Dancing with Xavier Cugat

Xavier Cugat was such a big hit during his first visit here, timed with the Manila International Fair in 1952, that in less than a year he was back. Filipinos loved the music of Cugat and his orchestra, dancing to the tune of mambo, rhumba, cha-cha, tango, samba and other Latin beats.

With Cugat was his seductive young wife, Abbe Lane. They performed at the Riviera and Boys Town Fiesta Auditorium, with admission prices ranging from P1.50 to P6. But remember this was in 1953, when the exchange rate was two pesos to one dollar.

Cugat also appeared in MGM films as himself, the most memorable of which was A Date with Judy, where he shared stellar billing with Jane Powell, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Stack, Wallace Berry and the Portuguese bombshell Carmen Miranda. — RKC