Caterina Valente (1931-2024)

On 9 September 2024, Italian singer, dancer and actress Caterina Valente (1931) passed away at 93. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, she was the queen of the German Schlager music. Her popularity was global, and she played and sang in fifteen films. The Guinness Book of World Records recognised her as Europe's most successful female recording artist, with over 1350 albums to her credit.


Vintage postcard.


German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. F 23. Photo: Ringpress.


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, Minden/Westf., no. F 32. Photo: Ringpress / Vogelmann. Publicity still for Bonjour Kathrin (Karl Anton, 1956) with Dietmar Schönherr.


West German postcard by ISV, no. H 27. Photo: Constantin. Caterina Valente and Bill Haley and the Comets in Hier bin ich - hier bleib' ich/Here I Am, Here I Stay (Werner Jacobs, 1959).


German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. F 73. Photo: Lantin. With Peter Alexander and Silvio Francesco.


German postcard by ISV, no. L 2. Photo: Klaus Collignon.

Initial years

Caterina Valente was born in Paris, France, in 1931 in an Italian artist family. Her father Giuseppe Valente was a well-known accordion player, and her mother Maria Valente a musical clown. She had three siblings. With her older brother, the late singer and actor Silvio Francesco, she made later many records together, and he would be a frequent guest and musical director on her stage as well as TV shows.

Caterina started her career as a singer and dancer at the circus Grock. In 1952 she married juggler Erik van Aro who recognised her talent and accompanied her in her initial years of worldwide success. Their son is the singer Eric van Aro, Jr.

A year later, she made her first recordings for Polydor with the orchestra of Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved great success with songs such as 'Dreh dich nicht um' (Don't Turn Around). Her hit 'Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe' (1954), based on the Cole Porter song 'I Love Paris', sold more than 500,000 copies.

After her first musical successes, she sang and danced in the crime film Mannequins für Rio/Party Girls for Sale (Kurt Neumann, 1954) starring Johanna Matz and Raymond Burr.

The next year she performed in such German musicals as Ball im Savoy/Ball at Savoy (Paul Martin, 1955), and with Peter Alexander in Liebe, Tanz und 1000 Schlager/Love, Dance, and 1000 Songs (Paul Martin, 1955).


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 3928. Photo: Ufa.


East-German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 175, 1956. Retail price: 0,20 DM. Photo: publicity still for Bonjour, Kathrin (Karl Anton, 1956).


West German postcard by Rüdel-Verlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf. Photo: CCC / Gloria / Grimm. Caterina Valente in Du bist Musik/Music in Your Heart (Paul Martin, 1956).


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden/Westf., no. 2952. Photo: CCC / Gloria. Publicity still for Das einfache Mädchen/The Simple Girl (Werner Jacobs, 1957) with Rudolf Prack.


Dutch postcard by N.V. v.h. Weenenk & Snel, Baarn, no. 880. Photo: Hafbo. Publicity still for Hier bin ich, Hier bleib ich/Here I Am, Here I Stay (Werner Jacobs, 1959).


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 1159. Photo: Arthur Grimm / Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (Ufa), Berlin-Tempelhof.

Bossanova girl

In 1954 and 1955 Caterina Valente had international success with 'Malagueña'. The song which introduced the Bossanova in Europe was written for her by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. It charted first in Europe and eventually in England and the US.

Malaguena was featured on American TV in the Colgate Comedy Hour with Gordon MacRae. 'Malaguena' was followed by 'Analucia', also written by Lecuona, which when re-released in an English version as 'The Breeze and I' became a top ten hit in both Great Britain and the US.

By this time Valente had become a truly multi-lingual artist, performing her cabaret act and issuing recordings in six languages: French, German, Italian, English, Spanish and Swedish.

In France, she made the musical Casino de Paris (André Hunebelle, 1957) with Gilbert Bécaud and Vittorio de Sica.

In Germany, she continued to make popular Schlagerfilms like Hier bin ich - hier bleib' ich/Here I Am, Here I Stay (Werner Jacobs, 1959) with Hans Holt. In the US she was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1959.


West German postcard by ISV, no. N 10. Photo: CCC / Grimm.


West German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. F 151.


