The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat
Carmen Miranda
1999: Interstate/Harlequin HQ CD 133
She was great!!!! This Czech/Portuguese collection of “Carmen Miranda on Films & Airshots” is a little uneven, but most of the tracks are just great fun. It certainly injected the term “hipsnotize” into my permanent vocabulary (and my friend Cat’s as well) because of “I Yi Yi Yi Yi,” and it contains her incomparable rendition of “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” But I really get a kick out of the Jimmy Durante show appearances: she has such an expressive voice that I can practically see her face when she talks. Check out the documentary “Bananas Is My Business” sometime to appreciate this fascinating and unique woman.
Comments © 2005 Mark Ellis Walker, except as noted, and no claim is made to the images and quoted lyrics.