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.

AV. SÃO JOÃO before 1947

Avenida São João in 1919 was a boulevard resembling Paris of sorts.

Seen from Edificio Martinelli in 1937. 

Coletoria Federal bought this building which housed Cinema Central until 1924. 

1916.

Enlargement in 1913. 

1940. 

on a rainy day in the mid 1940s.

1943.

1945. 

Rua Líbero Badaró to the left; the whole block was demolished in 1947.

the dark 5-story building a few months before being demolished to give way to Vale do Anhangabaú in 1947.

Cinema Central before the federal government bought the building to make it its Coletoria Federal (Receita Federal) aka Delegacia Fiscal. 

1935.

Rua de São João circa 1912 with Bijou Salão & Bijou Theatre playing 'O mysterio da ponte de Notre Dame' (Mystère du pont Notre-Dame). Bijou Theatre was inaugurated in 16 November 1907; it was owned by Francisco Serrador & Antonio Gadotti. One can clearly see the Conservatorio Dramatico e Musical up on the same side (the tallest building) inaugurated in 1906 and still standing today (2014). Bijou was destroyed by a big fire in 1914 and in its site.

this is the lower part of Avenida S.João where Vale do Anhangabaú stands today.

This beautiful building was built by Companhia Antarctica housed Cinema Central was demolished in 1947 to make way for a big avenue called Vale do Anhangabú.

Erguido pela Cia. Antarctica, o Cinema Central ocupou o mesmo terreno onde estivera antes o Bijou Theatro (considerado o 1o. cinema da cidade) e o Theatro Politheama. Ambos foram destruídos por um incêndio em 1914. Mais tared, a Antarctica criou o Cassino Antarctica, mais abaixo, aproveitando as instalações de um velho café-concerto. Em 1921 o prédio foi ocupado pela Recebedoria de Rendas ou Collectoria Federal - sendo demolido em 1947 para a remodelação do Vale do Anhangabaú.

Coletoria Federal being demolished in 1947, to make room for 'Buraco do Adhemar'.

same area circa 1933.

same building (on the left) in 1940.
seen from behind... this is how this lower region looked like in the early 1930s.

see more here: https://sampahistorica.wordpress.com/tag/delegacia-fiscal/
https://sampahistorica.wordpress.com/tag/sao-joao/

São Paulo seen from an airplane in 1932. 

RADIO EXCELSIOR 1963 - 1965

Radio Excelsior, ZYR-56, Rua 24 de Maio, 208, 2o. andar; Radio Nacional de S. Paulo, Rua Sebastião Pereira, 218 - Organização Victor Costa. 

Circa 1963, when TV Excelsior became the Number One TV station in São Paulo, they started investing heavily on their radio station that existed since the early 1930s and had changed hands a few times. Just like the TV station, Radio Excelsior poached the other major stations and signed the biggest names around. DJ Walter Silva was lured away from Radio Bandeirantes where he had been king of  the 10:00 AM slot with his popular 'Pick up do Pica Pau' (Woodpecker's pick up). Even though Pica Pau had been Walter Silva's nickname due to his big nose, Radio Bandeirantes had patented the programme's title. Walter, then, changed from 'Pick up do Pica Pau' to 'Programa do Pica Pau'.

Henrique Lobo had been a big name in São Paulo radio since the 1950s. Now Mr. Lobo was the station's artistic director.

Humberto Marçal was also poached from Radio Bandeirantes where he was king of the 12:00 AM slot giving away 78 rpms to those listeners who answered the right thing in his '1.000 discos é o limite' (A thousand discs is the limit). 

Come to think of it, Radio Excelsior made a point of emulating Radio Bandeirantes in almost every aspect. Paulo Rogerio started doing a show 'Peça bis para o sucesso' which was a copycat of Bandeirantes's 'Telefone pedindo bis' made popular by Enzo de Almeida Passos at the same time slot. 

17 March 1963 - Radio Excelsior de São Paulo 6790 kilociclos -

Edson Leite, Alberto Saad, Oliveira Netto, Humberto Marçal, Paulo Rogério, José Carlos Romeu, Antonio Aguillar, Maria Aparecida Alves, Mario Moraes, Walter Silva (o Pica Pau do Pick-up), Paulo Pimentel, Luiz Aguiar, Henrique Lobo.

Diáriamente:

22:00 – Correspondente Renner – Paulo Pimentel

21:00 – Saudade também tem hora – Delon Santo
24:00 - Varig é a dona da noite (Henrique Lobo)

Segunda à Sexta:

15:00 – Qual é o disco? - Henrique Lobo 

17:30 – Album musical – Helio de Araujo & José Carlos Romeu

Segunda a Sábado:

8:00 – Você é quem manda – Oliveira Netto

9:30 – 11:30 - Programa do Pica Pau – Walter Silva

11:30 – Você é o limite – Humberto Marçal

Peça bis para o sucesso – Paulo Rogerio

Disco... não se discute – Henrique Lobo

14:30 – O bis é o sucesso – Paulo Rogerio

Encontro com a juventude – Antonio Aguillar.

Radio Excelsior at Cinelândia no.316. 

José Carlos Romeu when he still worked at the record-library at Radio Bandeirantes in 1960.

Radio Excelsior's DJ José Carlos Romeu (wearing a pin-striped suit) having Radio Nacional's Ademar Dutra on his right at Rita Pavone's press conference at Terrazza Martini on Rua Barão de Itapetininga on 22 June 1964. 

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 because they paid more money. As simple as that. 

TV Excelsior became the most popular and best TV station in the country. No one could topple it. The TV management was the best in the country. They were young and they knew what they were doing. The only thing they didn't figure out was the military coup that would happen in less than a year in April 1964. That was the beggining of the end of such an intrepid heart. 

'Melodias' June 1962, with a photo of  a very young Antônio Celso, mellow-voiced speaker at Radio Excelsior who went on to be the Identifying Voice of Excelsior when it turned into a Top-40 radio station 6 years later, in early 1968. 

'Melodias', May 1965 - Radio Excelsior in yet another turning point in its outline: Projeto-65 brought to its microphones the likes of Jacqueline Myrna, Oliveira Neto, Hebe Camargo, Newton Prado, Lourdes Rocha, José Geraldo de Almeida, Virgínia de Moraes, Hugo Santana, Maria Teresa, Chico Anysio etc.