Raquel Meller was mainly a "cuple singer" and music hall entertainer.
Her songs became famous the world over and she made countless
recordings. One of her greatest hits, "La Violetera" was used by
Charles Chaplin in his "City Lights". By all accounts he was a big
Meller fan. So was Sarah Bernhardt, who was quoted as saying: "Raquel
Meller is a genius." In the late 1950's, Spanish singer-actress
Sara Montiel
became a sensation singing Raquel's songs in two films:
El último cuplé (1957) and
La violetera (1958). Meller hated it and threatened legal action but she really
couldn't do anything. When she died in 1962 a book was published in
France in which the author claimed that Raquel was instrumental in
turning over Mata Hari to the French authorities since the famous
spy-dancer was fooling around with one of her lovers. The whole
Meller-Mata Hari publicity was exploited in the film _Reina del chantecler, La (1962)_ starring,
yes,
Sara Montiel.
