Ruth Schelske, actress at TV Paulista

 

Radiolândia, 1957 - tells the story of Ruth Schelske, who was only 17 years old when she was signed by TV Paulista. 

17 August 1957 - Lourdes Rocha, Gervásio Marques & Ruth Schelske in Nelson Rodrigues' 'Vestido de Noiva'; 

Ruth Schelske in 1951; 2nd August 1958 - Mark Twain's 'Loucuras de um milionário' (The million pound note) adapted by Claudio Petraglia with Rogério Márcico & Moura Barbosa. 

Ruth Schelske, born in São Paulo on 27 March 1939, was an actress, advertising girl and voice actress who worked in radio, TV, theatre and cinema. Schelske's parents Roberto and Joana Schelske wanted Ruth to become a lawyer but she saw things differently, beginning a career as a radio-drama actress in 1947, at Radio Bandeirantes, playing children's role when she was only 8-year-old. As a teenager, Ruth took several language courses and after finishing high school she went back to be an actress again. 

When Victor Costa finally bought TV Paulista, Channel 5, around 1955, Ruth was signed by the broadcaster to be part of their stable of actors. As there was no video-tape machines, TV stations had to make do with a great production of plays which were acted live. Ruth's first appearance was in 'Teledrama' with the the play “O Casaco de Peles” (The Fur Coat) alongside Odair Marzano. 

Here are some of Ruth Schelske's activities in the 1950s & early 1960s. 

1952 - 'Novelas para você' radio drama show at Radio Bandeirantes;

1955 - 'Teledrama' at TV Paulista:  José Castellar's 'O casaco de pele'; 'A cela da morte'; 'Delito' (Delitto all'isola delle capre) and José Castellar's 'Uma ressurreição'; 

1956 - 'Teledrama' at TV Paulista: 'Estação 21, Rua 47'; 'O alíbi' with Waldyr Guedes; 'Farrapo humano' (Lost weekend); Ugo Betti's 'O milagre dos sinos'; 'Os corumbas'; 

1956 - Ruth as an adverstising girl worked at: Manoel de Nóbrega's 'Praça da Alegria'; 'Atrações Caruso'; 'Audições Gaó'; 'Todos cantam as sua terra' at Radio Nacional; 'Vitrine'; 

1957 - 'Teledrama' 'Dê-me o seu amor'; 'Uma carta para três maridos'; 'A tragédia de Mayerling';  at TV Paulista; Nelson Rodrigues' 'Vestido de noiva'; 'Senzala' a radio-drama at Radio Nacional Paulista. 

1958 - 'Horas desesperadas'; Mark Twain's 'As loucuras de um milionário' (The million pound note); 

1959 - 'O Cadillac de ouro' (Solid gold Cadillac); 'Abismo insondável'; 'Casablanca' based on the 1942 Hollywood movie. 

1960 -  at Teledrama' Ms Schelske plays her last two plays at TV Paulista: 'Fraude' and 'Réquiem para um anjo'.

Later in the year 1960, Ruth moved to TV Tupi, in Rio de Janeiro, where she was a regular at 'Grande Teatro Tupi'  and 'Câmera Um' ('O perfume da morte', 'A dama das camélias'). 

In 1962, she worked at 'TV de Brinquedo' and 'A cadeira encantada', on TV Continental, channel 9. 

In 1963, she worked at TV Rio's “Chico Anysio Show”, playing, playing a character “in love with Santelmo”.

After 1963, Ruth followed a natural path to many actors on radio & TV: she started a career dubbing the voices of American actors in their many TV series. She worked mostly at dubbing studios in Rio de Janeiro like CineCastro, Dublasom Guanabara, TV Cinesom and Herbert Richers. Ms Schelske left the sound of her voice in hundreds of films and cartoons during the almost 20 years she was in this business. Ruth Schelske died in mysterious circumstances in 1977. Some say she died in Rio and others that she died of an alcoholic coma in Belém-PA. 

