MAMBO USA

A mambo musical dance show in the summer
of 1952 that made history.

By MICHAEL TERRACE
a/k/a Gutierrez

Mambo USA was the most unforgettable show I ever participated in, it had exciting
music and dance, jealousy between acts, sex between many in the show, fights within
the cast and the unfortunate prejudice's coming out of south of the Mason Dixon
that caused havoc and tears in this great latin American review. 

A wonderful happening was taking place three passenger buses meet between 52nd
& 53^rd and Broadway, NYC I pm. filled with Latin entertainers. Diagonally across
the street from the Palladium ballroom bound for a musical mambo show through
the south of the USA. 

The show was composed of the very best Latin Mambo orchestras, professional
dancers and singers of the time. The producers were Irving Schacht & George
Golder and Soul Richfield a public relations man and the director Gene Frankel a
promoter ,and Norman Grant who was also instrumental in founding the show.
The cast consisted of Tito Puente King of the mambo, Machito afro Cuban band 

First to add Jazz, Joe Loco Quintet, Pupi Campo comedy host, Candido world
famous conga player- Miguelto Valdez outstanding singer and motion picture star-
Myrta Silva Puerto Rican T.V. hostess - Carlos Ramirez South American operatic
singing star and Gilbert Valdes Conductor of the Havana Symphony Concert
orchestra. 

The mambo dance artistry of Michael Terrace & Nilda - Tybee Afra & Barry Del
Ray - The mambo Aces, the best male duet ever, and the comic dancing of Horacio
& Lana. And the Primitive dance styling of The Katherine Dunham & the Silva
Phipps- Ford dancers. 

These acts were the best from the Palladium arsenal of dynamic talents that the
owner of the Palladium Maxwell Hyman was backing and more than proud to see
his dancer-s- musicians taking the palladium on the road. He was proud and
gleaming from ear to ear along side of his emcee and dancer Killer Joe as they stood
on the sidewalk, waving adios and good luck as the buses drove off to this first
historic tour. 

The original schedule of the tour was to be for three months of club dates through
the south, a hit and run two-hour show from one theatre to the next theatre from
one town to the next. As soon as the shows were over they would mount the buses
on there way to the next show, often driving all night singing and beating on the
conga drums enjoying their new adventure as they also enjoyed the scenic ride. 

The tour turned out to be reminiscent of a ballet I once saw, where at two very large
banquet tables sat two kings from different countries, who were hosting a huge
glorious celebration for their children marriage. Both groups were decked out in
their best attire and their guest were singing dancing kissing hugging and drinking
to this great joyous occasion. When a comic soldier with too many drinks tripped
an in-law in jest, it was taken as an insult rather than a joke. Argument ensued
between the two, more people join in the scurry, a fights broke out among three four
men and escalated into a riot. The kings now very indignant screamed and waved
their fists at each other, suddenly a shot is heard more guns break out, a canon
explodes in the distance and a war is declared. As the senseless killing continues
there are those that started to wonder, why are we losing our youths to this senseless
war with the horrors of killings and maiming. 

Soldiers from opposites side look at each other in dismay and wave to one another a
white flag goes up on one side then the other, the two sides start to talk, they shake
hands and huge all the way up the ranks, a truce starts an embrace by the kings,
and a truce is signed, the two parties returns to their celebration, and back to
dancing drinking and more hugging with more kisses. The two kings rise with joy
and lift their cups to toast the new celebration of their children marriage once again. 

WE HIT A HOME RUN IN BKL YN 

The first show stop was at the Fox Theatre in Brooklyn, New York that was an over
whelming success, the latin population and the mambo-nicks were there in full
array, the local dance studios were in heaven and hosted parties at their studios,
Walter Darien's one of the great dancers of the time gave his studio to the entire
cast, it was an all night party on two where the trumpet blared and dancing reined
all night. 

The second show and a change of Emcee's 

The emcee was the bandleader Pupi Campo a young handsome Cuban personality
with a great comical wit off stage. But unfortunately with incredibly poor memory
that caused him to forget who he was about to introduce producing a complete lull
in all the shows and finally at one point the management had, had enough and asked
me to take over the emcee spot, Irving Schacht the producer said "Mike Terrace
your going to make more money, you are now the new emcee of mambo, USA". 

