Getúlio Vargas, Television and Donald Duck: the world in 1950

Aside from the sadly memorable Maracanazo which sealed Brazil’s defeat to Uruguay by two goals to one in what was the second World Cup to be held on Latin American soil, the year of 1950 had two other memorable historical events that were milestones in the history of the country.

The first was the arrival of television, a fact that would only be better sized in the following decade, when the radio, which had held sway in its Golden Age since the 1940s, started to lose its importance as the main vehicle of communication. The first television broadcast occurred in São Paulo in April 1950, by the Diários Associados Group, thanks to the initiative of another historical name which was Assis Chateaubriand. Soon after, in September, there was the inauguration of TV Tupi, which was Brazil’s first television station. First invented back in the 1920s, television was already well known in the United States and also in Germany, where several major broadcasts had already taken place, including that of the Berlin Olympics in 1936. The black and white screen had not yet come to Brazil, while in the United States, in 1949, RCA was already announcing the creation of color television, which started to be adopted in 1954.

The second key fact in Brazil in 1950 was the presidential election. This issue caused heated discussions on the radio, in newspapers and even in general conversation in watering holes, ever since the start of the year. On 3 October, finally Getúlio Vargas is the Victor with almost 50% of the votes, defeating a timid rival in brigadier Eduardo Gomes, of the National Democratic Union (UDN). At that time, the country had 53 million people.

“Put the old man’s picture,
Put it in the same place,
The old man’s smile makes us work"

This jingle, first sung in the 1950 Carnival, already bet on the return of Getúlio Vargas, which he himself had promised when he resigned the Presidency back in 1945: “I shall return in the arms of the people” were apparently the words of the caudillo.

Touradas em Madri, Chiquita Bacana and Cintura Fina by Luiz Gonzaga
While on the subject of Carnival, these Follies were still popular, and throngs of people would go to the ballrooms and also take to the streets, where there were songs that were chosen as the great hit of the year. Others would stay and establish a Carnival repertoire. This is the case of the Carnival jingle Touradas em Madri (Bullfights in Madrid), composed by João de Barro, better known as Braguinha, in 1938, and which was sung by the supporters while the Brazilian football team wiped the pants off Spain, in the 1950 World Cup.

Another success that became a classic was Chiquita Bacana (Cool Chiquita), by João de Barro and Alberto Ribeiro, which was sung by Emilinha Borba and was a success at the Carnivals of 1949 and 1950. Emilinha and her great rival Marlene appeared at this time, the golden days of auditorium programmes on the radio. Like them, the public also had veneration for other singers like Luiz Gonzaga, the King of Baião, who, from the radio started to record their hits, mainly Northeastern hits such as Asa Branca and Assum Preto, and the xote song Cintura Fina (Fine Waist).

Other singers that started to attract popular attention were the singers Jackson do Pandeiro and also the pair consisting of Alvarenga and Ranchinho, with satirical lyrics based on the political scene. The vinyl record had been launched in 1948, and by 1950 the old and heavy 78 rpm records had been retired. Apart from the baião, the more romantic samba-canção revealed Dolores Duran, Ângela Maria (to whom Getúlio Vargas gave the nickname of Sapoti) and Cauby Peixoto, among other famous names of Brazilian Pop Music (MPB).

On the big screen, Frank Sinatra, Carmen Miranda, Oscarito and Grande Otelo
Beside music and the radio, the cinema, both national cinema and Hollywood, has for decades been an important source of entertainment and influence on national customs. In the same way as names like Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Carmen Miranda and other stars attracted people to the cinemas, people would also flock to the cinema exhibition rooms to see the chanchada films of Atlântida, which since the 1940s had featured the duo Oscarito e Grande Otelo, a real box-office success. Meanwhile, in São Paulo there was the advent of the Vera Cruz film company, which shot 22 films and made a name for itself in Brazilian cinema.

The arrival of Donald Duck
The lives of radio and cinema stars were put on the pages of magazines including O Cruzeiro (soon after, in 1952, Manchete would be launched). In addition, comic strips, and more attention to leisure for infants and children, was on a high, and this could be confirmed by the first issue of the O Pato Donald (Donald Duck) comic, which arrived at the newsagents in July 1950.

The beginning of Formula One
Just for reference. While some 200 thousand people (about 10% of the city’s population in those days) packed into the Maracanã do see the ill-fated decisive game of the Brazilian national team against Uruguay, another more discreet fact launched a new attraction in the sporting world: the first Formula One World Championship, which was held by the International Automobile Federation in 1950.