Ruth Schelske weds Alfredo Cini on 16 April 1958. They met at TV Paulista where she was an actress and he a cameraman. Revista do Rádio no. 454; Miss Schelske reads a script in 1957.

Ruth Schelske marries Alfredo Cini in 1958, Radiolândia.

Ruth Schelske, actress & Alfredo Cini, cameraman.

Linda Russo (garôta-propaganda) & Ruth Schelske next to a Channel 5 camera.

Ruth Schelske's further appearances  at TV Paulista's 'Teledrama': 'O caminho da volta';

Ms Schelske also appeared in the series 'Construtores de São Paulo': the lives of 'Emilio Ribas' & 'Padre Chico'; 

At TV Tupi, Ms Schelske appeared at 'Fantasias Bongotti' & in the play 'Ruas de São Paulo';

Marta & I at Antonio Aguillar's 1960s photo exhibition in January 2004

Antonio Aguillar, photographer, radio DJ & TV MC with Marta Mendes at his exhibition in January 2004.

Antonio Aguillar's 1960s photo exhibition held at the corridors of Hospital of State Public Workers (Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual) from December 2003 through March 2004.

Antonio Aguillar himself explaining details of photos he took in the 1960s to blogger Lulu Pavone who looks really interested in the subject.

Antonio Aguillar seems to be in high spirits to have met (by sheer chance) a visitor (Myself) who was really interested in the story of his life. Aguillar proved to be really pleasant and later on Marta and I had a chance to sit down at the Hospital cafeteria and talk about those awesome days for almost 2 hours. 

Antonio Aguillar & Lulu Pavone in the corridors of HSPE in Vila Clementino.

Marta Mendes, Antonio Aguillar & Lulu Pavone in January 2004. 

A Gazeta & A Gazeta Esportiva

 

This is 'A Gazeta' & 'A Gazeta Esportiva' building called 'Palácio da Imprensa' (Press Palace) which was opened on 3rd November 1939, on Rua da Conceição, 6. Less than 4 years later, on 27 August 1943, its owner Cásper Líbero, died in an airplane crash and Rua da Conceição had its name changed its name to Avenida Cásper Líbero, 88.

Rua da Conceição circa 1939. One can see Luz Railway Station tower at the end of the street. 

'A Gazeta Esportiva' 21st November 1958.

the photo on the cover of 'A Gazeta Esportiva' must have been taken on 31st December 1957.

Radio Nacional Paulista

 

Radio speaker Hélio de Alencar who commanded ubiquotous 'Parada de Sucesso' every single day at Radio Nacional Paulista with radio new-face Silvio Santos in 1956. Silvio would eventually go to much bigger things. Both take part at Manoel de Nóbrega Program.

Hélio de Alencar had a popular radio show on Radio Nacional Paulista, at 11:00 every day in which 'Saint Louis Blues' (W.C.Handy) was its opening and background theme...

Manoel de Nóbrega & Silvio Santos, who learned how to be a radio-man with the old man. They were both from Rio de Janeiro originally. 

Hélio de Alencar at Radiolândia, 1960.

Programa Manoel de Nóbrega, 1960.

Manoel de Nóbrega 'punishes' Ronald Golias for some practical joke, being watched by the crowd that would pack the auditorium of Radio Cultura or Radio Nacional Paulista, wherever Nobrega's show was broadcast from. 'A Gazeta Esportiva', 14 October 1957.

Neilor de Oliveira, a radio man originally from the Bahia, MC of 'Bairros em Desfile',(Suburbs on Parade) a popular live radio-show on Radio Nacional Paulista which competete with Radio Record's 'Alegria dos Bairros'.(Suburbs' Joy). It started on 28 June 1960, four years before. From left to right: Neilor's wife, Lourdes de Oliveira, Zelão, José Russo, Neilor himself and Zacarias Mourão. 

Fourth Anniversary of 'Bairros em Desfile', being watched by 15,000 people, reported by 'Melodias', August 1964. 

