TV Paulista, Channel 5 on the VHF band, started operating on 14 March 1952, being only the second TV broadcaster after Assis Chateaubriand's TV Tupi started broadcasting in 1950.
After a short opening ceremony commanded by actress Vera Nunes, TV Paulista broadcast its first content: "Helena', a 10-chapter telenovela starred by Vera Nunes, Paulo Goulart and Jane Baptista.
TV Paulista was a government concession granted to Congressman Oswaldo Ortiz Monteiro. It started with only 3 cameras having Italian theatre director Ruggero Jaccobbi as its first artistic director and J. Giannotti as his assistant. In mid-1954, Roberto Côrte-Real took over from Jaccobbi.
Mr Monteiro didn't actually know what to do with a TV station so 3 years later, on 26 May 1955, he sold it to Victor Costa who had been Rio de Janeiro's Radio Nacional's Artistic Director since the 1940s and had an ambition to emulate Assis Chateaubriand, owner of 'O Cruzeiro' and a network of newspapers and radio stations around the country.
TV Paulista's headquarter was first set up in an apartment at Edifício Liège, on Rua da Consolação, 2570, with its studios in the building's parking lot plus the space of a store on the ground floor. The kitchen was adapted from an old dark room and the office where clerks typed scripts for soapies and texts for the news was in the living room.
In 1956, TV Paulista moved to Rua das Palmeiras, where it stayed until its demise in 1965, when it was sold to Rio de Janeiro's TV Globo whose owner journalist Roberto Marinho had backed the military putsch against President João Goulart on 1st April 1964.
Vindo do rádio carioca, Antonino Seabra dirigiu um dos primeiros seriados da tv brasileira: “O Invisível”, inspirado no célebre personagem “O Sombra”. Em 1953, Gilberto Martins programou “O Circo do Arrelia” para animar a garotada aos domingos, e a atriz Cacilda Becker foi contratada, impulsionando a produção de teleteatros, que viraram uma especialidade da TV Paulista.
Em 1955, Ortiz vendeu o canal às Organizações Victor Costa, que compreendiam também as Rádios Excelsior e Nacional. No ano seguinte, 1956, a emissora mudou de endereço, instalando-se em um prédio de 5 andares na Rua das Palmeiras.
As emissoras de rádio da OVC que ali funcionavam foram transferidas para a Rua Sebastião Pereira, onde havia um auditório que também foi aproveitado para a realização de programas de TV.
Vindo da Tupi, Dermival Costa Lima tornou-se o diretor geral da estação, tendo Cláudio Petraglia como supervisor e Alvaro de Moya na direção do núcleo de dramaturgia. Ainda em 1955, esta equipe foi responsável pelo lançamento do “Teledrama Três Leões”, aos sábados.
Em 1957, Manoel da Nóbrega lançou seu famoso humorístico “Praça da Alegria”. Sílvio Santos também despontou na TV Paulista: a estréia do animador foi em meados dos anos 50, apresentando e participando de diversas atrações da emissora.
Em 1963 foi lançado o “Programa Sílvio Santos”, que bateria recorde de permanência no ar, apresentado em diversas emissoras. Sem conseguir competir com a Tupi, a TV Paulista sucumbiu e mudou novamente de dono – e de nome. Repassado ao empresário Roberto Marinho em novembro de 1964, o canal foi reestruturado gradualmente para a implantação da TV Globo paulista.
Actress, singer and all-around-entertainer Bibi Ferreira who would be instrumental in the development of TV Excelsior, Channel 9 some 8 years later, was present at TV Paulista, Channel 5 in its very early days.
Agostinho dos Santos sings at TV Paulista, Channel 5, in the late 1950s.
Hebe Camargo being crowned Queen of TV Paulista by Walter Forster in 1960.
