Shorty Castro
Encyclopedia
Israel Castro, better known as Shorty Castro (b. January 28, 1927 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
) is a Puerto Rican comedian, comedy writer and musician, with a career spanning over 60 years. He is regarded as one of the best stage directors in Puerto Rican comedy. Among others, Benicio del Toro
and Raul Julia
have acknowledged Castro as an influence.
Coincidentally, Castro was nicknamed "Shorty" by baseball player Artie Wilson
, who played for the Indios de Mayagüez
of the Puerto Rico Baseball League. Castro (who measures 4 feet 11 inches tall), handled the team's uniforms at the time.
. Since Castro was short in stature, he claimed, he had to compensate by bringing attention to himself. He eventually developed the skills necessary to become an entertainer: good singing voice, talent as a percussionist, and good timing for comedy. While working full time as a messenger for the municipality of Mayagüez, Castro held odd jobs in numerous local orchestras, mostly as a singer and percussionist. These orchestras included William Manzano's and Carlos López's (for both, Mon Rivera
had also been a singer and percussionist; Mon was a close friend and lent arrangements for Castro's orchestras so often that show producers began to confuse the two singers), Mingo and His Whoopee Kids (for which Ruth Fernandez
was a singer once) Charlie Miró y sus Pájaros Locos (which regularly had Eddie Miró
as comic relief and master of ceremonies), and San Germán's
Happy Hills' Orchestra (where Castro was a singer, percussionist and comic sketch performer -he toured New York City
twice with the orchestra). He was also a co-founder of Roberto Ortiz's Orchestra.
One of these orchestras performed a gig at the Baños de Coamo, where producer Tommy Muñiz
took notice of Castro's performance. After meeting him, Muñiz asked Castro to perform in La Taberna India, Muñiz's best rated television show, alongside Rafael Cortijo
's band. Castro then returned to Mayagüez to prepare for his move to San Juan, which was supposed to occur on August 24, 1956. At a road stop in Quebradillas
, however, Castro learned about the sudden death of Ramón Ortiz del Rivero
(Diplo), Puerto Rico's most popular comedian at the time. With the country in mourning, Castro was forced to return to Mayagüez and wait one week for his television debut, on August 31. He played congas and sang a few of Mon Rivera's plenas with the Cortijo band that day. He later became a stagehand (first) and musical bit player within the program. When his contracts ran out, Castro returned to singing, and made a second tour of New York with the Happy Hills' Orchestra.
Muñiz and other producers regularly staged shows with Puerto Rican talent at the Puerto Rico Theater near Spanish Harlem, in New York City
. For a while, Castro had an impromptu orchestra of his own in New York, with Héctor Pellot as musical director and Kako Bastar as percussionist. His orchestra was invited to perform at some of these shows, along Myrta Silva
and Bobby Capó
, among others; in these he was asked to do longer comedy parts.
Asked to return to Puerto Rico by Muñiz, Castro left his orchestra and started playing regular comedy roles in Tommy Muñiz's productions such as "Hogar, Dulce Hogar" where he played Napoleoncito, the romantic interest of Maria Antonieta, a maid played by Carmen Belen Richardson
. He later played a similar role, "Medio Metro", along Velda González's Azucena in "La Criada Malcriada", first on television, later on film.
He also participated often along José Miguel Agrelot
in many comedy television programs and live appearances. Their professional relationship and frienship lasted over 40 years. Agrelot once joked about Castro: "we get along so well that I'll probably die in his birthday." As fate would have it, Agrelot died suddenly on the afternoon of January 28, 2004, a date that coincides with Castro's birthday.
Castro played a bit part as a rebel soldier in Woody Allen
's film Bananas
, which was filmed in Puerto Rico. His single memorable line was "Suck out the poison!"
and Paquito Cordero
between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s. Cosme's character sang a daily news brief in these shows, no longer than five stanzas long, using humorous verses written by Castro.
