Cinema Ads in Brazilian papers: 1 9 5 2 - Bomba, Tarzan, serials, Rory Calhoun...

6 January 1952 - Johnny Sheffield who started as 'Boy' for Johnny Weismüller's 'Tarzan finds a son', in 1939, grows up and becomes Bomba, a teen-ager who lives in the jungle; Sheffield played Bomba 12 times starting in 1949 with 'Bomba, the jungle boy'. 'The lost volcano' (O tesouro do vulcão) made in 1950 was Sheffield's 3rd time as the jungle-teenager... he still had another 9 movies to go.

Sheffield as Bomba in 1950.

Johnny Weismüller as Tarzan & Johnny Sheffield as Boy in 1939, when he was 8 y.o.

Cine Sao Bento on the street of same name some time in the 1930s. By 1952 it showed 2 films and 2 chapters of serials for popular audiences. Cine S.Bento along with Cine Avenida were the last 2 downtown-cinemas to show serials as it became obsolete in the mid- 1950s.

6 January 1952 - 1945's 'Mulher exótica' (Saratoga trunk) and 1942's 'Fugindo do passado' (Escape from crime) with Richard Travis; plus 2 chapters of 1949's 'Aventuras de Jesse James' (The James Brothers of Missouri) starring Keith Richards (not the Rolling Stones member, mind you), Robert Bice & Noel Neill who would play Lois Lane in Columbia's 1948 serial 'Superman'.

6 January 1952 - on the 6th day of 1952 Cine Plaza, on Praça Marechal Deodoro open its doors for the public for the 1st time. It would be a good year for new cinema-houses.

6 January 1952 - everything from Cuba was remarkable in the 1930s, 40s & 50s... 'Canção de Cuba' (Rincon criollo) directed by Raul Medina featuring Trio Los Panchos among others.

3 February 1952 - Moacyr Fenelon's 'Milagre de amor', with Fada Santoro and Paulo Porto premieres at Cine Bandeirantes, Alhambra, Odeon & many others.

2 March 1952 - a production of Lisboa Filmes: 1948's 'Fado, historia d'uma cantadeira' with Amalia Rodrigues & Virgilio Teixeira.

2 March 1952 - double-feature at Cine Avenida: 1949's 'The big steal' (Cais da maldição) a film-noir with Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix & Ramon Novarro plus 1948's 'Whispering Smith' (Abutres humanos) a western with Alan Ladd; a Columbia 1941 serial: 'Holt of the Secret Service' (Serviço Secreto) with Jack Holt & Evelyn Brent.

Alan Ladd & Brenda Marshall in 'Abutres humanos' (Whispering Smith).

2 March 1952 - When you bought a ticket and entered Cine S.Bento at any given day, you knew you were in for a lot of adventure that would fulfill a lifetime many times over. You went from Chinatown to the Old West frontier and right into flying saucers from Mars in a matter of minute: 1949's 'Boston Blackie no bairro chinês' (Boston Blackie's Chinese venture) was the 13th time Chester Morris played the reformed jewel-thief who kept on trying to clear his name working for the Law; the 2nd film in the double-feature is 1950's 'Caverna do Diabo' (Streets of Ghost Town) with Charles Starrett & Smiley Burnette; 'Misterio do disco voador' (Flying disc man from Mars) is the 1950 Columbia serial to complete the programme.

Chester Morris as Boston Blackie in Chinatown in 1949, the last of a long series of movies.

Charles Starrett with Pooch; his profile.

'Flying disc man from Mars' 1950.

6 April 1952 - Abbot & Costello's 1950's 'Foreign Legion' (Legião Estrangeira) with lovely Patricia Medina; 1949's 'Massacre River' (Massacre River) with heart-throbs Guy Madison, Rory Calhoun & ; 2 chapters of Columbia's 15-episode 1939 serial 'Flying G-Men' (Falcão Mascarado).

Guy Madison & Rory Calhoun.

Rory Calhoun; Guy Madison & Carole Matthews.

