Academy Award-winning
singer and actress Irene Cara passed away at her Florida residence on November
25. She was 63 years old at the time of her death.
Singing from a very
young age, Cara started her performing career on Spanish television, singing, and dancing. At the age of 8, she made an appearance on Ted Mack’s The Original
Amateur Show, an American radio and television program.
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While introducing
Cara, the host says, “She is a third-grade student, who was a finalist in the
Little Miss America Contest. Sings in Spanish, this is Irene Cara”.
Watch her performance here:
He then proceeds to
ask her about her song, saying, “Irene, I see that the number you’re going to sing
is a South American folk song called Ola! Ola! Ola! What does that mean in
English?”
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A thinking Irene then
responds, “Well, Ola means waves, so Ola! Ola! Ola! means waves, waves, waves.”.
When the host asks if that is what the song is about, Cara replies, “Well,
after waves I really don’t know, but it’s a really nice song!” followed by
laughter from the audience.
Irene then sings the
song, dancing and mesmerizing the audience with her energetic performance.
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The Original Amateur Hour is an American radio and television program, which was a continuation of Major Bowes Amateur Hour, a radio staple from 1934 to 1945. Major
Edward Bowes, the originator of the program left
the show in 1945 and died the following year. He was succeeded by Ted
Mack when the show was brought for broadcast on
television in 1948.
Irene Cara won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her famous song Flashdance…What a Feeling in 1984.