Variety & Entertainment
1. 'Teledrama' produced by Enia Petri;
2. 'Sinhá das Dôres' novela-sertaneja written by Cardoso Silva from Wed to Sat. (1952)
3. 'Missa dominical' transmitida diretamente da Igreja da Consolação (1952)
4. 'O Circo Chegou' with Waldemar Seyssel (Arrelia) & Henrique on Sat. at 6:00 pm (1952-1953)
5. 'Arrelia e seus comediantes' with Waldemar Seyssel on Saturdays at 3:30 pm (1952)
6. 'Caipiradas' sertanejo with Simplício & others (1952)
7. 'Alvarenga & Ranchinho' Tuesdays at 9:00 pm (1952-1953)
8. 'Teatro de marionetes' directed by Graça Melo on Wed at 8:00 pm (1952)
9. 'Clube dos Esportistas' presented by Moacyr Pacheco Torres on Tue.& Fri at 9:00 pm (1952)
10. 'Broadway em Revista' with Roberto Corte Real on Sat. at 3:00 pm (1952-1953)
11. 'Clube de Cinema' with Roberto Corte Real on Sat. at 1:00 pm (1952-1953)
12. 'Escola de Teatro' directed by Graça Melo presents 'Ensaio Geral' (13 January 1953)
13. 'O mundo é das mulheres' talk show with Yara Lins, Riva Blanche & Hebe Camargo;
14. 'Mas quem manda... somos nós' with Walter Forster (Thurs. at 10:00 pm)
15. 'Quem sabe mais? O homem ou a mulher?' Hélio de Araújo on Tues, (26 July 1955)
16. 'Teatro das Segundas-Feiras' with Nicette Bruno' (1953)
17. 'Prêmio ou Castigo' gong-show presented by Roberto Côrte Real or Augusto Machado de Campos at different times (1953)
18. 'Night club' presented by Egas Muniz (1954)
19. 'Parada Musical' with Enrico Simonetti (1954)
20. 'Problemas das crianças' children psychology explained Tues at 8:15 pm (1954)
21. 'Praça da Alegria' Manoel de Nóbrega & comedians, on Mon. at 8:00 pm
22. 'Recruta 23' with Manoel de Nóbrega;
23. 'Vale a pena ser pesado' with Manoel de Nóbrega (1956)
24. 'Manoel de Nóbrega e seus bonecos' Thursdays at 9:15 pm (1958)
25. 'Êste mundo é engraçado' with Raquel Martins, Renato Consorte (1956)
26. 'Melodias Inesquecíveis' with Aurora Miranda on Mondays at 8:00 pm, produced by Aloysio de Oliveira with orchestrations by Vadico (9 March 1956).
27. 'Galera do Nelson' (de Oliveira) music show on Saturdays at 2:00 pm (1956)
28. 'Espetáculos Piraquê com Angela Maria' on Fridays at 8:30 (17 February 1956)
29. 'Audições Gessy com Angela Maria' on Sundays at 9:30 pm (1957)
30. 'O mundo na ponta dos pés' with ballet dancer Maria Pia Finocchio;
31. 'Miss Campeonato' with Carmen Verônica, Ronald Golias, Borges de Barros (1957)
32. 'Hit Parade' onTuesdays at 9:30 pm;
33. 'Intimidade' Walter Forster, Yara Lins, Eloísa Mafalda & Daniel Guimarães talk about marital problems on Mondays at 8:30 pm (1957-1958)
34. 'Festa na varanda' sertanejo variety commanded by Nhô Zé, on Mondays 7:30 pm (1957)
35. 'Na batida do samba' (1956) written and presented by Sergio Porto aka Stanislau Ponte-Preta.
36. Heloísa Castellar's 'Lua de mel' showed 2 newly-wed couples who talked about their experiences (1957);
37. 'Aonde nos leva a canção' produced by Mario Brasini;
38. 'Climax para milhões' José Castellar & Walter Avancini's variety on Thurs at 9:30 pm (1957)
39. 'Espetáculos Piraquê' musical programme MCed by Walter Forster (1956)
40. 'Espetáculos Kherlakian' same musical show with a different sponsor (1958)
41. 'O semeador' with Catholic priest Olavo Pezzotti, every day at 6:00 pm;
42. 'Cassio Muniz em Revista' Maria Helena Raposo, Mary Gonçalves etc. (1957)
43. 'Cassio Muniz em Revista' with Nelson Gonçalves, Luiz Gonzaga, Osny Silva 6 Oct 1957.
44. 'Grande Espetáculo' music & humour with Yara Salles, Chocolate Sundays at 8:30 pm (1956-1958)
45. Los Chavales de España (foreign act) at 8:00 pm on 20 June 1957;
46. 'Philco em 3 dimensões' ('Elegia em preto-e-branco' musical fantasy about the Mississipi River (1958)
47. José Castellar's 'Um filho para sua Alteza', a musical comedy with Hebe Camargo, Walter Forster, Wilma Bentivegna, Osny Silva on 26 August 1958.
