In those early days of television, programming was still "iffy" and there seemingly weren't enough ads to fill all the available time (those really were the good old days!). The spaces between programs were filled with musical interludes, and they were what drew me over and over to this magical instrument.
The musical interludes were footage of song and/or dance routines from movies, from Broadway, and from famous clubs. All that singing and dancing totally wowed me, and it was probably then that I decided to become a dancer.
My all-time favourite appealed to everything a three-year-old could want in a role model for show biz success. Carmen Miranda was my idol. She could sing. She could dance. She wore fabulous, colourful costumes. She sang about far away exotic places with palm trees and with a hypnotic Latin beat.
Bu absolutely best of all - she wore fruit on her head! It is probably next to impossible to convey the great joy and glee I had about that fruit. I was enthralled; someone so talented, and so pretty, and SHE HAD FRUIT ON HER HEAD. She did wear other millinery concoctions which were quite spectacular, but the fruit was the very best.
I was in heaven, and whenever I heard the announcement for a musical interlude, I would run like crazy, hoping it would be Carmen Miranda.
She still appeals to me. I guess we don't ever get over those firsts that captivate us.
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