Bela Sumares
Izabel "Bela" Zita Sumares was a Portuguese American entertainer who led a weekly radio show in Oakland, California.
Early life
Sumares was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of five children. Her parents, Mary and Antonio Sumares, were both born in Madeira, Portugal. She lived in Oakland, California.Career
Described as "a cross between Carmen Miranda and Martha Raye," Sumares could sing, dance, and perform comedy. She led a group of Portuguese Americans who put on a daily hour-long radio program daily on KROW in Oakland, California. Called "an early star of Portuguese radio," Sumares would sing in both Portuguese and English. Their Portuguese Variety Show performed at festivals in California in the 1930s through the 1960s. Sumares took her act on the road and performed at other Portuguese-themed events.Sumares created her own radio program Hora da Papoila which ran weekly on KSAN. Later in her career she would sometimes represent Brazil at Pan-American events.