I was thrilled for this wonderful experience that had been given me, a top spot
allowing me to be more intimate with all the acts, developing a friend ship and a
private insight to each ones character and personality, plus learning the good and
bad that unfortunately flows out of jealousy from the actors and players from the
applause generated by the audiences and the enormous ego some develop from the
stage to be the top banana ofthe show. As the emcee my introductions had to high
light their careers and not all were satisfied and wanted a better introduction than
the other. Well it was settled by a humorous accident. Horace not satisfied with my
introduction of his dance act went to the management and insisted he be introduced

as the best mambo dancer in the world. As the management could care less they
proposed this to me and I said "that's nuts he's good but not the best their really a
comic dance act". Finally I had no choice and had to do it. At the next show
unbeknownst to me when I was at the edge of the stage about to introduce Horace &
Lana I noticed that the platform one foot below me was covered with a huge layer
of dust, and thought I should move back further so the dancers wouldn't go there,
but at that moment a heckler yell out "Hey Mike your going to kill them tonight"
that remark took my mine off the floor and I made the mistake of introducing the
greatest dancer in the world. It was killing me to say these words. Ladies and
gentleman the greatest mambo dancers in the world, "and I wanted to throw up"
and I said "Horaco and Lanna." They were thrilled with those words and came
running on to the platform filled with dirt and fell two feet producing a puff of dust
so high that the audience was startled but went into laughter when they saw 

Horacio screaming and waving his fist at me with a vigor of a madman, this very
funny scene created laughter for the audience but Horacio did not think it was
funny and was not laughing and he was six foot two and in his baritone voice yelled
in Spanish "I'm going to kill you -you mother" he was instinctively funny and that's
the way the audience viewed it. He immediately thought I was trying to humiliate
him by bringing him out into a cloud of dust and I could not contain myself from
laughter but I had to take him seriously since he was upon me and I heard Tito
Puente sound out "Get Him kill him" while Tito was joking and his band helped
lead the charge. Horacio made me take off and run in circles on stage and with
Tito laughing and playing a drum roll chase, the audience started applauding as he
chased me, after many drum rolls I ran back stage and Hoarcio was held back from
killing me. Finally I went back to the front stage and addressed the audience with
"Wow doesn't that shows you that the mambo is magical we open with a dance team
they produce a cloud of dust a race for life takes place laughter breaks out followed
by a fight scene and I said "that was only a rehearsal Do you want to see that again
" As they applauded I introduce the great sounds of the voodoo king of the conga
drums Condido. He had three drums and beating on these congo drums he was
able to send a spiritual message to the audience that the voodoo gods dance 

From the Palladium to Carnegie hall. 

Carnegie Hall was filled with dignitaries' celebrities and the Palladium owner
Maxwell Hyman - Killer Joe - Arthur & Katherine Murry -Marlin Brando and
surprisingly the Roseland owners showed up too and the underworld boss Joe
Costello. 

I remember Machito who had a heart full of humor saying in between shows while
we looked out from the curtain at the Carnegie theatre as he pointed at the
sculptures statues that adorned the high walls of the hall, "Beethoven - Brams -
Bach and now Tito Puente and Machito. 

Carnegie hall was special to me since I had a dance studio apt on the 8^th floor and 

3

where I fell in love with a hundred ballet female dancers. And I also studied ballet
with the great Dukowdowsky at Ballet Arts along with Augie & Margo - Johnny
Brasia & Tybee, who were the only ones that studied ballet seriously that came out
of the Palladium. At the great hall the dancing crowd would not let us go, without a
thunderous ovation and cheers of bravo-bravo. It was just an entertaining show to
the audience but to us it was more, it was reaching a pinnacle all show people dream
about. Carnegie Hall

. 

The home of brotherly love gave us a chill to what was to come. 

The third show took place in Philadelphia once we settled down to rehearse I started
to feel an eeriness and a rather distastefulness in the air, we could see it through the
glaring looks we got from the stagehands, and the porters, the office staff, but it was
only a prelude to what was to come. Philly was a great dancing town the dance
studios and the mambonick's welcomed us with open arms. One of the great
dancers of Philly was Red Schwartz an ardent admirer of the mambo and a nut for
the music. Red uttered to me during a rehearsal that I invited him to, this city is full
of love and they crave for the dance but some times full of hypocrisy when it comes
to black and white I don't envy you going into the deep south, its not Manhattan. 