48. 'Anselmo Duarte e seus convidados Epel' talk-show prod. by Leonardo de Castro (1958)
49. 'Lana Bittencourt' on Fridays at 8:30 - 1958;
50. 'Miss Campeonato' with Anilza Leoni (1958)
51. 'A noite é de Garbo' musical on Mondays at 9:00 pm;
52. 'Um milhão de melodias' produced by Julio Nagib;
53. 'Não durma no ponto' MCed by Manoel de Nóbrega on Wed at 8:20 pm (1958)
54. 'La Belle Epoque' (1959) variety show with dancers mainly;
55. 'Calouros em desfile' gong-show commanded by Ary Barroso on Sundays (1958)
56. 'Calouros da saudade' Fridays at 9:30 pm (1958) senior citizens' amateur performers
57. 'A alma das coisas' devised by Mario Brasini, on Tuesdays at at 9:00 pm (1959)
58. 'Ivon canta para você' half-hour with Ivon Cury on Mondays at 8:30 pm (June 1959)
59. 'Maria Girão e seus guitarristas' Portuguese music on Mondays at 10:10 pm (1959)
60. 'Demônios da Garôa' half-hour with the vocal combo on Wednesdays at 10:10 pm (1959)
61. 'Folias do Golias' half-hour with Ronald Golias, on Tue. at 8:35 (2nd February 1959)
62. 'Ciência Kibonoscópio' by Prof. Flávio Pereira, on Fridays at 8:30 pm (1959)
63. 'Martini Bar' with Sylvio Mazzucca; prod.: Mario Brasini, on Tuesdays at 9:30 pm (1959)
64. 'Záz Tráz' children variety with Márcia Cardeal, produced by Rena Alves;
65. 'Seja você o detetive' cop-show produced by Antonio Seabra
66. 'Bate-Papo com Silveira Sampaio' (talk show) Wed at 8:05 pm (1959)
67. 'Grande Hotel Philips' light-comedy presented by Raul Roulien, with Nely Rodrigues (1959)
68. 'O bom Tom' with Tom Jobim on Mondays (1960)
69. 'Vamos brincar de forca' half an-hour game-show commanded by Silvio Santos on Monday nights (it started on 3rd June 1960).
70. 'O riso das cinco' humour hour at 5 o'clock (1960)
71. 'Milhões de Napoleões' with Jorge Laredo, Lucy Rangel (1960)
72. 'Makerli supremo' sports quiz show presented by Cesar de Alencar (1960)
73. 'Sequencia em Ri maior' with comedienne Zilda Cardoso on Mondays at 9:00 pm (1962)
74. 'Colégio de brotos' with Walter Forster, Renato Master on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm (1962)
75. 'Cantando com Petrônio' half-an-hour with singer Francisco Petrônio
76. 'Discoteca do Chacrinha' presented by Chacrinha, a Harpo Marx-look-alike-with-a-voice on Fridays at 7:00 pm (1961)
77. 'Zilda em 23 polegadas' with Zilda Cardoso (1963)
78. 'Zilomag Show' humour commanded by Manoel de Nóbrega (1962)
79. 'Miss Campeonato 1962' with Irma Álvarez, Farid Riskallah, Luiz Pini (1962)
80 . 'Programa Silvio Santos' (Sunday variety show started on 2nd June 1963)
81. 'Rítmos para a Juventude' rock show with Antonio Aguilar on Saturdays (1962-1963)
82. 'Nosso clubinho' rock show with Ademar Dutra which filled the spot of 'Ritmos para a juventude' which moved to TV Excelsior in mid-1963.
83. 'Hebe, Cynar & Simpatia' with Hebe Camargo on Wednedays at 8:00 pm (1963).
'Dom Pasquale'
'Boa noite, Carmela
'Inácio Brinquinho'
28 March 1953, Saturday, Correio Paulistano - TV Paulista's grid on its 1st anniversary.
12 April 1953 - Sunday's Correio Paulistano publishes TV Paulista's grid starting 'O Circo do Arrelia' with Henrique & the cast of Seyssel Circus at 2:00 pm;
Country comedian Simplício had a weekly show called 'Caipiradas' in 1952; he later starred in 'Histórias que a vida escreve'; 26 July 1955 (Correio Paulistano) 'Quem sabe mais? O homem ou a mulher? presented by Helio de Araújo on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm.
Walter Forster presents 'Espetáculos Piraquê' with Angela Maria (Revista Fon-Fon) on Fridays at 8:30, accompanied by Radio Nacional's Great Orchestra directed by Osmar Milani ('Correio Paulistano', 17 February 1956).
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Left to right: Walter Forster, Gilma Coelho, exclusive speaker; top-star Angela Maria; 'Espetáculos Piraquê's producer Victor Berbara and O.V.C.'s manager Dario de Almeida.
