Charo

Or maybe she had him stuffed...moves him around the condo depending on the weather.

 

Kinda like having a timer that turns on different lights in the house when you're out of town.

 

Or a real-life Weekend At Bernie's.

 

I'm glad you took the advice of the Geico caveman to do a little research.

 

To quote Cheech Marin, Ragu, "That's some heavy shit, man."

 

All due respect, Huntsie, but that's not at all true.

As has been pointed out, she was an accomplished guitarist, dancer and singer. In the Sixties, she was married to a very popular Latin band leader named Xavier Cugat; and while Cugat was much older, a holdover from the Big Band era, they were both staple acts on the television variety shows of that age. In addition to being a bombshell, she was also a competent comic and storyteller and made scores of appearances on the Tonight Show.

By the time you encounter her, let's say in the days of Love Boat, she's become a caricature of herself, knowingly ironic before the Age of Irony arrives. Then a caricature of a caricature on Hollywood Squares, circa the late 80's.

That she's made a living in show business for nearly half a century is worth noting.

Only Paris Hilton is Paris Hilton, famous for nothing in an age when fame itself means nothing.

 

Thank you. Charo was funny, energetic and far from a talentless nobody.

 

What if the Love Boat or Fantasy Island returned to TV with today's celebrities?

I bet this would be where reality TV stars flock.

Charo could do this because of her experience and link to the old Love Boat shows and because she was on Surreal Life.

 

In terms of the new Geico commercials, I prefer the Burt Bacharach one instead of the Charo one.\

I never thought I'd see Burt do a Tom Waits impression, but he pulls it off. Even in a tuxedo.

 

Do you think when Geico calls Charo's agent, the agent tries to negotiate? 'Hmm, well, we're flattered of course, but she's very busy, we're going to have to look at the big picture here, she's really very selective about her endorsements...'

Or is it more like, 'Babe, talked to Geico, they can't offer a lot....we're looking at a bottle of Captain Morgan and a $50 Macy's gift certificate....sounds solid to me, okay? Could be the start of something big, I've got some plans....'

 

Charo was the Pia Zadora of her generation.