Octavio Lignelli & celebrities

Octavio Lignelli & the great Orlando Silva 

Octavio poses with Gilberto Alves - the shorter fellow - with an unidentified boy and man.

Ruth Amaral sings at Radio Club on 29 March 1948; Octavio in his birthday bash - 25 March 1952.

Lignelli with Nelson Gonçalves, Welman Cury & Fausto Canova (with his hand on Cury's shoulder). 

'Palhaços do mundo, uni-vos' - Lignelli with (?), Carequinha, Fred & Meio-Quilo. 

Octavio Lignelli with some Japanese unknown (to us) celebrities at the famous Radio Club's aquarium.

Paraguayan harp player Luis Bordon in 1960; Odyr Odillon in 1940.

This is NOT Marilia; you see that public telephone on the left? Marília did not have a public telephone until the 1970s; this is probably Radio Record in S.Paulo; from left to right: Almirante, Neyde Fraga, Roberto Vilar, Izaura Garcia, Ary Barroso & Geraldo Tassinari, a speaker of Radio Club de Marilia that eventually worked for Radio Bandeirantes in S.Paulo -  26 December 1956. 

Isaura Garcia in 1939 stays at a hotel next to A Predilecta

Isaura Garcia or Isaurinha Garcia was at the top of her popularity when she visited Marilia on 22 June 1939. Differently from most 'radio queens', Isaura did not live in Rio de Janeiro, but made São Paulo her city and Radio Record her radio station. 

Isaurinha Garcia reigning as the Queen of Radio in June 1939 in a photo by Muzzi. 

a crowd of mostly men eager to see Isaurinha who was inside the building that housed A Predilecta.

Isaurinha waves to the menacing crowd outside A Predilecta.

'A Predilecta' on a normal day... 

ANGELA MARIA 1956

Angela Maria was a new kind of popular singer when she appeared in the early 1950s. Differently from Emilinha Borba and Marlene, the reigning queens she had a powerful voice. Angela could really sing and she had a good repertoire too (which unfortunately she could not keep up with as the 1950s came to an end). 

Angela was on top of the heap when she visited Marilia in August 1956. She was the Queeen of Brazil, and the regal frocks she wore meant exactly that.  

Octavio Lignelli keeps Angela entertained at Hotel Lider's lobby.

Octavio gets the photo opportunity he wanted...

young singer Neusa Maria Martins poses with Queen Angela Maria; drummer Santucci looks on in the background.

Neusa Maria Martins is crowned 'Rainha do Radio' while MC Wilson Matos describes the scene to the myriads of Radio Club de Marilia's listeners at home. Amateur singer Sabonetão holds the shash saying 'Rainha do Radio de Marilia'. Courtesy: Neusa Velasco. 

Octavio Lignelli climbs down from the VASP plane while Ivon Cury greets some Mariliense and Angela Maria greets other Marilienses. 

Airport in Marilia - August 1956. 

Angela Maria's autograph to Octavio Lignelli - 4 August 1956.

25 October 1959 - by 1959 Angela Maria was so popular Cestas de Natal Amaral had a rubber-doll made in her honour alongside with Pelé's and Monteiro Lobato's Emilia's. 

Emilinha Borba, 1956 - 1958

Emilinha Borba was a very popular singer who had an extensive fan club throughout Brazil during most of the 1950s. Emilinha kept up her popularity appearing on weekly radio shows beamed straight from Radio Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, the most popular radio station in the country.

Even though Marília is part of the State of São Paulo, and is situated 465 km west from S.Paulo City, most of Marilia inhabitants used to listen to the local Radio Club de Marília, but they also listened to Radio Nacional too, during the day but especially at night when the transmitions were clearer. I remember my Mother and aunties used to gather in the afternoon at my Granddad's house and listen to soap-operas beamed from Rio de Janeiro, more than 1,000 km away in Rio de Janeiro. 

We hardly ever listened to any São Paulo radio stations so Marilienses were more influenced by Rio than S.Paulo.

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Emilinha Borba receives gifts from her fans while MC Wilson Matos entertains the public at Yara Club's arena on 11 October 1956. The musical combo stands at the back with Octavio Lignelli on the left and the flautist on the right.

MC Wilson Matos describes what's happening at Yara Club to those Radio Club's listeners who stayed at home.

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a photo opportunity with Emilinha Borba was grabbed by eager fans like gold - 16 May 1958.

Emilinha with the musicians who accompanied her in Marília - 16 May 1958.

Emilinha is received triumphantly by the crowd that packet the Yara Club's arena at her 2nd visit to Marília in 16 May 1958.

Maysa, 25 June 1960

Marlene, 2 July 1960.

Marlene was not as popular as Emilinha Borba but she also had quite a following in Marilia. So she decided to finally pay a visit to the town in 2 July 1960. Here are some snapshots taken of Marlene at Marilia Airport in the midst of her fans. 

Octavio Lignelli was the man who went to the airport to welcome the big star from Rio de Janeiro. 

AVENIDA RIO BRANCO, Marilia-SP

For some reasons I don't know most Brazilian cities choose Avenida Rio Branco as the name of their poshest street. Marilia was not different. The place where doctors, engineers and lawyers chose to live was called Avenida Rio Branco.

Ironically, Avenida Rio Branco was the first place my Grandfather settled when he arrived in Marilia in November 1927 - with my Grandmother and 11 uncles and aunties plus my Mother who was only 8 years old. This house on the left belonged to Ariel Fragata, one of Marilia's big shots. It's on the corner of Rio Branco and Rua São Luiz. 

Avenida Rio Branco with rua 4 de Abril in the 1950s. See the water-tower on the right? It's on Rua São Luiz.

Av. Rio Branco corner with rua 24 de Dezembro.

some time in the late 1950s.

Avenida Rio Branco, 515, corner with Rua Lima e Costa, home of the Zillo Family.

Zillão (extreme left); irmãos Nardi Zillo in 1962.

One of the few houses left at Avenida Rio Branco...

Avenida Rio Branco, 500.