27 February 1953 (Correio Paulistano) - Augusto Machado de Campos commands 'Premio e Castigo' an amateur hour; Revista do Rádio no. 207 (1953) says Roberto Côrte-Real was the new M.C. of 'Prêmio e castigo';
July 1954 - Radiolândia says Roberto Côrte-Real - who had been active at Channel 5 since its inception having presented half-hour shows like 'Clube de Cinema' (at 1:00 pm) and 'Broadway em revista' (at 3:00 pm) both on Saturdays - is hoisted up as artistic director of TV Paulista which had been under Ruggero Jaccobbi since the station's inception in 1952.
Sergio Pôrto's 'Na batida do Samba' on Weds at 10:30 pm. Mr Porto tells the life of songwriters through their songs. Manchete, no.244, 1956; Raul Roulien presents Nely Rodrigues in 'Grande Hotel Philips' on Tues. (Ultima Hora, 17 February 1959).
26 July 1955 - Hélio de Araújo presents 'Quem sabe mais? O homem ou a mulher?' at 8:30 pm on Tuesdays; Portuguese singer Ester de Abreu was fairly popular in Brazil in the 1950s. She appeared on Tuesdays & Fridays at 9:30 pm and on Sundays at 10:05 pm. "As mais lindas canções de Portugal" catered for the Portuguese immigrants who lived in Brazil but it was also popular with Brazilians. This would radically change in the 1960s. 'Correio Paulistano' in 1956.
Cinderela's bio at Revista do Rádio, 1956; Aurora Miranda starts singing on Mondays at 8:00 pm in 1956; the half-hour called 'Melodias Inesquecíveis' or 'Se a lua contasse...'was produced by Aloysio de Oliveira, who had just returned from California where he'd lived for 15 years (since 1941).
Victor Costa and Edith Piaf (holding Helcio Carvalho de Castro's arms) in April 1956, at Radio Nacional Paulista during her tour.
October 1955 - Jornal das Moças', TV Paulista is acquired from Congressman Oswaldo Ortiz Monteiro on 26 May 1955, by Mr. Victor Costa and his Organização Victor Costa (O.V.C.) which owned Radio Nacional Paulista, Radio Excelsior and Radio Cultura; 15 July 1959 - 'Diário da Noite' - Manoel de Nóbrega's 'Não durma no ponto', Wednesdays at 8:20 pm.
Agostinho dos Santos at Manchete # 247, 1957; 'Intimidade' on Mondays at 8:30 with Walter Forster, Yara Lins, Eloísa Mafalda & Daniel Guimarães (Manchete, 1957).
'Intimidade' with Walter Forster, Sonia Mara & Lourdes Rocha; Radiolândia no.14, 1957.
'Manchete' 1957 - Wilma Bentivegna, Hebe Camargo, Eloísa Mafalda & Lourdes Rocha interviewed distinguished guests at 'O Mundo é das Mulheres' every Wednesdays at 10:10 pm on Channel 5.
26 October 1955, Wednesday, 'Correio Paulistano' - singer Hebe Camargo tries her hand as a host in 'O mundo é das mulheres' (It's a women's world), a talk-show produced by leading man Walter Forster;
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Yara Salles functioned as an 'anchor' for 'Grande Espetáculo' on Sunday nights which ran from 1956 to 1958 (Manchete, 1957); on the left Yara & Hebe Camargo rehearse their parts on the show (1958).
Hebe Camargo , when she was still a brunette, commands 'O mundo é das mulheres' for the 2nd year, in 1957. Geraldo Blum is the guest with Cacilda Lanuza, Maximilia Figueiredo, actresses Yara Lins and Lourdes Rocha.
29 June 1957 (Gazeta Esportiva) Los Chavales de España at 8:00 pm; 6 October 1957 'Cassio Muniz em Revista' presents Nelson Gonçalves, Luiz Gonzaga, Osny Silva, Borges de Barros; produced by José Castellar.
Ary Barroso MCs 'Calouros em Desfile' weekly at TV Paulista in 1957.
Ary Barroso, legendary songwriter who penned 'Aquarela do Brasil' , 'Camisa amarela', 'Na Baixa do Sapateiro' (1938) and many other evergreen classics commands 'Calouros em Desfile', a new-talent show in 1957.
Classical-trained ballet-dancer Maria Pia Finocchio (*4 November in Guarama-RS) worked as a dancer & choreographer at most musical-shows at TV Paulista. 'Gazeta Esportiva', 23rd September 1958.
Classical dancer Joshey Leão was busy at TV Paulista most of the time.
Maria Pia Finocchio was São Paulo's Theatro Municipal's prima ballerina and TV Paulista's choreographer; Branca Ribeiro turned out to be the best newscaster on Brazilian TV.
'A Gazeta Esportiva' - 7 February 1958.
