The queen of Argentine television and world-record host turns 96. Mirtha Legrand will celebrate them this February 23, surrounded by family and friends and with her mind set on the goal of returning to the screen of Eltrece.
According to herself, she confirmed the weekend during a trip to the theater to see the show Tom, Dick and Harrythe diva confirmed that she is in talks with the channel to resume her classic cycle of lunches or, as has happened in recent years, dinners, on Saturdays with Mirta’s night.
Chiqui assured, in front of several cameras and noteros, that she will return to television on weekends. “We are in talks with Adrián Suar, it’s almost over. There are some things I won’t say,” she said, very enthusiastic about the conversations with Eltrece’s programming manager.
From the channel they also confirmed that they are in talks with the production company StoryLab, responsible for Mirtha’s programs and responsible for her nephew Nacho Viale. Although there is no confirmed date yet, Chiquita’s return to the forefront of her legendary tables would be very soon, between March and April.
Contrary to what happened last year, when negotiations stalled and Mirtha’s return was postponed until after the first half of the year, this year they seem to be on the right track. When it does materialize and the diva returns to the screen, the return will mark the 55th season of the cycle on the air.
Without Juanita?
Instead, what seems excluded is the return of her granddaughter, Juana Viale, who replaced her during the pandemic and until last year shared the guide with her grandmother, divided between the Saturday and Sunday cycles.
The historic program that awaits its turn to resume its broadcasts debuted on June 3, 1968, on Canale 9, produced by Alejandro Romay, with the title of Lunch with the stars. That day Duilio Marzio, Alberto Migré, Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, Beatriz Guido and her husband Daniel Tinayre were guests.
Over the years, it has changed to At lunch with Mirtha Legrand and continued on different channels and with some interruptions. Despite this, it became a world television record-breaking show with more than half a century on the air. A goal that has also made Mirtha a record holder, given that there is no other case like hers on world television.
Rosa María Juana Martínez Suárez was born on February 23, 1927 in Villa Cañás, province of Santa Fe, and became famous as Mirtha Legrand. She chiquita was the twin of Silvia (María Aurelia) or “Goldy”, for those who were close to her, with whom she also shared her vocation as an actress.
Goldy died on May 1, 2020, nine months after his other brother, José Martínez Suárez, with whom he also had a close bond. The losses hit her hard, but the blow was even harder on Goldy, because, in the midst of the pandemic, Mirtha was out of work, taking care of her health.
When he turned 90, in an interview with clarionthe Argentine TV diva has commented on her feelings about her longevity and her physical and mental fullness and, to a large extent, attributed it to her genetics.
But she quickly made it clear that her interest and curiosity about life helped a lot. “Everything interests me: history, politics, art. I don’t have enough time for everything I want to do. I’m very interested in my country and above all in human beings. My mind is intact,” he said later and she has continued supporting him over the years.
The 14-year-old teenager who made her acting debut in Orchids on TuesdayLittle did she know then, but she dreamed it, that this film would seal her destiny as a star, first on the big screen and then on the small screen, non-stop ever since.
With more than thirty films to her credit, as the protagonist, Mirtha managed to be one of the figures of the golden age of Argentine cinema before sitting at the head of the table of her famous lunches.
With more than five decades on the air, there has been no shortage of controversy in his life, from some of his political views to the more than touching way in which he has interviewed some guests, especially in recent years.
However, none of this has dimmed the charm that Chiquita has given to Argentine television, marking a before and after with its cycle, recycled from time to time or even in its absence (with daughter Marcela Tinayre and granddaughter Juana Viale which replace it). , since their presence is, without a doubt, their sign of identity.
Many of the phrases that Mirtha has coined, in all these years on television, are already part of the popular imagination. Impossible not to remember the famous “How they see you, they treat you. If they see you as good they hire you and if they see you as bad they mistreat you.without Chiquita’s voice coming to mind.
In between, there were many others, from the energetic and wrathful ones”Damn, shit!“, pronounced behind the scenes which showed another facet of the diva, even the most naive:”This program brings good luck“.
The actress and presenter has expressed a thousand times that she loves her profession and is happy in front of the cameras. “I gave them my life”, is one of the phrases she repeats the most in front of the public. “Everything I did was because I’m a great fighter. I don’t regret anything. I feel happy, moved and thankful for life.”
A few years ago, in the same interview with clarionFor her 90th birthday, Mirtha has ensured that, at this stage of life, what she appreciates most is affection. “I know very well and love to share with my friends, who are the same as I’ve been all my life”, underlining something that hasn’t changed: “I’m not Mirtha Legrand for them, I’m still Chiquita Martínez from Villa Cañás”.
Source: Clarin
