CDMX, Mexico.-One of the most emblematic North American actors of all time was in Havana in 1956. It is Marlon Brando, for many one of the best actors in history. So much so that after his death in 2010, Al Pacino would say: “now we all go up one more step”, referring to the fact that Brando occupied the highest place for interpreters.
Now, why did you travel to Cuba? the star of hollywood He was passionate about Cuban music, especially percussion.
In the United States, he was a regular at the Latin nights at the Palladium Hall. He enrolled in Cuban dance classes such as the conga, the rumba, the chachachá, the mambo and learned to play the drums.
With all that influence, Brando left Miami in February 1956 and landed in Havana. According to investigator Leonardo Depestre Catony, he registered under the false name of Mr Maker at a modest hotel, the Packard, now rebuilt on the corner of Cárcel and Paseo del Prado.
Marlon wanted to see the real Cuba and was fascinated by black culture. He did not find that in the elegant salons of the Havana aristocracy. Those spaces were indifferent to him, but the popular dance venues were another story.
According to the specialized journalist on historical issues Ciro Bianchi, the protagonist of “Nido de Ratas” contacted Clemente “Sungo” Carrera, a Cuban baseball player who played in the Major Leagues. “That same night they would go to the Sans Souci cabaret, on the Arroyo Arenas road. Brando wanted to say hello to actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge, the star of the nightclub’s show, and to see if anyone knew of any bongo drums for sale. A bongo already curated by a good Cuban musician”.
It counts that Brando makes an extensive tour of various cabarets: El Panchín, Pensylvania, El Pompilio, El Ranchito, Pennsylvania, La Taberna de Pedro, Los Tres Hermanos.
The future Don Vito Corleone also went to the Choricera Club, where the Chori played the leathers, the same one to whom The New York Times had recommended “whoever visits Havana and does not go to Marianao Beach to see the Chori, not has truly gone to Havana” wrote Drew Pearson.
There Brando went on stage and fulfilled his dream of playing with a true professional, although Chori was not very convinced at first, he ended up congratulating Brando because he was not a bad percussionist.
Marlon was so fascinated with the show that he arranged everything to take Chori to Hollywood. However, already in front of the boarding gate at the airport, the Cuban said that he would go for a coffee and did not return. “Neither by air nor by water do I leave Cuba,” he later told his friends.
The winner of two Oscars spent three days in the Cuban capital, and despite all his efforts, he did not manage to go completely unnoticed. Guillermo Cabrera Infante, who worked for the magazine “Carteles”, found him at the reception of his hotel. The reporter asked him about the tumbadora that he carried with him
“It’s a real bargain,” the American replied. Ninety pesos. It is expensive for a Cuban, but for an American it is very cheap, being authentic. I have six more congas like this one, I just love tumbadoras”.
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