Among the highest paid entertainers in Hollywood, Carmen Miranda (Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha) known as the “Brazilian Bombshell,” was born in Portugal in 1909, but was raised and educated in Brazil. Her acting and musical talents in hits like “Prá você gostar de mim” and film appearances in A voz do Carnaval (1933), Alo, alo Brasil (1935), Estudantes (1935), Alo, alo Carnaval (1936), Banana da terra (1939), and Laranja da China (1940), thrilled Brazilian aundiences. In short time Miranda was in demand in the U.S. In American films, she popularized Latin Americans for U.S. audiences during the epoch of the Good Neighbor Policy with an engaging ditzy portrayal of tropical Brazilian women. Her films included Down Argentine Way (1940), Weekend in Havana (1941), That Night in Rio (1941), Springtime in the Rockies (1942), The Gang’s All Here (1943), Four Jills in a Jeep (1944), Greenwich Village (1944), Something for the Boys (1944), Doll Face (1946), and If I’m Lucky (1946). She was the first Latin American artist to inscribe her hands, feet, and signature in the Hall of Fame at Mann’s Chinese Theatre with the inscription “Viva! à Maneira Sul Americana.” A complex person, Miranda’s contributions to the entertainment world were not taken seriously until after her death.

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