'Massacre River' on location in 1948 at Iverson's Ranch, Chatsworth; left to right: Cy Adler, Rory Calhoun, 'Cag' Burke Adler & Bud Lesser.

Robert Paige is both the Black Falcon and Hal Andrews.

6 April 1952 - at Cine S.Bendo: 1945's 'Dillinger' with Lawrence Tierney, Eduardo Cianelli; 1949's 'Master minds' (Profeta da favela) with Leo Gorcey & Huntz Hall who started as the Dead End Kids in 1937; 1944's 'Captain America' (Capitão America, o vencedor) is the Republic serial.

Leo Gorcey & Huntz Hall; both started as part of the Dead End Kids.

6 April 1952 - at Teatro Santana, a revue straight from Buenos Aires: Pablo Palitos in 'La locura del mambo'. The 1940s & 1950s were different. I couldn't possibly imagine an Argentine revue being performed in Brazil in 2016. I wonder how the public understood the Spanish language jokes. Or did they adapt the show for Brazilian audiences?

6 April 1952 - George Stevens' 'A place in the sun' (Um lugar ao sol); Brazilian film company Vera Cruz had its best year in 1952, releasing movies that became box-office hits and are embeded in the country's collective memory: 'Tico tico no fubá', 'Sai da frente', Appassionata', 'Nadando em dinheiro' and 'O cangaceiro' that started a new trend that would last for at least 20 years.

13 April 1952 - Cine Avenida knew their customers well: they wanted a lot of action, starting with some jungle shenanigans with Lex Barker in 1951's 'Tarzan's perils' (Tarzan na terra selvagem), his 3rd movie as the apeman; Barker made 5 films as Tarzan, starting with 1949's 'Tarzan's magic fountain', 1950's 'Tarzan and the slave girl' plus 1952's 'Tarzan's savage fury' and finally 1953's 'Tarzan and the she-devil'; the 2nd movie on the programme was 1949's 'Ultimo reduto' (West of El Dorado' and finally two episodes of Columbia Pictures 1947's 'Terror das montanhas' (The Vigilante) with Ralph Byrd.

1947's 'The vigilante' becomes 'Terror das montanhas' in Brazilian parlance...

17 April 1952 - Brazilian production 'Garota mineira' starring Vera Nunes who had a hit in 1951 with 'Suzana e o Presidente' and Helio Souto who mysteriously is billed as Helio Figueiredo and was in 'O comprador de fazendas' in 1951.

17 April 1952 - the largest cinema at downtown Sao Paulo - Cine Republica - opens its doors to the public with 1951's 'Half angel', a Loretta Young vehicle, strangely translated as 'A vida secreta de Nora'.

20 April 1952 - Pel-Mex's 'Perdida' with Ninon Sevilla & song-writer-actor Agustin Lara was in its 4th smash hit at Cine Broadway. Musical numbers with Pedro Vargas and Brazilian combo 'Os Anjos do Inferno' performing 'Boogie woogie na favela'.

20 April 1952 - Vera Cruz's super-production of 'Tico tico no fubá' starring Anselmo Duarte, who was arguably the most popular Brazilian actor then, Tonia Carrero and Marisa Prado. Based on the life of real-life song-writer Zequinha de Abreu, was directed by Italian actor-director Adolfo Celi who went on to become James Bond's nemesis in 'Thunderball' (1965) the fourth of its series.

18 May 1952, 'A Tribuna de Santos', at Cine Roxy.

11 May 1952 - Less than 7 years after the total surrender of Germany at WWII... German cinema is on its feet again with 'Die Reise nach Marrakech' (Sob o ceu de Marrocos).

15 June 1952 - double-feature + 2 chapters-of-serial: 'Rio Sangrento' (Massacre River) is back by popular demand showing that the teaming of Guy Madison and Rory Calhoun worked wonders on the silver screen; note that 'Massacre River' is in a sepia tone: 2nd movie: Britain's 'Dual alibi' (Cara ou Coroa) starring Herbert Lom; the 1937 Republic serial, 'Guarda Costa Alerta' (SOS Coast Guard) starring super bad-man Bela Lugosi.