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H, Minden (Westf.), no F 31. Photo: Ringpress / Vogelmann. With Silvio Francesco.


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK-55. Retail price: 30 Pfg. Photo: Arthur Grimm / Ufa.


German postcard by Krüger, no. 902/22. Photo: Teldec / Farabola.


Dutch postcard, mailed in 1964.


German postcard by Kruger, no. 902/19. Photo: Teldec / Farabola.

Girltalk

During the early 1960s, Caterina Valente switched alliances with Decca Records and scored several hits with them, including 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu Strand Bikini', and 'Quando, Quando, Quando'. Valente worked with the legendary Claus Ogerman and recorded material in both Italian and English. Her version of 'La Golondrina' appeared on one of the first charity albums, 'All-Star Festival' (1963). The proceeds from that album went to aid refugees.

Between 1966 and 1972 she was a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show and other American TV shows. From the mid-1950s to the 1980s German, Italian, Swiss and Austrian television produced more than a dozen series of Valente-Shows.

Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Chet Baker.

In 1988 she issued 'Caterina 86', a recording made with the Count Basie Orchestra. In 1986 she enjoyed her fiftieth year on stage jubilee with the German TV show Bravo, Catrin! which attracted 17 million spectators. The Italian jazz CD 'A briglia sciolta' (1989) became Valente’s best-selling CD worldwide.

In 2001, she released her latest album of newly recorded material 'Girltalk', with harpist Catherine Michel. Among her many awards are the German Bundesverdienstkreuz (Cross of Merit, 1968), Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz (Grand Cross of Merit, 1985), and the Italian Premio Gabardi (Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004). In 1972, Valente married her musical director, British composer and jazz pianist Roy Budd. They had a son, Alexander Budd, but they divorced in 1979. Since then, Caterina Valente lived in her villa at the lake of Lugano in Switzerland. There she died in 2024 at the age of 93.


East-German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 164, 1956. Retail price: 0,20 DM. Photo: publicity still for Bonjour, Kathrin (Karl Anton, 1956) with Silvio Francesco and Peter Alexander.


Dutch postcard by Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 4197.


Dutch postcard by Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 4198. With her son Eric.


Dutch postcard by Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 5486. Caterina Valente with Willy Alberti and Willeke Alberti.


West German postcard by UFA, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. C-318. Photo: Arthur Grimm / UFA.


German promotion card by Decca, no. 225.


Caterina Valente sings 'Es gibt noch Märchen' (There are still fairy tales) in the schlagerfilm Das einfache Mädchen/The Ordinary Girl (Werner Jacobs, 1957). Source: Wyrubowa (YouTube).

Sources: Stacia Proefrock (AllMusic), Carola Bernasconi (IMDb), CaterinaValente.com, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

The Choice of Meiter

Our guest today is my colleague-collector Meiter from the city of Groningen in the north of the The Netherlands. Regularly I buy film star postcards from her e-shop at the Dutch site Marktplaats. We started to correspond about the beauty of postcards, about our passion for collecting, film, our children and what they like to eat, about life. Thus I invited her to write at EFSP about her favorite European film star postcards, and she accepted. Meiter: "I like postcards so much, because they resemble (and when old, often are) real photos. They tell a story and represent a certain era. Because they are cards of filmstars, you can read a lot about them in books, magazines and on the internet. You can also make up your own story."
So, here's the Choice of.... Meiter.


Lilli Palmer. German postcard by UFA, Berlin. Collection: Meiter.
Meiter: "This is one of my favourite cards of Lilli Palmer. She seems relaxed and even laughs. On most of her photos she comes across as an elegant and beautiful woman, but remote. On this one she wears her Sunday dress with, what looks like, an apron. Her husband is out hunting and she just finished cleaning the house and enjoys a well deserved rest in the garden. I like the kitschiness and colours."


Sophia Loren. French postcard by Éditions Hazan, Paris. Collection: Meiter.
"Oh, oh, how beautiful. It is not a very old card (I am sure there must be an original somewhere), but it was one of the first cards of which I thought ‘I must have it’. What first struck me was the thing on which she is sitting: is it a chair? It looks like a retro 1960’s design chair, but you only see a curved leg. Sophia manages to sit quite elegantly on it and has a stylish, yet coquettish air. And still, she has this rather innocent look. (And why is she pointing at her knee?) I love it."


