[Updated as per comments]
There are actually so many of these things around that you wonder whether they’re not being farmed in some Manchegan mushroom cave, and I’d be surprised if the three on offer next Tuesday raise more than 100 apiece. However the one above is rather special, since it may portrays his little-known wedding in 1918 to the great Rita Montaner, whose father was white and her mother mulatta. His trademark chiahuahuas and violin also appear in the other two images, illustrating the song “One night in Napoli” and some unclear happening in Central Park, presumably not too far away from the Waldorf-Astoria.
Here’s some of the kind of stuff I like by Cugat–I’m not so keen on the post-war, and the 60s belong to Esquivel:
I believe a male voice quintet somewhere is still singing a bunch of my arrangements of the early repertoire. If they want to donate one of the three, I will find somewhere to hang it–the official line is that they are figurative and too big.
[
Video originally posted featuring the Rita Montaner who didn’t marry Cugat:
]
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I am a bit confused. Some Spanish biographies of Cugat refer his first wive as “Rita Montaner, the famous Cuban singer”. But Cuban references, and English language wikipedia state that Rita Montaner married in 1918 ( same year ) to a Dr.Alberto Fernández, and that they had two sons and stayed together until his death. Two different Rita Montaners? An extremely fast annulment of marriage?
Oh God, it’s a mess! The Spanish and English Wikipedia entries for Cugat say he married her, but afaik no Cuban sites make any mention of this happy occasion, despite often mentioning the two on the same page, and so I reckon it’s false. So two Rita Montaners, and which wife appears in the drawing?
Here
http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0786414065&pg=PA118
is a quite plausible account of that years. No trace of any Rita Montaner, and Carmen Castillo is described as first wife. That 1948 autobiography is probably the source, and sure is a good read.
So that first marriage is the one painted? I see some resemblance of the bride with Dolores del Río( too lazy to put a link to an image ). But the old bugger lied inmoderately, so who knows?
I think this is his fantasy wedding to Rita Montaner, but who’s to say he drew it himself? GNA’s take on 1914 to 1930 is interesting for its glimpses of Francesco Cugat the Spanish set designer and Xavier Cugat’s Hungarian Orchestra, but no trace of Caruso:
EAGLES TO WELCOME EXECUTIVE
Pay-Per-View – Los Angeles Times – Oct 6, 1927
ART EXHIBITIONS OF THE WEEK PORTRAITS AND LANDSCAPES
$3.95 – New York Times – Oct 28, 1923
With the Players and Producers
$3.95 – New York Times – Feb 8, 1925
MUSIC NEWS AND NOTES; THE ORCHESTRAS AGAIN.
New York Times – May 22, 1921
MEETING NEXT MURDER DRAMA
Pay-Per-View – Los Angeles Times – Sep 5, 1928
ELSA ALSEN IS SOLOIST
Pay-Per-View – Los Angeles Times – Apr 8, 1928
SALES OF RADIO EQUIPMENT GAIN
Pay-Per-View – Los Angeles Times – Dec 4, 1929
Society of Cinemaland
Pay-Per-View – Los Angeles Times – Jun 30, 1929
25000 OUT TO HEAR TEN SUNDAY CONCERTS; Chaliapin, McCormack,…
New York Times – Nov 28, 1921
ART AND ARTISTS
Pay-Per-View – Chicago Tribune – Jul 13, 1924