Adelino Moreira, a songwriter of torch songs

There was a time in the 1950s when Adelino Moreira was probably the most popular song writer in the Brazil. Adelino wrote mostly 'torch songs' that told of betrayal, women who ended up on the wrong side of the tracks, drunkeness, masochism, sadism and all sorts of human feelings and conditions. Nelson Gonçalves (born on 21st June 1919) by far the most popular crooner in the 1950s, usually got to sing Adelino's best songs and sold hundreds of thousands of records up to the early 1960s, before Brazilian rock'n'roll caught up with them. 

Adelino Moreira de Castro was born on 28 Mach 1918, in a small village near Pôrto, Portugal. His father Serafim and mother Rosa migrated to Brazil in 1919, when little Adelino was only 1 year old, so he grew up in Rio de Janeiro. 

Nelson Gonçalves was Adelino Moreira's  songs most faithful performer.

Adelino Moreira with Cauby Peixoto and Angela Maria. 

Adelino Moreira's repertoire as of 1971. My favourite songs written by Adelino in this list are: 1. 'Meu vício é você'; 2. 'A volta do boêmio'; 3. 'Deusa do asfalto'; 4. 'Ciclone' (sung by Carlos Nobre); 5. 'Argumento'; 6. 'Chore comigo'; 7. 'Meu dilema'; 8. 'Devolvi' (sung by Nubya Lafayette); 9. 'Doidivana'; 10. 'Flor do meu bairro' (tinha o destino da lua, morava na minha rua); 11. 'Maria Helena' (sung by Roberto Vidal); 12. 'Borrasca' (sung by Angela Maria); 13. 'Dois amores' (Roberto Vidal).  

Mary Wynne & her São Paulo night-club column at Estadão

We don't know with certainty when US citizen Mary Wynne started as a journalist at daily 'O Estado de São Paulo' for she began her role working 'behind the scenes'. We presume she was first given the task of assembling a list of the best restaurants and night-clubs in town and publish it among the cinema & theatre ads section at the last pages of the newspaper. 

A column called 'Bares Boites Restaurantes' was first published on 6 June 1954. From a nameless strip it soon started being signed by Mary. Eventually it became highly personalized changing its name to 'Mary go-round'.

Mary Wynne as a young lady in the 1920s.

15 January 1955 - Mary turns her 'list-column' into some sort of 'gossip column' in which she tells the latest news about show business. She comments about weekly illustrated magazine Manchete's article about the Oasis night-club with photos showing Russo do Pandeiro (Antonio Cardoso Martins *4 Feb 1913 +16 May 1985) doing what he did best: play his tambourine. Russo performed with Carmen Miranda in the US. 

Mary's short notes at the bottom of her column on the Sunday 'Estadão' on 27 February 1955. Soon, she would write much more than 3 selected notices. 

Peters Sisters with their highly-polished act in a Dutch club visited São Paulo in 1955.

6 March 1955 (Sunday) - Ms Wynne writes about US trio Peters Sisters who had been  touring Brazil having performed on TV Paulista, Channel 5 and done stints at both Lord and Oasis night-clubs. 

6 June 1954 - This was Mary Wynne's very first Sunday column at 'OESP'. It contained the names of 8 night-clubs and 7 restaurants) around town. 

15 January 1955 - By January 1955, Mary Wynne had increased her restaurant & night-club list from 15 in mid-1954 to 21, besides adding 7 places from Rio de Janeiro. Business was booming! 

3rd April 1955 - Mary mentions US pianist Freddy Feld for the 1st time. Mary & Feld would become fast friends until his tragic death in Rio. Fred Feld  was born Friederick Wilhelm Feldman on 8 April 1914, in Iowa, USA and passed away on 9 November 1970, in Rio de Janeiro, aged 56. He is most remembered as a nightclub pianist celebrity in São Paulo and Rio during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Unfortunate murder victim of a violent homophobic crime. His zodiac sign was Aries.

Mary Wynne dancing with a Gaucho probably before she moved to Brazil in 1929. Judging by the whip Mary has around her arm it could've been part of an act.

