Saturday 22 July 2017

1963 - Duke Hazlett - TV Record's Big Swindle


31st March 1963 - an ad at daily 'O Estado de S.Paulo' boasted that finally HE - meaning Frank Sinatra - would finally visit Brazil and sing at Teatro Record.

Ever since TV Record started bringing big foreign acts like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole everyone asked them WHEN they would sign Frank Sinatra who was by the early 1960s the highest paid attraction if one left Elvis Presley out of the game.

The last time Paulinho Machado de Carvalho visited New York City in search for nex attractions who would be willing to travel all the way down to South America in exchange for a fistful of dollars - he talked with Eddie Elkort, an agent who worked for General Artist Corporation who introduced him a singer who could imitate Frank Sinatra all the way.

Paulinho who was not a bad fellow but somewhat misguided thought he would play everyone in Brazil a joke. He would announce he'd signed a mysterious act but he would keep his name a secret. Advertisements like the one above showed someone very similar to Frank Sinatra. Paulinho would do an April's day prank on the Brazilian public. He set the date as the 31st of March so people would not suspect of foul play. The great mysterious act would start singing at exactly mid-night which would be technically 1st of April 1963.

Eddie Elkort appeared on the stage of TV Record at exactly 12:00 PM and everyone thought it was Frank Sinatra... but it was not! It was just a dupe... a joke... a swindle...

Paulo Machado thought it better after the prank was revealed... but then it was too late... too bad. Suckers!

31 Março ’63 - Duke Hazlett (imitador de Frank Sinatra) se apresenta à meia-noite na TV Record, como se fosse Frank Sinatra. Era uma fanfarronice da Record saudando o dia 1o de Abril – dia da Mentira. Quem imaginaria que exatamente um ano depois a algazarra seria p’ra valer - Golpe Militar de ’64, que enterrou o Brasil no atrazo, de que é vítima até hoje. Paulinho contratou Duke Hazlett através da General Artist Corporation of New York e do agente Eddie Elkort.