Million Dollar Theater

On a day like today, March 2nd, the great Cuban singer, actor and producer, Desi (Desiderio) Arnaz was born in the city of Santiago de Cuba in 1917, four years past a century ago. In his intense career, Arnaz contributed various major accomplishments to American popular culture, by driving the Conga to become a national dance, then leading one of the top latin orchestras in the country, starring and co-producing the breakthrough television show, I Love Lucy, and forming back ...then, the largest private television studios and production company, Desilu. The young lad and his father arrived to the United States penniless as political exiles, but with tenacity, raw talent and the instinct of a rare genius, Arnaz went from one endeavor to the other in a sky rocketing career that culminated in becoming the man we love for Loving Lucy. Want to honor his memory? Put on your favorite dancing tune, and get on with a conga line

Today is the 103 birthday of the Million Dollar Theater, back in February 1st, 1918, the great premiere took place, attended by a roster of Hollywood celebrities of the time, silent era remember, city dignitaries and a happy gathering of Angelenos to welcome what would become a historic jewel for the City of Angels. All in all the theater has lived through various successive stages that exemplified and expressed the culture of its citizens, who attended to see both national a...nd international performers, from the Graumann period, exhibiting silent films with elaborate pre-shows, to the Popkin era where with big band, Latin flare, jazz and swing, up to the Spanish-language period with Fouce Sr. and Jr., followed by Bruce Corwin at the helm. The theater still has much to give and its stage calls for wide world talent, and its seats for appreciative audiences to keep alive the creative spirit that found a home within walls. Happy Birthday, Million Dollar Theater! See more

Happy Centennial Day Mario Lanza! The greatest epitome of the tenor in the mid-twentieth century is Mario Lanza. His magical and powerful delivery of a wide range of song styles, made him the perfect ambassador of operatic lyric singing in his generation. Mario was at home with Italian canzones, American Operetta repertoire, Opera, and Pop. Born to Italian parents in Philadelphia, he grew up passionately listening to greats such as Caruso and America's songs of the day and ye...steryear, creating in himself a stylistic synthesis that would become his trademark, both in interpretive style and in his vocal production. Warm, rich, but bright voice coloring and a lyrical verismo that so difficult to achieve for a talented singer, that he delivered naturally. His Hollywood films, helped made opera part of the menu for the youth in the late 40's and 50s, in a time when crooners and rock and rollers were the pop of the day, and he threaded seamlessly between both styles bridging them for his audience. It is worthwhile to take time and listen to his recordings from various years, radio programs, RCA's and live performing recordings, from the various musical styles he mastered, to get a sense of who Mario Lanza was, and what he did for musical audiences in his time. For tenors, just as Caruso, Mario is a point of reference in singing achievement and standard, for his admirers, he is a category unto himself. His intensely but relatively short lived life, left us in expectation of the great opera career he wanted to embark with. He and his lifelong wife Betty were parent to four children. Today Elisa is the keeper of his legacy, and the ambassador of his humanity to the world. Dear Mario, we remember you! :) Check out this great website on Mario: https://www.mariolanzatenor.com

Happy 90th birthday Sean Connery! https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000125/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery

Happy 90th birthday Sean Connery! https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000125/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery

Today is the Centennial of Benny Moré, the iconic Cuban singer who also performed in classic Mexican films. He also performed in Los Angeles at the Palladium. Thank you artist David Mir for creating the wonderful caricature. Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré (24 August 1919 19 February 1963), known as Benny Moré, Bení Moré or Beny Moré (in Spanish), was a Cuban singer, bandleader and songwriter. Due to his fluid tenor voice and his great expressivity, he was known variously as El ...Bárbaro del Ritmo and El Sonero Mayor.[1] Moré was a master of most Cuban popular genres, such as the bolero, son montuno, mambo, and guaracha. Moré formed and led the Banda Gigante, one of the leading Cuban big bands of the 1950s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Moré

Happy birthday Pedro Infante Jr! (En español más abajo) Son of the legendary Mexican icon Pedro Infante (an inspiration for the character Ernesto de la Cruz in Coco), Pedrito, as he was called by friends, carried his father’s footsteps becoming a beloved singer and Mexican film actor in his own right. Though he briefly worked as an architect, having studied in the prestigious La Salle University in Mexico DF, he abandoned the profession to embark in an entertainment career....Continue reading

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