I had no idea what he meant.

The sad awakening hit us bad 

We arrived in Baltimore to the revelation that slapped us in the face and every
moment after that was more than heart breaking. The black Spanish people in the
show were stunned their faces lit up with outrage, tears flowed day after day
without stop, the black American were hurt but had endure these prejudices before.
The black Spanish people were never abused and insulted in Puerto Rico or Cuba
like they were going to be on this tour. The outrageous surprise came with the tear
full embarrassment that hit us when I was rehearing my music for the nights
performance,with my first wife Nilda Martinez. The number was called in a little
Spanish town a rendition buy Perez Prado and Mario Bauzer of Machito's band
was doing the conducting, Tito Puente had made the arrangement for me and the
music was out of sight. Un be known to all of us, seated in the orchestra seats were
about Fifteen to twenty young black American boys and girl from the neighborhood
school. Kids laughing dancing just enjoying the shows rehearsal and jiving with the
music. 

The number in a little Spanish town, it had that grunt at the end of each chorus it's
a Prado signature, a style no other bands ever use. This unique grunt was picked up  

by the young black youths and they hummed it out loudly which was really fun and
they were having a great time. And then the shit hit the fan with a rather shocking
thunderous voice that penetrated the air, two state trooper appeared, one yelling
"get those fucken niggers out of the front rows, they belong up on the third floor."
The area there in is reserved for white people only. A frightening silence embraced
us all and a chill hit me when we saw the sight of two state troopers. This was a
crushing blow to all of us, our beautiful black latins were strapped with fear and the
half whites were now stripped of their free America. For a moment 1 thought of
Tito Puente a war hero who almost died in battle and 1 as a marine and many of the
musican's who were also veteran of the second WW and fought for our America
now saw freedom vanish. Putting aside the fright the Machito band yelled in
Spanish, you mother fuckers gringo bastards the rage was in their blood and it
popped out of their veins with all kinds of fuck you in both languages blaringly. The
children sank in their chairs the band jumped furiously out of their seats ready to
fight and all hell broke lose with Spanglish cursing, unfortunately the presence of
state trooper had its restrains from further confrontation. The trooper looked seven
feet tall and one yelled to me again "get those nigger out of there" 1 said "I don't
own or run the show speak to the management". Before 1 knew it they were there
getting into a huddle talking to the troopers, the insult damaged all of us and put a
great damper on the show that evening. It was the start of pining the white Spanish
against the black and the in betweens it was the most humiliating experience we had
to endure while the white Americas were in shame we the white Spanish felt it much
more, it hit us deep down personally. They were our kin they danced to the same
tunes and ate the same rice and beans with salsa. It was a black and white Spanish
human outrage. 

We were hit by a double wammie one on stage the other not being able to eat at the
same restaurants and not allowed to check into the same hotels as the whites. Wow! 

The Constitution was not for all of us. 

___________________ The next day show _ 

Constitution Hall, was a munificence auditorium, the highest ceiling and plush seats.
It made one fell proud to be an American, but it didn't last long. 

The following day we went to constitution hall in Washington DC and this time at
our rehearsal we met again with a similar confrontation that was belittling coming
from three ladies that claimed to belong to the daughters of the American
revolution, in their own southern lady like fashion uttered that niggers's were not
allowed to perform on the stage of constitutional hall with white's and ask them to
remove all their belongs from the first floor, blacks can only use the first floor on
very rare accessions. Taken aback and wanting to strangle the three southern
prejudice white bitches, the entire cast said Fuck it in Spanish we're going home. It
was easy to say, but it wasn't that easy to do, the house was sold out and the
management told us that in no uncertain terms ,that they were not going to pay us
or pay our way back home. So we were faced with the high way or turn the other
check. Miguelito Valdez gather the musicans and dancers and said I've been
through this in Cuba where there was a cast system and in Hollywood and all of you 

have been through this before. So lets stand tall use our god given talent and play
on. We have each other our music and our dance our rice and beans with salsa that
will give us the strength and spice to carry on, so viva la salsa. Miguelito was a great
spokesman a man of character and very proud of his race and spoke to us with
poetry in his heart, we were all taken by him he made us feel the pride of being
Spanish artist. 

