De Karlo with Vlady and his Orchestra (19??) * ''I'll Never Love Again'' - Victor (#20-2020) - Elsa Miranda sings the lyrics in English, with the Desi Arnaz Orchestra (1946) * ''La Mulata Tomasa'' - Alpha (#12205) - Elsa Miranda sings this bolero by Lazaro Qintero Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra (1946) * ''La Zandunga'' - Alpha (#12205) - Elsa Miranda sings this bolero by Andres Gutierrez with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra (1946) * '' Mi Nuevo Amor'' - Alpha (#12206) - Elsa Miranda sings this bolero with the Alfredo Antonini Viva America Orchestra (1946) * ''Music of the Americas'' - Alpha (#????) - Elsa Miranda sings with the Alfredo Antonini Viva America Orchestra (1947) * ''No Puedo Ser Feliz'' - Seeco (#7728) - Elsa Miranda sings this song by Adolfo Guzman with the Rene Touzet Orchestra (19??) * ''No Te Importa Saber'' - Seeco (#7729) - Elsa Miranda sings this song by Rene Touzet with the Rene Touzet Orchestra (19??) * ''Noche Azul'' - Seeco (#7729) - Elsa Miranda sings this Cha Cha Cha by Ernesto Lecuona with the Rene Touzet Orchestra (19??) * ''Noche de Ronda'' - Alpha (#12205) - Elsa Miranda sings this bolero by

Agustín Lara Ángel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Lara y Aguirre del Pino (; October 30, 1897 – November 6, 1970), known as Agustín Lara, was a Mexican composer and performer of songs and boleros. He is recogn ...

with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra (1946) * '' Punal en el Alma'' - Seeco (#7728) - Elsa Miranda sings this song by Paul Arenas with the Rene Touzet Orchestra (19??) * ''Silencio'' - Pilotone (#5070) - Elsa Miranda sings with the Alfredo Antonini Viva America Orchestra (1946) * ''Songs and Dances of Latin America'' - Alpha (#A-3) - Elsa Miranda sings with the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra (1947) * ''There's Still A Little Time'' - Alpha (1001B) - Elsa Miranda sings with the Alfredo Antonini Viva America Orchestra (1946) * ''Tres Palabras'' - Alpha (#12205) - Elsa Miranda sings this bolero by Osvaldo Farres with Alfredo Antinini's Viva America Orchestra (1946)

Filmography

* ''Ensayo Final'' - Elsa Miranda performing in the cast (1955) * '' Captura Recomendada'' - Elsa Miranda performing as herself (1950)''Captura Recomendada'' on imdb.com
/ref>

References

External links

''Elsa Miranda'' on Worldcat.org
*
Recordings of performances by Elsa Miranda on Archive.org

Recording of performance of ''Flores Negras'' by Elsa Miranda with Vlady y su Orquesta in "The Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings" at the University of California Los Angeles on frontera.library.ucla.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miranda, Elsa 1922 births 2007 deaths Singers from Ponce Actresses from Ponce, Puerto Rico 20th-century Puerto Rican women singers 20th-century Puerto Rican actresses Naturalized citizens of Venezuela Columbia Records artists Victor Records artists Burials in New Jersey