TV PAULISTA - telenovelas & series (1952-1965)

Vera Nunes & Paulo Goulart with cameraman Haroldo Moreno.

'Revista Monitor de Rádio e Televisão' hails the advent of TV Paulista, São Paulo's second TV station which started broadcasting on 14 March 1952, a Friday, with the beaming of the first chapter of  'Helena', a tele-novela adapted from a 1876 novel by Machado de Assis, starring Vera Nunes and Paulo Goulart. 

Sergio Brito, Italian director Ruggero Jacobbi, artistic-director of TV Paulista in its inception, Tônia Carrero, Mrs. Jacobbi and Adolfo Celi (who would play an arch-vilain to James Bond in 1965's 'Thunderball') in Rio de Janeiro in 1953. 

Ruggero Jacobbi, a theatre man born in Venezia, in 1920, was TV Paulista's first artistic director; on the right: drama producer Álvaro Moya would follow in Jacobbi's footsteps ... then he was 'poached' by TV Excelsior. The note at Radiolândia (1957) says Moya was invited by the US Department of State for a TV course in the USA but could not accept due to his being busy at Channel 5. 

Former child-actor Walter Avancini, in 1959. He would become the doyen of Brazilian TV drama in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Rogério Marcico started at TV Paulista through Enia Petri who had been signed to produce and direct the drama department. In 1955, Marcico starred in 'Horas desesperadas', 'O corcunda', 'O final do conto' and 'Casaco de peles' all plays presented at 'Teledrama'. 

For some unknown reason Rogério stayed away from TV Paulista but returned with a vengeance in 1958 starring in no less than twelve plays:  'Arara vermelha', 'Vôo 614', 'Horas desesperadas' (for the 2nd time), 'Máscara traiçoeira', 'Viagem a um pequeno planeta', 'Um jovem da boemia', 'A megera domada' (The taming of the shrew), 'Loucuras de um milionário', 'Sindicato dos ladrões' (On the waterfront), 'Gilda', 'O dia em que o tempo parou' and 'Réquiem para um peso-pesado'.

Maximira Figueiredo won 'A procura de uma estrêla', a TV Paulista talent-scout competion in 1956 and soon after played an important role at novela 'Neli' on Tuesdays & Fridays at 8:00 pm. 

TELENOVELAS & SERIES 

1952: 

- Machado de Assis' 'Helena' with Vera Nunes, Paulo Goulart, Jane Batista; 

- João Paulo Cardoso Silva's 'Sinhá das Dôres', a country-flavoured novela shown on Weds & Sats. 

-  'Senhora', 'Diva'; 

1953: 'O morro dos ventos uivantes' ('Wuthering Heights' with Maurício Shermann as Heathcliffe)

- Aloísio de Azevedo's 'Casa de pensão' with Jane Batista & Lino Monteiro. 

1954: 'Peter Pan'

1956: 

- 'Neli', novela shown on Tuesdays & Fridays  at 8:00 pm with Odayr Marzano, Walter Avancini & Maximira Figueiredo playing the title-role. 

- Lloyd C. Douglas' 'Luz da esperança' (Green light) adapted by José Castellar with Helio Souto, Wilma Bentivegna, Maximira Figueiredo, Percival Ferreira;

- 'Meu filho, meu orgulho'; 

1957: 'Na noite do passado', 

- 'Minha pequena lady' (Dionísio Azevedo as Prof. Higgins); 

- 'Eu matei Rasputin' as played by David Conde;

- 'Marido magro, mulher chata' with Nicette Bruno, Paulo Goulart & Aurimar Rocha, produced by Augusto Boal in instalments; 19 November 1957;

1958: 

- 'A grande mentira', 'Presença de Anita' 

- Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield' with Marcio Trunkel playing the title-role, Suzi Arruda & Raimundo Duprat; Thursdays at 7:30 pm;

- José Castellar's 'Direto ao coração' with Lucy Meirelles on Teledrama 3 Leões; 

- 'A alma das coisas' a different drama every Tuesday, produced & presented by Mario Brasini; on 30 December 1958, a story with Lucy Meirelles, Rogério Marcico, Lucy Rangel, Moacyr Franco etc. 

1959: 

- Charles Dickens' 'Os Irmãos Dombey' (Dombey & son) with Ivete Jayme, Marcelo Gastaldi, Diana Morel, Líbero Miguel, Leonor Pacheco, Marcia Cardeal as of 6 January 1959, every Tue and Thurs at 7:30 pm on Telenovela Mesbla;

- 'Grande Hotel Philips' Brazilian Hollywood star Raul Roulien plays a waiter at such hotel every Tue, with Lucy Meirelles. Produced by Heloísa Castellar; 22nd February 1959.

