TV Excelsior's 'Linha de frente' - 1967

Sao Paulo's TV Excelsior, Channel 9 tried to compete with TV Record's rock show 'Jovem Guarda' twice and lost both times. 

On 27 March 1966, barely 7 months after TV Record's 'Jovem Guarda' was created, TV Excelsior launched 'Excelsior a go-go' with Radio Bandeirantes DJ Luiz Aguiar as the MC and Jerry Adriani as its 'anchor'.

Now, on 25 March 1967, exactly one year after they did it again. This time, TV Excelsior reached out for Rio de Janeiro, signed Carlos Imperial as producer to 'Linha de Frente' (Front Line) and got Eduardo Araujo - who had taken 'O bom' to #1 in the charts a few months back - to MC the programme.

Soon after 'Linha de Frente' premiered, its producer Carlos Imperial had an argument with Araujo, its presenter and left the show in a huff.

'Linha de frente' still went on for 13 weeks at 6:00 PM - then it moved to an earlier spot where it stayed for another 6 weeks and finally folded on 5 August 1967.

Já faz 2 anos que o maestro Edmundo Peruzzi criou sua Banda Jovem. Desde então ela tem aparecido nos programas de Eduardo Araujo e acompanhado o cantor em todos seus discos. A ideia de fazer uma pequena orquestra com guitarras surgiu quando o maestro percebeu que a juventude não aceitava musicas que não tivesse o som estridente característico do ié-ié-ié. Ele reuniu, então, 12 figuras: 4 pistões, 1 sax-alto, 1 sax-tenor, 1 sax-barítono, 1 trombone e o quarteto de Os Brasas, formando por 2 guitarras, bateria e baixo eletrônico. O sucesso da Banda mostrou que o maestro tinha razão.

Orchestra conductor Edmundo Peruzzi did something completely new in 1967: he formed a band comprised of 4 trumpets, 1 alto saxophone, 1 tenor sax, 1 baritone sax, 1 trombone plus Os Brasas' 2 guitars, 1 electric bass and drums.

Edmundo Peruzzi in olden days; 1951 by magazine 'Carioca'.

'Linha de Frente' with Eduardo Araujo, starts on 25 March 1967, Saturday recorded on video-tape at Teatro Cultura Artistica on Rua Nestor Pestana in São Paulo from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. It is shown at TV Excelsior, Channel 2 in Rio de Janeiro on the Sunday at 3:00 PM. 

These were the dates 'Linha de Frente' were presented on Sao Paulo's TV Excelsior in 1967: 25 March (1); 1st April (2); 8 April (3); 15 April (4); 22 April (5); 29 April (6); 6 May (7); 13 May (8); 20 May (9); 26 May (10); 3 June (11); 12 June (12); 17 June (13)... they were 13 Saturdays from 6 to 7 PM...  

On 24 June 1967, 'Linha de Frente' begins earlier on Saturday and lasts for only 6 more times... and finally on 5 August 1967 it was the last show.

July 1966 - One year before Eduardo Araujo was hoisted as the anchor of 'Linha de Frente', TV Excelsior renewed attempt to compete with TV Record's 'Jovem Guarda', Araujo finally hit the charts with 'O bom' which turned out to be his biggest hit ever.

PROGRAMA DA JUVENTUDE - October 1959 - TV Record

TV Record was perhaps the first TV station to show interest in the new rock'n'roll craze when they signed a New York revue group called Rock'n'roll Fantasy to perform at Teatro Cultura Artistica in Sao Paulo in 1957. 

Since March 1959 there was a brand-new musical phenomenon in the person of Celly Campello, a 17 year-old girl from Taubaté-SP who recorded a cover of  Connie Francis's 'Stupid cupid' translated quaintly as 'Estupido cupido' which went straight to #1 at the charts and stayed there for a couple of months. 

After EMI-Odeon released Celly Campello's first album - 'Estupido cupido' - and it would play on the radio just as if it were a single... well, Paulinho Machado de Carvalho thought there was a chance of launching a rock TV show starring the pretty girl from Taubaté. 

TV Record already had some experience with the local rock scene when Radio Panamericana (a Radio Record sister station) DJ Miguel Vaccaro Netto produced live rock-radio-shows right from the stage of Teatro Record, on Saturday afternoon. They called it 'Festival de Musica Americana' and it was a parade of singers, instrumental & vocal bands that would drive those kids crazy into freenzy dancing mood. 

That was it! TV Record would book Teatro Record for Saturday afternoons for a gathering of the burgeoning rock bands and singers plus Celly Campello as a sort-of anchor and broadcast whatever came out of it. They didn't have a name for the show so the called it simply 'Programa da Juventude' (Youth's hour) and it premiered on 10 October 1959, with handsome Randal Julio being the MC. 

Randal Juliano was the MC of 'Programa da Juventude' when it first started... 

10 October 1959 -  the first Saturday evening Brazilian rock show 'Programa da Juventude' starred by Celly Campello ('starred' is TV Record's own words) who is accompanied by 'Ritmos OK' from Taubaté.

here are the dates of 'Programa da Juventude' that were presented from the stage of Teatro Record, at Rua da Consolação, 1992 before it was banned by the station director and exiled to the TV station studio at Avenida Miruna, in the far-away suburb of Aeroporto. 

10 October 1959

17 October 1959

24 October 1959 

31 October 1959

7 November 1959

14 November 1959

It was exactly 6 programmes at Teatro Record before a paying audience. When the management found out that kids were slashing up theatre-seats they freaked out. Comedian José Vasconcelos and his hugely-successful one-man show - 'Eu sou o espetáculo' - packed the theatre every night, at 21:45 and there was no time to repair the damage done. The owner of TV and theatre, Paulinho Machado de Carvalho had no qualms: the Saturday rock-show would have to fold in its first incarnation and move to far-away Avenida Miruna, where the city airport was located and be broadcast from a studio with no audience.

When 'Programa da Juventude' moved out to Avenida Miruna, they finally found a title for it: 'Celly & Tony in Hi-Fi' which was really appropriate to a couple of so musical brother & sister.

Celly Campello backed by Ritmos OK, a rock band from Taubaté-SP on the right; The Avalons are on the left conferring among themselves about their next number.