TV EXCELSIOR Channel 9

Bibi Ferreira single-handedly took TV Excelsior to the top of the ratings in late 1960 with 'Brasil '60', a variety show on Sunday nights.

TV Excelsior, Channel 9 TV camera at rua Nestor Pestana, in 1960. 

TV Excelsior, Channel 9 in São Paulo started broadcasting in 9 July 1960. Prior to it there were three TV stations: TV Tupi, Channel 4, inaugurated in 1950; TV Record, Channel 7 (1953) and TV Paulista, Channel 5 (1955).

23rd October 1960 - TV Excelsior shows Brazilian movie 'Balança mas não cai' at 10:00 PM.

TV Excelsior auditorium was Teatro de Cultura Artística on Rua Nestor Pestana.

'Times Square' was a musical-comedy TV Excelsior, Channel 2, in Rio de Janeiro beamed weekly live in Rio and a video-tape was sent to Channel 9 in São Paulo and shown on Thursdays at 8:30 pm following its main novela. It was a bit like 'Broadway visits Rio de Janeiro'... General direction was competently done by Paulo Celestino, who also appeared as performer along side Zélia Hoffman. Coreography was directed by Gilberto Motta, and cenography by Miguel Hochman.

 

The whole show worked as a Broadway musical-comedy with a few humoristic sketches peppered with original music mostly written by pianist-song-writer João Roberto Kelly, with lyrics by Haroldo Barbosa, Meira Guimarães and J. Rui. It was orchestrated by Alexandre Gnatalli who conducted the orchestra too. 

Besides Celestino-Hoffman there were a few other couples who appeared weekly: Daniel Filho & his wife then Dorinha Duval; Waldyr Maia & Isa Rodrigues; funny man Hamilton Ferreira & marvelous Lilian Fernandes and finally great Grande Otelo & ravishing Aizita Nascimento, representing Brazilian Blacks. 

Even though the songs were mostly repeated with different lyrics suiting the week's theme, people never got tired of them and sometimes even sang along with the cast. We should not forget these performers: Castrinho, Myriam Pérsia, Jorge Loredo, Ema D'Ávila, Annik Malvil, Hugo Brando, Geraldo Barbosa, Roberto Guilherme and  Lupe Gigliotti who all took part in the show. 

'Times Square' started in September 1963, reached its peak in 1964, and folded in May 1965, a year after the military putsch when TV Excelsior owners realized its days were numbered due to their opposition to the military who took power in April 1964 and were hell-bent into championing their own TV network (TV Globo) that would dominate Brazilian landscape for more than 50 years.

9 July 1961 - This was TV Excelsior's grid for the Sunday in which the broadcaster became 1 year old. In a bit more than a year TV Excelsior became the Number One TV station in Sao Paulo and soon, after getting hold of a concession originally granted to TV Mayrink Veiga in Rio de Janeiro it becomes the Number One TV station in Brazil.

                          23rd October 1960                               27 November 1960 

Bibi Ferreira comperes 'Brasil '60, a variety show on Sunday evenings that soon tops the TV ratings.

TV Excelsior was to become the greatest TV station in Brazil in less than 2 years. They literally invented the wheel again when they launched Bibi Ferreira as an MC of 'Brasil 61', a variety show on Sunday nights. No other station had thought much about this time slot and Channel 9 went to the top of the ratings instantly. 

25 July 1961 - 'Brasil 61' was produced by Manoel Carlos having all-round-performer Bibi Ferreira as its MC; it was a sort of Brazilian version of USA's 'Ed Sullivan Show'.

9 July 1961 - Retrabel, a TV-set manufacture pays a full-page ad on OESP celebrating Canal 9 first year on air.

30 July 1961 - Ainda a dublagem – Ou o início do programa que viria a ser conhecido como 'Cinema em casa' - O Canal 9 faz evidentes esforços para que seu programa de cinema seja de qualidade dentro do critério de maior variedade possível.  E assim é que estão anunciados para apresentação a partir de amanhã, sempre no horário das 22:25 as fitas: ‘Ascensor para o cadafalso’(Ascenseur pour l’échafaud) de Louis Malle de 1957, na 2ª.; ‘Homens sinistros’ (Marked men) de 1940, na 3ª.; ‘Fanfan la tulipe’ (com Gina Lollobrigida de 1952) na 4ª.; ‘A carne manda’ (mexicano de 1948) na 5ª.; ‘Fogo de outono’ (‘Dodsworth’ de 1936 com Mary Astor & Walter Huston) na 6ª.; ‘As infiéis’ (Le infidele, com Gina Lollobrigida, May Britt & Marina Vlady, de 1952) no sábado e ‘Obrigado doutor’, de Moacyr Fenelon, com Rodolfo Mayer no domingo.

O articulista do Estadão continua a discorrer contra a dublagem de filmes de qualidade: Tomando como exemplo essa programação, e atendendo apenas ao aspecto artístico, Por mais talentoso que seja o artista nacional que emprestar sua voz à de Gerarde Philipe, ela não será a do grande ator francês. Quem falará por Gina Lollobrigida e Mary Astor?

Na verdade, 1961 foi um ano chave para a dublagem de séries norte-americanas que até 1960 eram apresentadas em seu original, havendo legendas como no cinema. Eu me lembro em particular da série 'Fury', que eu estava acostumado a assistir em inglês e quando a dublaram eu achei 'esquisita' a voz do menino principal, cuja voz 'engrossou' de uma semana para outra. Outra voz que mudou muito foi do menino que fazia o amigo da Lassie.

I was really disappointed when they started dubbing 'Fury' (beamed on TV Record) because Bobby Diamond'a voice was probably dubbed by an adult male. All the magic was gone. But most people got used to the sound of the new voices and got over it.

Mas a dublagem tinha vindo para ficar e depois de alguns meses a maioria das pessoas nem se lembravam mais das vozes originais de seus heróis favoritos.

E assim a TV Excelsior começou com seu 'Cinema em casa', que tinha um público fiel, com filmes europeus e de qualidade começando as 10:30 da noite e terminando perto da meia-noite.

2nd July 1963 - TV Excelsior, Channel 2, starts broadcasting in Rio de Janeiro-GB and its metropolitan area. In less than a year it was the most popular TV station in the state...

Intervalo September 1963.

TV Guide Intervalo hails Rio de Janeiro's TV Excelsior, Channel 2, which would get to the top of the ratings in less than a year...

11 August 1963 - Just when comedian Chico Anisio was top of the heap at TV Record, Channel 7, with his 'Chico Anisio Show'. TV Excelsior made him an offer he couldn't refuse. TV Excelsior poached him off TV Record paying him more money. As simple as that. Here's a full-page add on OESP.

No one could topple TV Excelsior from the top. Their management was the best in the country. They were young and they knew what they were doing. The only thing they could not possibly have forecast was the Military coup d'etat that would happen in less than a year - April 1964. That was the beginning of the end of such an intrepid heart. 

'Fatos & Fotos', 22nd July 1967.