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I'm An American -- Xavier Cugat

Recorded Sound | Digitized | RG Number: RG-91.0049

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    Overview

    Description
    On March 30, 1941 Xavier Cugat spoke with William H. Marshall, Assistant District Director of Immigration at Ellis Island about his life in America as a musician. Cugat shares his immigration story with Mr. Marshall. He reveals that all schools in South America teach English and thinks America should follow suit with the Spanish language. Cugat shares his belief in the benefits of being able to speak multiple languages. The musician talks about the popularization of Latin American music in America and rumors of the genre overpowering American jazz. “The Rumba King” closes the segment by stating naturalization is more serious than choosing a wife.

    Xavier Cugat (b. Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Bru y Deulofeu) was born on January 1, 1900 in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. His family immigrated to Havana, Cuba when he was 3. Always musically inclined, Cugat trained as a classical violinist, eventually earning a spot in the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional. In 1915, he and his family moved to New York City on board the SS Havana. Cugat entered the world of show business playing with a band called the Gigolos during the tango craze. After a few years of playing at smaller clubs in the New York and Los Angeles area, Cugat and his band secured a job at the prestigious Coconut Grove nightclub in 1928. The Spaniard's style of music was so popular that he was nicknamed the “The Rumba King” in the 1930s and 1940s. Cugat was instrumental in bringing Latin music to the attention of the American public.
    Date
    Broadcast:  1941 March 30
    Format
    WAV

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Genre/Form
    Radio broadcasts.

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    This archival media can only be accessed in a Museum reading room or other on-campus viewing stations.
    Copyright
    NBC Universal
    Conditions on Use
    Contact NBC Universal at www.nbcuniarchives.com for permission to duplicate and use this film or sound recording.

    Administrative Notes

    Legal Status
    In process
    Recorded Sound Provenance
    The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum purchased digital copies of these sound recordings from the Library of Congress in March 2018.
    Recorded Sound Notes
    More information about Xavier Cugat:
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0191265/bio
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Cugat

    More information about I’M AN AMERICAN:
    https://www.uscis.gov/history-and-genealogy/our-history/historians-mailbox/im-american
    https://www.npr.org/2017/10/16/557338355/im-an-american-radio-show-promoted-inclusion-before-world-war-ii
    Recorded Sound Source
    Library of Congress - Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division (MBRS)
    File Number
    Source Archive Number: RWB 6673 A2
    Record last modified:
    2024-02-21 07:27:09
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn620826

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    Also in "I'm An American" NBC radio broadcasts

    I’M AN AMERICAN premiered in 1940 on the eve of WWII. The NBC radio broadcast was spearheaded by the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the U.S. Department of Labor to foster a “deeper consciousness of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship and more tolerance for fellow american of all birthplaces”. The weekly program featured distinguished foreign-born citizens discussing their naturalization process, the meaning of “democracy” and reminding all Americans of the value/privilege of U.S. citizenship. Sound recordings of I’M AN AMERICAN are available from the NBC Radio Collection in the Library of Congress.

    Date: 1940-1944

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    I'm An American -- Louis Adamic

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    I'm An American -- Konrad Bercovici

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    I'm An American -- Emil Ludwig

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    I'm An American -- Walter Damrosch

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    I'm An American -- Thomas Mann

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    I'm An American Day 1942 part 2

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    I'm An American Day 1942 part 3

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    I'm An American Day 1942 part 4

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    I'm An American Day 1943 part 1

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    I'm An American Day 1943 part 2

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    I'm An American Day 1943 part 3

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    I'm An American Day -- Christmas in Freedom

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    I'm An American -- Walter Huston

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    I'm An American -- Robert Zuppke

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    I'm An American -- Efrem Zimbalist

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    I'm An American -- Daniel Tobin

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    I'm An American -- Edith Kempthorne

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    I'm An American -- Pitirim Sorokin

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    I'm An American Day 1942 part 1

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    I'm An American -- Vilhjálmur Stefánsson

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- César Saerchinger

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Ferdinand Schumann-Heink

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    I'm An American -- Frank Kingdon

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Richard Waring

    Recorded Sound

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    I'm An American -- Max Lerner

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    I'm An American -- Fortune Gallo

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    I'm An American -- Fred Perry

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    I'm An American -- Raymond Loewy

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    I'm An American Day 1941 -- The Dangerous Days

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1941 -- I'm An American Day

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American Day 1941 -- Fiorello LaGuardia

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    I'm An American Day 1941 -- One Nation Indivisible

    Recorded Sound

    I'm An American -- Henry Morgenthau Sr

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    I'm An American -- Kurt Weill

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    I'm An American -- Franz Werfel

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    I'm An American -- Frank Capra

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    I'm An American -- Anton Carlson

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    I'm An American -- Johannes Steele

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    I'm An American -- Yolanda Mero-Irion

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    I'm An American -- Jean Hersholt

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    I'm An American -- Rabbi Stephen Wise

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    I'm An American -- Gregory Zilboorg

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