Marilyn Monroe. Vintage postcard, no. PU 13. Collection: Meiter.
"I know Marilyn is a Hollywood Filmstar, not a European Star. But this card is My Pride. It is a card I have not seen before. (Now some people will say, of course, it is quite common). On the back it only says “Nr. PU 13”. I assume PU stands for Pin Up and perhaps it is part of a series pin-up cards, Marilyn being number 13 (the unlucky number..). She represents the optimistic 1950’s and 60’s and plays those funny roles in her movies. Yet, she herself led this tragic life and had to play a role both in her movies and her own life. Nevertheless, I am just very proud of this card and like to boast about it."


O.W. Fischer. German postcard by IRMA-Verlag, Stuttgart. Collection: Meiter.
"O.W. Fischer loved cats and, as we can see on this card, cats loved him. I never understood this man. That makes him interesting. He seemed to lead a life of opposites. This photo represents an example: although at he end of his life he lived for and with his cats, he left half of his money to a dogs’ home. This cat is ignorant of the fact that she will not inherit any money. She just adores him."


Caterina Valente. German postcard by UFA, Berlin. Collection: Meiter.
"I don’t have anything with Caterine Valente and her music, but I love her cards. A very photogenic lady, and the more kitsch the better."


Jester Naefe. German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag. Collection: Meiter.
"Jester Naefe was also called the German Marilyn Monroe. She had a promising future as an actress. Unfortunately she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and died, after an agressive progression of this disease, 8 years later, only 37 years old."


Jeanne Moreau. East-German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb. Collection: Meiter.
"BEAUTIFUL. This card reminds me of a picture of Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn never had her prom photo taken. In 1956, when she was 30 (!) years old, she asked Milton Greene if he could photograph her as a ‘prom-girl’. The picture Greene made, looks just like this photo of Jeanne Monroe..uh..Moreau."


Gina Lollobrigida. French postcard by E.D.U.G., no. 55. Collection: Meiter.
"This card is not a cliché picture of La Lollobrigida. I like the colours in it. It is not kitschy, yet colourful. It is as if Gina happens to pass by and accidentally had her picture taken. She seems rather young, but frankly I have no idea. Rather mysterious. But then again I do not know much about her, and it might be a scene in one of her most famous films."


Claudia Cardinale. German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag. Collection: Meiter.
"Claudia once signed a contract which forbade her to marry, gain weight and cut her hair. She already had given birth to a son when she was 17 years old. The family pretended that Claudia was a (much older) sister. When he was 19, he was told his older sister was his mother. How much are you willing to give up to be a filmstar? Claudia Cardinale apparently quite a lot. Originally she did not want to be a moviestar at all. She wanted to be a teacher in her home country Tunisia. Which would have made her happier..."


And last but not least: Anny Ondra. German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 6847/1, 1931-1932. Photo: Lothar Stark-Film. Collection: Meiter.
"I hesitated between Sybille Schmitz and Anny Ondra. But I saw that an extensive article already had been written about the androgyne, alcoholic, drug-addicted, bisexual Sybille Schmitz (I just wanted to use all these descriptions in connection with Sybille Schmitz), so the last card is of pretty, pretty Anny Ondra. When I read about pretty Anny Ondra, I have to think of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ where a silent movie is transformed into a musical with real sound. Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) appears to have a rather shriekish and screaming voice and it is decided that her voice will be dubbed over. Something similar happened to Anny Ondra, not because she was loud-voiced, but because her thick accent was considered unacceptable. I think she sounded lovely, but it is true that she did not sound like a London born girl.. She looks lovely and was married to the same man, a German boxer, for 54 years. Quite romantically. Yet, I am sure there must be more to this story."

Thanks Meiter, bedankt Carla!

The Choice of... is an irregularly appearing series. Earlier guests were Egbert Barten, Véronique3, Didier Hanson, Asa, Bunched Undies, Miss Mertens, and Manuel Palomino Arjona.

Silvio Francesco

Swiss Schlager singer and film actor Silvio Francesco (1927-2000) is, despite his many talents, best known as the brother of Caterina Valente. In several film musicals and TV shows Silvio sang, danced and played the clarinet, always in the shadow of his famous sister.


