Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-04
Viewing TV
Its Fast, Fast, Fast!
cugot Says His Is the Only Orchestra
Visual Enough for TeIeyision
BY HoI Humphrey
HOLLYWOOD,

AASAAA1 - w - N>A~s
Xavier Cugat, the debonair
exponent of Latin rhythms.
says TV holds no future for
any bands except his own.
This Is not meant to sound
/. like braggadocio. From Senior
: Cugat it is simply a statement
of fact, and he backs it up in
o convincing fashion.
what is there to watch
when the average band is on
: the telaveesion? asks Cugie,
: rhetorically. 'Lombardo, he
: has a nice orchestra, but what
: can he do--put red suits on
the boys, or maybe blue suits?
is that anythin' to look at?
For me it is different. ] al
ways work with lots Of acts
they are a part Of the band.
, and everythin' is very fast.
: fast, fast!" Cts loud. loud,
4 loud, too-Ed.)
- Cugie could have mentioned
here that another thing he has
) over Lombardo is Able Lane
Mrs. Cugat in private life. This
luscious red-head sings and
swings to her husbands Latin
! rhythms In a way that will
cause many TV viewers to in
vest Immediately in a larger
screen.
The Cugats are preparing to
shoot two series for TV next
October. One will be strictly
q Latin potpourri of music,
songs and dances. The other
. Is to be a situation comedy.
att won't be like Lucy
though" Cugie promises. I'm
q bandleader. yes. but not
married. And Able, she is the
.temperamental entertainer.
You know. just like real life"
He's Tri-Lineuol
f! The musical TV series is the
one which intrigues Cugie.
however. Each filmed show
will have the maestro an
nouncing the numbers in Eng
lish, French and Spanish as it
is shot. Then prints will be
edited in each language.
The Cugat reputation is as
well entrenched in all Latin
countries as it is here, and he
says the foreign distribution
4 FOR TV eventually viii be big
ger than in the United States.
4 This is true now with my
recordings. They do not have
I the big ups and downs. For II
years they Just sell nice and
/ steady. It's like the annuity.
/ Every year 1t is about $45. 600
in royalties I collect just for
my records" Cugie reports.
He admits that two TV Sc.
{ ries running simultaneously on
the home screens will make
for an awful lot of Cugat and
ultimately hurt his personal
appearance tours.
"But / do not want to be
forever on the road. 1t is too
tough. this travelling. ! do it
for Able. She likes to be seen
In the nice spots. and the peo-
pie like to come in ana see
how it works, you know"
Cugie recently wound up a
two-we Elk engagement at
Ciro's night club here. and the
place was packed every night.
proving his point that people
like to see how 1t works."
Doing Five" TV in this
aCUuklIy uOCS AtUt n1tCAGot tklC.
Latin rumba king.
it's Too Much
"It Is too much confusion.
They draw too many chalk
lines. and you're so busy
watching them it IS hard to
perform. They make the line
where Able is to put her ell
bow, and she's thinking. Yes.
that's 1t. now / put the elbow
there. but what am I goin' to
do with the head?' IT'S too
much"
Not long ago Cugie and his
show appeared on a TV sta
tion in Venezuela, and he was
4 impressed with the fact that
4 there were no directors or COM
1 plicated instructions.
They Just say go ahead
5 and you work, that's all. It
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