José Menezes & Velhinhos Transviados

Velhinhos Transviados first album.

Claribalte Passos writes about José Menezes at 'Correio da Manhã' 5 August 1962. Little did Claribalte or anyone else know that 'Os Velhinhos Transviados - Sensacionais' would be the 1st of many albums of Menezes's studio band that sold like hot cakes during the remainder of the 1960s.

José Menezes de França was born on 6 September 1921, in Jardim-CE; he died on 31st July 2014, in Teresópolis-RJ, two months short of being 93 years old.

Music rag 'Melodias' # 125, February 1968, publishes a rare article about Velhinhos Transviados (Unruly Little Old Men) who were then touring Brazil. They were mostly young to middle-aged men (there was at least one lady, Valéria, among them) who disguised their young age by wearing grey hair wigs and grey beards. José Menezes was supported by Valéria, Mozart, Abel Ferreira, Edinho do Acordeon, Armando, Carlinhos, Pereirinha, Sucupira, Julinho, Zênio and comedian Waldyr Maia. 

Velhinhos Transviados 'Sensacionais' (1962) the very first album BBL 1201 mirrors the Hit Parade of mid-1962: 'Ya ya' (Johnny Restivo); 'Perdoa-me pelo bem que te quero' (Orlando Dias);  Quem eu quero não me quer' (Raul Sampaio); 'A still guitar and a glass of wine' (Paul Anka); 'Garôta solitária' (Angela Maria).

Os Velhinhos Transviados 'Bárbaros...' BBL1279.

Os Velhinhos Transviados 'Em órbita' BBL 1343.

CHOCOLATE aka Dorival Silva

a very slim Chocolate with Dora Lopes and Marion in Rio de Janeiro... probably waiting their turn at the microphone of Radio Nacional some time in the early 1950s. 

Dorival Silva aka Chocolate was a Black comedian who sometimes sat down and wrote a song or two. Actually, one of these sittings produced 'Canção de amor' aka 'Saudade, corrente de paixão, emoção diferente' made an instant 'evergreen' when Elizeth Cardoso recorded it. 

Chocolate also penned 'Vida de bailarina' which Angela Maria promptly turned into a classic.

Dorival Silva was born on 20 December 1923, in São Paulo. He started his show business career as a comedian at night clubs in the city until he was invited by Ademar Gonzaga to move to Rio de Janeiro-DF to work at a movie production outfit he owned. 

After working at Cinedia for a time he went over to working at the burlesque theatre which had its heyday in the 40s & 50s. He also worked as a comedian at Radio Nacional, the most powerful broadcast in the land. 

By 1956, Radio Nacional's director Victor Costa moved to São Paulo and opened what would be the 3rd national TV network, TV Paulista, Channel 5. As soon as OVC (Organization Victor Costa) was up and running Mr Costa invited Chocolate to come back to São Paulo to work at both Radio Nacional Paulista and TV Paulista. 

Rio de Janeiro daily 'Correio da Manhã' asked Chocolate a few questions on 15 July 1962, just after he had headed a great cast in 'Tio Samba', a musical-comedy musician-turned-empresario Aloysio de Oliveira produced in the vain expectation that Sao Paulo or Rio could be a South American Broadway.

Chocolate's biography at Radiolândia, 1956. 

Chocolate shows TV Paulista's headquarters at Rua das Palmeiras, in 1957 (Radiolândia).

'Correio da Manhã' 15 July 1962. 

Chocolate died on 27 June 1989.

4 January 1962 - 5a. - Skindô estreia no Teatro Record - Revista de 28 milhões de cruzeiros, com Sylvia Telles, Ilka Soares, Odete Lara, Moacyr Franco, Agnaldo Rayol, Trio Yrakitan, Trio Pagão, Irmãs Marinho etc. Promoção do comerciante carioca Abrahão Medina.

Chocolate teve seu apogeu na revista-musical "Tio Sam...ba" produzida por Aloysio de Oliveira em 1962, onde fazia o papel de um chauffeur de taxi que mostrava a um turista Yankee o que era o Samba.

24  July 1962 – 3a. – pag. 3  - “Tio Sam...ba”, revista-musical de Aloysio de Oliveira, que já brilhou no Copacabana Palace, a partir de 9 Agosto 1962, no Teatro Record. Anúncios publicados desde o início de Julho, anunciam os varios nomes dos participantes:  Chocolate, Regina Celia, Gina Le Feu imitando Carmen Miranda, aparecendo em pose ao lado de Aurora Miranda.

7  August  1962 – 3a. – “Tio Sam...ba” chegou:  revista-musical vem de temporada vitoriosa de 2 meses no Golden Room do Copacabana Palace. Elenco: Chocolate, Eneida, Trio Marayá, Regina Celia, Madalena de Paula, Gina Le Feu, o cantor e dançarino americano Bob Barran, Betty Faria, Jacqueline Myrna, a Escola de Samba de Herivelto Martins e muitos outros.  Musica foi escrita pelo produtor americano Bill Hitchcock, sua espôsa Sonia Shaw fez a coreografia, e a Aloysio de Oliveira couberam as letras e os diálogos, à exceção do “script” do cômico Chocolate.  

Moracy do Val escreve no Sábado:  “No elenco surge em primeiro plano, o notável Chocolate, roubando o espetáculo de Bob Barran, jovem de grandes méritos, bom cantor e dançarino.

Radiolândia, 1958. 

15 April 1958 - 'A Gazeta Esportiva' - Yara Salles shown here with Chocolate, commands a live broadcasting at Radio Cultura, straight from Palacio do Radio on Avenida São João every Saturday. 

An article at a 1954 Revista do Rádio (276) tells how Dorival Silva, born on 20 December 1923 became Chocolate. He says after he finished Primary School he went to high school at  Ginásio Paulistano where he became interested in becoming a tap dancer. One day he was invited by singer Vassourinha (real name: Mario Ramos, born on 16 May 1923, in São Paulo and died at 19 years old, on 3rd August 1942) to tap-dance in a variety show he commanded. As Vassourinha had been given a moniker when he became a popular samba singer at Radio Record in the late 1930s, he suggested Dorival should change his name to something lighter and fun... and Vassourinha himself came up with the bright idea which stuck easily. 

Chocolate says he was spotted by movie director Ademar Gonzaga in a night club in São Paulo where he did a tap dancing number. Mr Gonzaga took him to Rio in 1943, to appear as a dancer in 'Samba em Berlin'. Chocolate took part in a second movie in Rio, called 'Corações sem pilôto' in which radio star César de Alencar had a major role. Mr Alencar noticed Chocolate's dancing abilities and took him to see Renato Murce,  the artistic director of Radio Clube who found a role for Chocolate to play at popular show 'Piadas do Manduca' and that's how he became a regular presence in Rio's radio life and later came back to São Paulo and worked at TV Paulista and TV Record subsequently. 

Radiolândia, 11 April 1959 - Chocolate's own whow at TV Paulista on a Thursday, 1:35 pm.