- 'A princezinha' with Izamar Rizzo as the little princess, Ivete Jayme as Miss Minchin, Márcia Cardeal, Maria  Regina & Adélia Vitória;

- 'Minha devoção' on Tuesdays & Fridays at 1:55 pm; 

- 'Hino ao amor'; 'O Guarani'.

1960: 'Oliver Twist', directed by Libero Miguel; 'Helena'; 'Laura'; 'História de um avô' produced by Libero Miguel & Enia Petri. 

1961: 'Mateus Falcone', produced by Libero Miguel; 'A Herdeira de Ferleac' (Enia Petri's); 'As grandes esperanças' (Dickens' 'Great expectations'), 'O ébrio', 'Francisca', 'A fugitiva'; 

- Daphne du Maurier's 'A estalagem maldita' (Jamaica Inn) staged by Grande Teatro O.V.C. with Ricardo Nóvoa, Waldir Guedes & Lucy Meirelles.

- Clímaco Cesar's 'Justiceiro Invencível' with Walter Avancini on Tue, Thu & Sat. (1961)  

1962: 'Zogbi' & 'O usuário', both produced by Libero Miguel; 

- 'A encruzilhada', 'Colégio de brotos'

- Enia Petria's 'A pequena lady' with Ernesta Maria Marchi, a child actress who won a competition with 347 other hopefuls to portray the title-role; directed by Liberto Miguel on Tues & Thus at 7:55 pm.

1963:

- Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol' ('O velho Scrooge'); 

- Charles Dickens' 'A loja de antiguidades' ('The old curiosity shop'); 

- José de Alencar's 'O tronco do ipê' with Osmar Prado, Marcelo Gastaldi & Marcia Cardeal;

- 'Branca-de-Neve e os sete anões' e 'As quatro Irmãs'.

1964: 'Romance de Bernadete'; 'O conde de Suffolk'; 'Tortura d'Alma'

- Enia Petri's 'Eu amo esse homem' with Nydia Lícia, Emiliano Queiróz & Mirtes Grisoli; produced by Líbero Miguel; 

- 'Um ramo de rosas'.

1965: 'A sombra do passado', 'Chamas que não se apagam' & 'Cadeia de cristal'.

8 October 1955 (Saturday) - José Castellar's 'Uma ressurreição' broadcast on 6 January 1959 (Ultima Hora) - Charles Dickens 'Dombey & Son' becomes a telenovela 'Os irmãos Dombey' on Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7:30 pm. "Ultima Hora', 6 January 1959.  

Helio Souto & José Castelar; Radiolândia, 1956; telenovela 'A princezinha' with Izamar Rizzo, Maria Regina & Márcia Cardela shown in 1959. 

Janete Gayer & Marzano in Eny Autran's 'Ensaiando Romeu & Julieta' at TV Paulista in 1956; playwright Eny Autran who was paramount as a playwright  at TV Paulista.

Leading man Odayr Marzano and Samuel Bastos at a chapter of José Castelar's series 'Minha Devoção' (My devotion) broadcast on Tuesdays & Fridays at 1:55 pm. Revista do Radio n.496, 1959.

Mini-series (here called 'novelinha') 'Hino ao amor' was written by Odayr Marzano based on the French song 'Hymne à l'amour' whose lyrics were written by Édith Piaf to the music of Marguerite Monnot. Piaf wrote it to her lover, the French boxer, Marcel Cerdan. On 28 October 1949, Cerdan was killed in the crash of Air France Flight 009 on his way from Paris to New York to come to see her. She recorded the song on 2nd May 1950. Marzano wrote both the series and the Portuguese words for the song which shot to number one as soon as it was released by Odeon. Edson França plays the role of a hardened gangster in an adaptation of William Wyler's 'The desperate hours' (Horas de desespero) released in the USA on 5 October 1955 (A Gazeta, 10 September 1958).

19 November 1957 (Gazeta Esportiva) - Nicete Bruno & husband Paulo Goulart in 'Marido magro, mulher chata' shown in instalments starting the first days of October 1957; Marcio Trunkel plays Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield' with Suzi Arruda & Raimundo Duprat (Radiolândia 244, 1958).

Vera Nunes (*12 August 1928 +2nd February 2021), Rubens de Falco (*19 October 1931 +22nd February 2008), Debbie Reynolds *1st April 1928 +28 December 2016) & John Herbert (17 May 1929 +26 January 2011) at the studios of Vera Cruz in São Bernardo do Campo when Miss Reynolds visited Brazil in 1953. 

'Radiolândia' 1962. 

Lourdes Rocha shows her witty side at Revista do Rádio's Téco-Téco interview; 1957.

Miss Rocha at Radiolândia, 1958. 

Nota Bene: most of photographic material on this page has been 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.