'A Gazeta Esportiva', 19 September 1958.
Radiolândia, 1959 brings a photo of variety show 'La Belle Époque' in which Joshey Leão is featured with Marília Franco, Salomé Parísio, Irina Greco and Alberto del Monte.
5 January 1959 - Elizeth Cardoso premieres 'Aonde nos leva a canção' on Monday at 10:10 pm; singer-comedian Moacyr Franco who would be on top of the charts in early 1960 is a guest.
Silveira Sampaio's was the very first talk-show presenter on Brazilian TV. Here Silveira talks about his time visiting Paris and Italy and shows footage of an interview he made with Italian movie actor Vittorio Gassman (1959).
June 1959 - Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday at TV Paulista.
'Revista do Rádio' (1960), praises the 'Hit Parade' production but at the same time criticizes it for negleting some fine tuning.
Tom Jobim at his own 'O bom Tom' Radiolândia no.32, 1960.
Pianist-song-writer Antonio Carlos Jobim had his own 'O bom Tom', on Monday nights; 1960.
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2nd February 1959 - 'Radiolândia' prints TV Paulista's Monday's and Tuesday's grid. 'Praça da Alegria' commanded by Manoel de Nóbrega was a fixture on Mondays. Priest Olavo Pezzotti, who lived in a house on Rua Aspicuelta, 3 blocks away from where I lived in Vila Madalena had a 10-minute talk with his flock every evening at 6 o'clock; 'Radiolândia' 1st fortnight of April 1961. 'Folias do Golias' was top on Tuesdays night at 8:35 pm.
16 March 1957 Monday; 20 June 1957 Thursday - 'A Gazeta Esportiva'.
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Classical dancer Joshey Leão was busy at TV Paulista most of the time.
Maria Pia Finocchio was São Paulo's Theatro Municipal's prima ballerina and TV Paulista's choreographer-cum-star; Branca Ribeiro turned out to be the best newscaster on Brazilian TV.
Branca Ribeiro at 'Radiolândia' no. 280, 1959; was born Adélia Abujamra, in São Paulo-SP on 25 May 1937. When she was 20 years old, Branca heard TV Paulista was hiring 'garotas-propaganda' (female commercial announcers) and decided to try it... she was hired on the spot and after a couple of years moved on to reading the news winning many an award for her great performance.
TV Baurú, Channel 2, starts broadcasting for the West part of the State of São Paulo on the week-end of 29 and 30 October 1960.
Marcando a incorporação da TV Baurú, Canal 2, à Organização Victor Costa, os dias 28, 29 e 30 de Outubro de 1960, foram bastantes festivos para a cidade de Baurú-SP, sita a 225 km oeste de São Paulo. O horário noturno dos três dias foi totalmente preenchido por espetáculos de música e humor, com a participação de talentos da O.V.C. como Hebe Camargo e Marlene.
Na sexta-feira 28, houve desfile de fanfarras, educandários, unidades militares com presença de enorme multidão e de Victor Costa Filho, presidente da O.V.C., Brancato Jr., diretor do Canal 2 e Irineu Bastos, prefeito de Baurú.
Nota Bene: most of photographic material on this page was taken from Facebook's "TV Paulista, Canal 5 (1952-1965)". We'd like to thank administrator Elizabeth Snt Oliveira for her expertise in the field.
Enrico Simonetti (29 January 1924 +28 May 1978) was a genius; not only a great musician and orchestra conductor but could also act and do comedy; here's a clipping from Revista do Radio from 1962; on the right Simonetti talks to Pelé who was at his most powerful in 1962. Enrico ended up going back to his native Italy where he worked for RAI TV until 1978, when he died after being operated for the removal of a tumor on his throat.
Silvio Santos gets his mojo presenting 'Vamos brincar de forca' , on Monday nights at 9:00 pm. Mr Santos did his first 'Vamos brincar de forca' on 3 June 1960. This ad published at Manchete in 1962.
Silvio Santos started a Sunday afternoon variety show on 2nd June 1963, which gradually extended from 2 hours to 5 and then 8 hours by the end of the 60s. 'Programa Silvio Santos' was top in the ratings... Here, Silvio sign autographs for his fans in 1960. Photo by Revista do Radio.
Silvio Santos in his Sunday show.
Advertising 'Hebe, Cynar & Simpatia' on the pages of Manchete, in 1963.
TV Paulista's antenna on top of a building on Avenida Rebouças, 58, next to Avenida Paulista. Published in April 1952, by magazine Monitor de Radio e TV.
Addresses of São Paulo radio & TV stations as of 1952.