That was the week to add insult to injury when two Puerto Ricians had tried to
shoot President Harry Truman and the building security was on full alert especially
with a profile on the Puerto Rician's. Our show got the treatment of having every
dark or black searched thoroughly, while the white walked freely without scrutiny
or suspicion. Constitution Hall was sold out and as sad as we were we knew the
show had to go on. The stage was set we had to go on and there I was on stage with
a tearful heart a mircphone in my hand a big smile saying Hello Hello its nice to be
with you and welcome to Mambo USA. And in my mind I was hoping Haracio
would come up with his cloud of dust dance and chase me all over the stage again to
get a good laugh but in stead I went on to introduced Myrta Silva and she created
her own cloud with a punch to American indecency to latin black and in-between
people. In the middle of her first song she stopped very abruptly and pointed her
finger and said. "The other day two Puerto Ricans nationalist tried to shoot
President Truman and today here in Constitution Hall we Puerto Ricans on this
show were shoot by the Hall's Elite who hate the blacks and whites mix. We are
told we were the mix breeds and could not perform on the constitution hall stage. So
you see President Truman did not catch the bullet or bleed but we caught the bullet
and we are still bleeding from the heart, I can not believe this is the America I love,
or maybe I'm smoking the wrong stuff are we not entitled to the same privileges
all you whites have in this wonderful country. Why should we continue on a stage
that only belongs to the supreme whites. Tell me why! louder why! And louder why!
The audience stood up and cheered her yelling different kind of love refrains till the
silences wove its way for her to back up and begin her next song. This show above
all others received it best ovation the most bravos and the biggest party where held
at the local Arthur Murry studio for the entire company. 

How sweet the finale became with tears of joy 

Virginia was our next stop there the dance studios gathered with dance teachers
from all the studios and the many fans of the dance and music. 

Embracing us by giving us apologies with ovations as we walked into late evening
party. They had heard of the insult and the indignities vehemently hurl at us, and as
an apology offered us these parties out of embarrassment. These moment were soft
and kind but were we were still bleeding, yet we knew the warmness of kind words a
smile a dance and good music would get us threw the night. 

While accepting the drinks the splendor of a party and their humble apologies we
ended up paying dearly for it again. A number of the black musicans and dancers
decided to walk back to the bus. Most of the black entertainers rather than sleep in

the black side of town accepted the bus as their beds and used the back of
restaurant for their food. Forgetting they were in the deep south and unaware of the
laws blacks had to observe, such as walking on the side walk in a group and
walking on the wrong side of the street. So it came to be a few were arrested and
Tito and I rushed down to the jail house and explained that we were entertainers
from nyc where we walk freely on the streets and go into any restaurant with-out
fear and had no idea blacks had restrictions in Georgia. The response was scary but
after much a do, the police allow us to take our comrades back to the bus and
suspend them with only a warning. 

We all did our shows and tried our best under strain and tears but show after show
town after town, insults after tears and more. It came to a point we reach our last
straw and the management could not bear the exchange of battle between 

the whites and the black entertainers ripping away at each other over who could go
to bath rooms and who couldn't go to a white restaurant. Finally the decision was
made after a trip over mountains in West Virginia when we hit a snow storm and
the turns and slides and deep snows had everyone praying some in Spanish others in
English, we all thought we were going to die and go over the cliffs of the mountain
to our death. 

It trip seem to be never ending that we were forever driving in a snow storm and it
was a miracle when we reach the bottom of the mountain into a level street. All the
insults and embracing moments left us as we realized that life was more important
than slender and ridicules that we had experienced in the cities with a deep
disregard for human dignity. Management said that's it! we're going home. Every
one was hysterical with joy and the tears flowed like wine and they did. 

No place like home

We set fort to our home sweet home our beloved NYC and when looked at each
other it was with new special kindness with a gleam of love each time we glanced at
each other. When we reach NYC every one was kissing hugging and we even danced
on the side walks of New York to the tune of in an ole Spanish town. I remember I
felt the same way as I did when I came back from the second WW from the Marine
corp, to my families love and the Spanish kisses with rice and beams were waiting
for me and the bolero music in the back round. 

Must add Joe Cuba's III never go back to Georgia regarding the two men from Titos
band who were arrested for walking on the side walk. And I went to the jail house to
pick them up, and one of the men said when we got back to NYC "I'll never go back
to Georgia.