Caridad Bravo Adams

Caridad Bravo Adams, Photo: Narcy Studios, Libro de Oro de los artistas, 1953.

Caridad Bravo Adams created the narrative structures that defined the ‘telenovela’ format. Born in Tabasco, Mexico (1906), she moved to Cuba in the 1930s, where she became one of the most successful writers of radioplays, including the very famous ‘La novela del aire‘. Her stories were adapted into films in the 1950s, starring iconic actors from the Spanish-speaking cinema. After the revolution, she returned to Mexico, where she versioned her own stories for the small screen and was instrumental for the development of ‘daily’ telenovelas.

Many of her scripts were structured around a revenge plan: the main character had been dispossessed and the plot was organized around their quest to regain status and fortune. There were frequent connections with ‘The Count of Montecristo’ and other stories of vengeance. Juan del diablo, the protagonist of ‘Corazón Salvaje’ provided the template for a new kind of hero–a mix of Robin Hood, adventurer, and freedom fighter, similar to the characters played by Erol Flynn in 1930s Hollywood. It was a narrative structure that easily connected with the longing for justice of the popular classes.

"This is one of the hundreds calls from listeners. Together with the mountains of letters that I receive, they form the spiritual chain that unites me to our audience. ‘La Novela del Aire' belongs entirely to the listeners: they tell me what they want to hear and I put all my effort into trying to please them. These letters, these calls are the applause, the words of encouragement, all the strength I need to continue fighting with faith, to continue striving to put a touch of illusion and beauty in many souls disgusted with ordinary life."
Interview with Caridad Bravo Adams
Radio Guía, Havana, Marzo 1949

What follows is a series of lobby cards from the film adaptations of Caridad Bravo Adams’ radioplays.

‘La mentira’ (1952), Lobby Card, Colección Filmoteca UNAM
‘Yo no creo en los hombres’ (1954), Lobby Card, Private Collection.
‘Pecado mortal’ (1955), Lobby Card, Private Collection.
‘Estafa de amor’ (1955), Lobby Card, Private Collection.
‘Corazón salvaje’ (1956), Lobby Card, Colección Filmoteca UNAM

In the 1960s, when the time was ripe to produce daily telenovelas, ‘La mentira’ y ‘Corazón Salvaje’ were adapted for the small screen with enormous success, they greatly contributed to the popularization of the new format. However, since there was not yet an international market for the distribution of telenovelas, it was decided to remake them one more time for the big screen. It’s an intricate story: Caridad Bravo Adams’ radioplays first became films, then were produced as telenovelas across the continent, to be immediately remade as films. The recycling of her stories had begun–her name was used as a guarantee of quality and profitability for the next three decades.