377  Ada Falcon's Mystery

Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 17:12:53 -0800
From: Sergio <cachafaz@ADELPHIA.NET>
Subject: Ada Falcon's Mystery

Mike Lavocah says:
"Why are the Argentines so coy about talking about this celebrity affair?
This question has intrigued me for years."

Compassion?? - Respect?? - Not being certain ?- Idealization?

When dealing with the "Mystery" of her life the media made the following
references:

..."The Empress of Tango" - as she was also known - reached the highest
point of fame during the thirties, she suddenly decided to abandon the stage
in 1942. Her life had always been covered by an aura of mystery and this
action was part of that."
"She spent her life in closeness with her mother, was a good friend of
E.S.Discepolo and Carlos Gardel had a turbulent relationship with Francisco
Canaro who in love and intensely impressed by her green eyes wrote his only
vals "Que me han hecho tus ojos".
(what did your eyes have done to me)."

"She was a special human being, refined, sensitive and delicate. Shy and
withdrawn avoided public and admirers as much as possible. She was given to
retreating to pray. This catholic devotion explains that in 1942 she
withdrew to the hills of Cordoba in her mother's company."

" A Mythological figure died yesterday at age 96 ."
" She had many unexplained actions along the course of her life. She left
cinematography and theaters entirely right after she met Francisco Canaro.
The reason? she never gave one. Canaro used to release a new tango musical
every year but it was her sister Adhelma Falcon the main interpreter. Ada
concentrated in Radio where she had an extensive following . A few years
later (1935) she demanded to sing and record in private without public being
present at a time when most Tango Singers strived to have their own
auditorium to sing in front of the public. She started to avoid contracts
and finished her commercial relationship with Canaro in 1938. Her public
appearances became sporadic, by 1940 she even hid from her own orchestra;
started recording behind a curtain out of view.
Her admirers were happy to gather at the entrance of the radio to see her
entering and leaving in her favorite red car. She would enter her mansion,
close the doors to everyone and disappeared surrounded by mystery."

Periodists of the time refer to her as being Mystic rather than religious,
visiting churches and speaking to the Virgin Mary.
The last recordings were "Corazon Encadenado" (Chained Heart) and the vals
"Vivire en tu recuerdo" (I will live in your memory". Sometime later she
gave all her possessions away and moved to the hills of Cordoba where she
vanished with her mother.

... many legends, many stories, came and went...but peaces of reality
started to appear from among the clouds in 1982 when she allowed some rare
interviews.
She stated she was *"expiating a sin", she was already in a retirement home
run by the Sisters of San Camilo near Cosquin, Cordoba. She also said *"
when young I had beauty and wealth but I had a marvelous vision of The Lord
and without hesitation I left everything to retreat in a convent with my
dear mother to live with humility." *" Since I was born I slept close to
her, her death last year completely destroyed me." *"I have been waiting to
leave as well for a long time."

...then she seemed to be somewhat confused...accused her sister of using her
name, Odeon label of refusing to issue new recordings of her songs when
actually was she who forbid it, stated that the records, pictures and
memories that she had collected had disappeared....that a person that is
now dead was trying to destroy her and leace her penniless when actually was
she who gave her money away.

...the memories she was writing might appear sometime in the future but it
is obvious that they could be somewhat discolored by many legends and the
pass of time....

In Summary there is more that a failed love affair...there is also the
terrible ostracism that society used to impose on people that dared to fall
in love and act their feelings towards persons that were married, her own
guilt, a mystic awakening, her mental condition... and who knows even
more...
As to being coy about it ...it used to be more a question of compassion or
respect for private life...as those transgressions were paid in a terrible
way...so the word 'Mystery' could be a reference to some dark aspect of
someone's life...or perhaps not.