Mary Winne's Portrait of a Clown, she painted circa 1961. 

Mary Wynne, an American journalist with a daily column about São Paulo's night-life

Once upon a time there was an American young lady from Texas named Mary Wynne who arrived in São Paulo, Brazil circa 1929, to work as a governess for an American family who had a young daughter to be educated. Miss Wynne was only 18 years of age and we can't say much more about her then. 

We only know that Mary eventually met a young Dutch national whose last name was Tadema like the Dutch painter Lawrence Alma-Tadema. They got married and had a baby boy called Klaas who eventually went to school in the USA, while Mary stayed in Brazil. 

We can only surmise Mary and her husband had a pretty busy social life going out to restaurants and night clubs around São Paulo very often.   

14 April 1976 - 'O Estado de S.Paulo' obituary page.

Mary Wynne Burns Tadema's grave stonehead at Tenaha City Cemetery in Tenaha, Shelby County, Texas, USA. Her remains though are still interred at Cemitério do Morumbi, in São Paulo, Brazil. 

5 April 2023.

Hello. My oldest aunt wrote the nightlife column as "Mary Wynne," and I would love to find out more about her years in Brazil. Any information appreciated. Thank you. Sincerely, Margie Burns (margie.burns@gmail.com)

Fri, 7th April 2023.

Hello, Margie,

I only found out about your aunt Mary Wynne a few years ago when I started a research about São Paulo's night life in the very newspaper Ms Wynne worked for.

 

I fell in love with her style by degrees. She was a very friendly and sophisticated lady and it was pure delight to read her texts.

 

By reading her column I surmised she arrived in Brazil in the late 1930s, for she mentioned having seen Carmen Miranda in person along with Aurora, Carmen's sister in a night-club. As Carmen left Brazil for California in 1939, I guessed Ms Wynne must have arrived in Brazil in 1938 or 1939; 10 years before I was born (1949). 

Margie answers: 

Hello! Thank you for writing; I am pleased to hear from you and look forward to finding out more, also. My Aunt Mary Wynne died in Sao Paulo, 11 April 1976. I heard that she originally went to Brazil at age 18, to be a governess to a small child, a relative, whose parents were working for a U.S. company in Brazil. Since she was born in 1911, according to records, that must have been about 1929.

I do not know when she started working for O Estado de Sao Paulo, or how she got the job there, or how she began in journalism. 

Her full name was Mary Wynne Burns Tadema, and she must have learned Portuguese while living in Brazil. She and her spouse separated long ago; I never knew him, but I believe that his ancestry was Dutch (like the painter Alma-Tadema), and presumably they met in Brazil. As to her personal life, she had only one child; he grew up in the U.S.

I have been impressed with the columns that I've seen. It looks as though Mary Wynne was very active and energetic. I never heard her talk much and seldom saw her in person; the last time, I was in my teens, and there wasn't much chance for talking at a family funeral. 

I am trying to find out more about her small place in the big world at the time.

8 April 2023. 

Hi, Margie, 

I found a simple note about your Aunt's death on the obituary page on 14 April 1976. I was glad to have found something about Mary Wynne's death but at the same time really disappointed for she deserved much more than a few words. 

It says more or less: D. Mary Wynne... I was wondering what D. stands for... I guess it stands for 'Dona' (Dueña in Spanish) which is a title like 'Lady' or 'Madam' in English. 

It also says Mary was the daughter of (sr.) Robert E. Burns and (d.) Ruby Lee W. Burns. 

It also mentions her son Klaas Tadema married to Dorothy Tadema, both living in the USA. It fails to mention Mary's husband's name.

 

In the end it says the funeral was being held at Morumbi Cemitery (the poshest cemetery in town) with the burial schedule for 4:00 pm of that day, 14 April 1976. 

Tenaha, Shelby County in Texas...where Mary Wynne hailed from... see the red arrow. 

Tenaha, Shelby County, Texas.