It was not only Samia Gamal who visited the US; Tahia Carioca went to Hollywood too! Here I present a translation of the article about Tahia Carioca from the magazine El Etnain Wal Dunya Magazine – April 28th 1947. This translation was kindly provided by Karim, and you can read it below. You can read the article also in Arabic at the bottom of the post, where the full page is published. Enjoy!
Carioca In Hollywood!
Carioca talks to the El Etnain Magazine special reporter in Hollywood.
Hollywood talks about Tahia Karim "Carioca" as it talks about the princesses fleeing the palaces of the East. And Carioca's hope when she took her first steps towards Hollywood half a year ago was to seek a seat, even if, in the seventh row of the fame seats.
But suddenly and without a logical explanation, it (Tahia going to Hollywood) became more like a legend in global civilization. It gained the fame of the planets vanguard.
Some companies offered her to work in their studios. Still, she always apologized that she wanted her honeymoon to last for several months. Still, she only intended to wait for offers from the most prominent director, the largest company, or the most luxurious studio. Finally, the golden opportunity came to her when David O. Selznick asked to get to know her. Then he joined a group of her friends and stated that he would monopolize her for his films.
David O.Selznick is considered the producer of "Gone With The Wind" – he is the owner of the magic fingerprints that dazzles the world from time to time in the most remarkable film camera miracles.
And it was greed with her that he would direct a film in colour for her at the beginning of next season. However, David was unable to wait until the time for this promised film came. He offered her to play the second heroine's role in one of his films that he is currently directing with Gregory Peck, but Tahia refused and preferred to wait.
Tahia has made many friends from Hollywood. When I asked her about the most beloved stars, she counted dozens of names such as Carmen Miranda, Joan Crawford, Tyron Blur, Mickey Rooney, and others. But the beautiful Brazilian Carmen Miranda is considered her best friend, she's the same type as Tahia (frolic and funny), and she is always seen with her. It is said that she will accompany Tahia to Egypt, where Miss Miranda will appear in the theatres of Alexandria and Cairo. Carioca told me that she will soon come to Egypt with her as a visitor. Her visit will not take more than a few weeks before she returns to Hollywood.
Tahia's husband, the colonel, is a gentle young man who always declares that he will not block the artistic path of his wife. On the contrary, he is doing his utmost to let his wife shine and take her natural place among the world-famous stars. He will accompany Tahia on her visit to Egypt to publicly declare his conversion to Islam.
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