MAUREEN CANNON - January 1961

Maureen Cannon is one of those bright shooting stars that appears in sky for a fleeting moment and leaves you wanting to know more about her. I don't know why her smiling face got stuck in my imagination when I saw her picture at 11 years old. 

Maureen had visited Argentina and Sao Paulo, Brazil on 9 October 1957, as part of the music-revue Rock'n'roll Fantasy. Three years later on 18 January 1961 she was back for 5 nightly performances on the stage of Teatro Record on Rua da Consolação in São Paulo.

Actually I do know why I was so impressed with Maureen Cannon's image. I was a country boy who had just moved to the big city 4 weeks before - 16 December 1960 - and was impressed to see her smiling face on a big poster stuck next to the theatre box-office. 

My father was a shoemaker and owned a shoe-repair shop in partnership with a brother-in-law next to that theatre. You see, we had traveled by train from Marilia-SP the whole night and arrived in São Paulo early in the morning. I was really happy that day for everything was new to me. We stayed in the back of the small shop for the day until nightfall. Father then would take us to Vila Madalena where he had rented a house for us to live. 

That December day was pure magic to me. I had not seen so many skyscrapers together... I counted their stories until I got tired. My aunt Dulce and her 3 children had been living in the back of shop for the last 4 weeks. My cousin Gabriel offered me a chocolate bar... and I tasted chocolate for the first time in my life. 

I stayed out in the footpath watching tram-cars trundling up and down the busy thoroughfare. I had never seen so many cars moving at the same time. But what I really really loved was the proximity to the theatre where I could see posters of foreign acts that had performed at that famous stage. Maureen Cannon would be 1961's very first international attraction to perform at Teatro Record. 

I was really flabbergated a few weeks later when my Father came home one night and said that a very well-dressed American lady had come into the shop and asked him to repair her stillettos that she probably broke while performing one of her up-tempo songs on the theatre. Father said she wore a great smile on her face and when it came to paying she couldn't believe how cheap it had cost. That was definitely Maureen Cannon in person.

MAUREEN CANNON, a explosiva

18 JANEIRO 1961 – Quarta – Maureen Cannon, a explosiva, canta hoje as 21:00 no Teatro Record, abrindo a sensacional linha de cartazes internacionais da Radio Record & Canal 7.  

Nasceu em Chicago-Illinois em 3 Dezembro 1926, mudou-se para New York com 15 anos, fazendo teste para a revista “Best Foot Forward', do produtor-compositor Sigmund Romberg, e daí em diante já trabalhou muito na Broadway.  Foi a “garota Good-year” no programa de TV de Paul Whiteman. Casada, mora em New York. Canta “I double dare you”, “St.Louis Blues”, “Sister Kid”, “The band wagon”, “The fireman’s bride”, “Jambalaya”, “Oh Johnny”, “Autumn leaves” e “Bill Bailey, please come home”. Apresenta-se hoje (18), amanhã (19) apenas na TV Record, sexta (20), sábado (21) e domingo (22).

Como já esperado desde outubro de 1957, quando Maureen Cannon foi a figura de maior sucesso entre os que se apresentaram no Teatro de Cultura Artística, na revista musical 'Rock'n'roll Fantasy', trazida por Paulinho Machado de Carvalho - ela se apresentou durante uma semana inteira no Teatro Record, na rua da Consolação em São Paulo. 

Não encontrei matéria sobre as apresentações de Maureen nessa sua segunda visita, mas julgando-se pela primeira, deve ter sido vitoriosa.

in September, Derby released a couple of tunes featuring Maureen Cannon and the Striders: "Did I Speak Out Of Turn"/"Yes Lord." These were not reviewed either.

DJ Walter Silva visits Maureen Cannon & Fred Mitchell at RGE studios in São Paulo where the duo recorded 'Oh Johnny' and 'Mama come save your child', a double-sided hit.

listen to 'Mama come save your child' at: https://app.box.com/s/9sat54oez6cowvyl7hnr

Billboard magazine, 23 February 1957 - review of 'Mama, come save your child': Miss Cannon takes a cue from some of the rhythm'n'blues belters in her styling of this fast, catchy beat opus. Her bold, extrovert piping is bound to sweep many listeners off their feet. 

'Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh': Give the singer an 'E' for effort. She moves in on this oldie with the kind of assault on the ears you expect from Lillian Briggs. Loud and overwhelming. 

Maureen Cannon at 15 years-old on Broadway 

a 15 year-old Maureen Cannon in 1941 on Broadway's 'Best foot forward'.

Maureen on top of the heap... in 1941. Twenty years before she visited Brazil. See more about this Broadway production at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Foot_Forward_(musical)

at Paul Whiteman Revue in 1952 where Maureen used to sing all kinds of music for many years. 

Maureen drinks a cuppa in 1955 while waiting to appear on New York TV.

Maureen was always smiling... 

Maureen Cannon appearances on Broadway 

‘Best Foot Forward’ (musical, comedy, original)  1 October 1941 – 4 July 1942

(Maureen plays Helen Schlessinger)

‘Hairpin Harmony’ (musical, farce, original) 1 October 1943 – 2 October 1943

(Maureen plays Reenie Franton)

‘Up in Central Park’ (musical, comedy, original) 27 January 1945 – 13 April 1946

‘Up in Central Park’ (musical, comedy, revival) 19 May 1947 – 31 May 1947

(Maureen Cannon played Rosie Moore)

Mama, come save your child

Mama, come save your child, come save your child 

He's gonna steal your child away 

he's getting closer day by day

oh mama, come save your child

Mama, he's got my heart, he took my heart

I told my heart, it should behave 

but doubt it wants to be saved 

oh, mama, come save your child

Ah, when love where I know that this can be true

ah, when love  wear I know can surely do

ah, when love well I remember the things you said to me 

when he takes in his arms and makes me lose my memory

Oh, mama, come save your child, come save your child

I told him I belong to you but he found out that missed you 

oh, mama, come save your child 

Don't scold him, mama, he don't mean no harm

I told him, mama, that I love his charm

when I holler, mama, come save your child

I don't mean it, mama, I'm just playing it cute for a while 

He's got your child, he's got your child.

The Free 'n' easy 

All the boys with high-blood pressure 

all the girls with too much ... 

your day has come at last 

Here's a dance for all you flowers 

once you try it, you'll dance for hours 

I'll explain it well

Hot stuff ... taboo 

follow me and through 

the free and easy 

The free and easy 

smear the floor with wax, let yourself relax

loose not your bags, free and easy 

Start out breezy

(you) let your elbow slack, let your  foot relax like you had a jag

free and easy 

Slave men, brave men,  one-foot-in-the-grave men

grab yourself a partner now

show girls, slow girls, never-had-a-ball girls 

here's your only chance and how 

If you're pleasy 

while the music plays you can dance for days 

do the lazy craze free and easy. 

The 'Free and Easy' (fox-trot) 

Roy Turk & Fred E. Ahlert 

performed by The High Hatters  (Roy Turk, Fred E.Ahlert, Leonard Joy & Frank Luther

vocal by Frank Luther.