German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne Eickel, no. F 7. Photo: Lantin.


German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag G.m.b.H., Minden (Westf.), no. F 31. Retail price: 25 Pf. Photo: Ringpress / Vogelmann.


German postcard by WS-Druck, Wanne-Eickel, no. F 73. Photo: Lantin.

Itsy bitsy teenie weenie Honolulu-strand-bikini

Silvio Francesco Valente was born in Paris, France in 1927. He was born in an Italian family of artists. His mother Maria Valente was an internationally successful musical clown, his father Giuseppe Valente was a well known accordion player. Silvio grew up in a world of circus and variety.

At a young age he learned to play the guitar and he became a gifted clarinetist. His four years younger sister was Caterina Valente, with whom he sang many duets, often under pseudonyms like Club Manhattan or Club Italia.

A huge hit was their Schlager 'Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu-Strand-Bikini'. Caterina and her record company Decca tried hard to put Silvio in the spotlights. Several records were released as Caterina und Silvio, or there were EPs, with at the one side songs by Caterina Valente and on the flipside songs by Silvio Francesco.

He also sang and danced in Schlagerfilms in which his sister played the leading part, like Liebe, Tanz und 1000 Schlager/Love, Dance, and 1000 Songs (Paul Martin, 1955) also with Peter Alexander, Bonjour Kathrin (Karl Anton, 1956), and Du bist Musik/You Are Music (Paul Martin, 1956) with Paul Hubschmid.

Without Caterina, Francesco starred in the comedy Küß mich noch einmal/Kiss Me Just One More Time (Helmut Weiss, 1956) opposite Laya Raki.


East-German postcard by VEB Volkskunstverlag Reichenbach I.V., no. G 749, 1957. Retail price: 0,15 DM. Photo: Polydor.


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5419. Photo: Hafbo. Publicity still for Du bist wunderbar/You're Wonderful (Paul Martin, 1959).


German postcard by Ufa, Berlin-Tempelhof, no. FK 4863. Photo: Arthur Grimm / Ufa.

The best partner I ever had

When Caterina moved over from Decca to Polydor, Silvio Francesco got a new singing partner, Margot Eskens. Among their hits were 'Calypso Italiano' (1957), 'Mondscheinpartie' (1959), and 'Himmelblaue Serenade'.

Silvio appeared in more films like Casino de Paris (André Hunebelle, 1957) starring Gilbert Bécaud, Vittorio De Sica and Caterina, ...und abends in die Scala (Erik Ode, 1958) with Caterina, Du bist wunderbar/You Are Wonderful (Paul Martin, 1959) with Caterina, Rudolf Prack and Dietmar Schönherr, and Marina (Paul Martin, 1960) with Giorgia Moll and Rocco Granata.

In the 1960s brother and sister reunited as a singing duo and had hits like 'Peppermint Twist', 'Madison in Mexiko' and 'Quando quando'. During the world tours of his sister he was often her musical director. He also appeared in the many TV shows of Caterina, like Caterina From Heidelberg (1969), directed by Michael Pfleghar. Silvio lived in Lugano, Switzerland, where he managed a small hotel.

In 1990 he played as Silvio F. Valente in the Horror satire My lovely Monster (Michael Bergmann, 1990) with Ferdy Mayne and Sarah Karloff, the daughter of Boris Karloff. It was his last leading role in a film. Seven years later he made his final TV appearance in the series Wilde Zeiten/Wild Times (Helmut Metzger, 1997).

At the age of 73, Silvio Francesco died of cancer in Lugano in 2000. He was married and had two children. After his death, his sister Caterina retired from show business. She called her brother 'the best partner I ever had'.


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 164, 1956. Retail price: 0,20 DM. Caterina Valente, Silvio Francesco and Peter Alexander in Bonjour, Kathrin (Karl Anton, 1956).


East German postcard by VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb, no. 175, 1956. Retail price: 0,20 DM. Photo: Caterina Valente in Bonjour, Kathrin (Karl Anton, 1956).

Sources: De Duitse Schlager in Nederland en België (Dutch), Wikipedia (German), and IMDb.

This post was last updated on 10 April 2024.