Two of Castro's plena
s are particularly better known. "Pa' los caborrojeños" is an ode to the people of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
, written to coincide with his stints as a singer and percussionist in one of the town's local orchestras, that of Roberto Ortiz. On the other hand, the novelty song "Por dos pulgadas" ("Because of two inches") was a sleeper hit for fellow comedian Juan Manuel Lebrón
during Puerto Rico's 1997 Christmas season which became a #1 hit on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart.
, after him
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
) is a Puerto Rican comedian, comedy writer and musician, with a career spanning over 60 years. He is regarded as one of the best stage directors in Puerto Rican comedy. Among others, Benicio del Toro
Benicio del Toro
Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...
and Raul Julia
Raúl Juliá
Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...
have acknowledged Castro as an influence.
Coincidentally, Castro was nicknamed "Shorty" by baseball player Artie Wilson
Artie Wilson
Arthur Lee Wilson was a shortstop in Major League and Negro league baseball who was an all-star for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro leagues before playing one season in the major leagues for the New York Giants...
, who played for the Indios de Mayagüez
Indios de Mayagüez
The Indios de Mayagüez are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League . Normally based in Mayagüez, the Indios have won 16 national championships and two Caribbean World Series...
of the Puerto Rico Baseball League. Castro (who measures 4 feet 11 inches tall), handled the team's uniforms at the time.
Early career
Castro was born in Mayagüez's Barrio La Quinta and raised at Barrio París, the same neighborhood that later produced singer Chucho AvellanetChucho Avellanet
Armando Hipólito Avellanet González , nicknamed "Chucho" is a Puerto Rican singer and comedic actor...
. Since Castro was short in stature, he claimed, he had to compensate by bringing attention to himself. He eventually developed the skills necessary to become an entertainer: good singing voice, talent as a percussionist, and good timing for comedy. While working full time as a messenger for the municipality of Mayagüez, Castro held odd jobs in numerous local orchestras, mostly as a singer and percussionist. These orchestras included William Manzano's and Carlos López's (for both, Mon Rivera
Mon Rivera
Mon Rivera is the common name given to two distinct Puerto Rican musicians , namely Monserrate Rivera Alers and his oldest son, Efraín Rivera Castillo Mon Rivera is the common name given to two distinct Puerto Rican musicians (both born in Mayagüez), namely Monserrate Rivera Alers (originally...
had also been a singer and percussionist; Mon was a close friend and lent arrangements for Castro's orchestras so often that show producers began to confuse the two singers), Mingo and His Whoopee Kids (for which Ruth Fernandez
Ruth Fernández
Ruth Fernández, a.k.a. Titi Ruth , is a Puerto Rican singer and former member of the Puerto Rican Senate. According to the "Comisiones Nacionales para la Celebración del Quinto Centenario" is said to be one of three artists whose contributions have helped unite Latin America...
was a singer once) Charlie Miró y sus Pájaros Locos (which regularly had Eddie Miró
Eddie Miró
Eddie Miró , is a television show host in Puerto Rico of Sephardic origin. He is best known for being the host of Telemundo Puerto Rico's variety show "El Show de las 12" for over 40 years...
as comic relief and master of ceremonies), and San Germán's
San Germán, Puerto Rico
San Germán is a municipality located in the southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao; north of Lajas; east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo; and west of Sabana Grande. San Germán is spread over 18 wards and San Germán Pueblo...
Happy Hills' Orchestra (where Castro was a singer, percussionist and comic sketch performer -he toured New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
twice with the orchestra). He was also a co-founder of Roberto Ortiz's Orchestra.
One of these orchestras performed a gig at the Baños de Coamo, where producer Tommy Muñiz
Tommy Muñiz
Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez , better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor, media producer, businessman and network owner...
took notice of Castro's performance. After meeting him, Muñiz asked Castro to perform in La Taberna India, Muñiz's best rated television show, alongside Rafael Cortijo
Rafael Cortijo
Rafael Cortijo , was a Puerto Rican musician, orchestra leader, and composer.As a child, Cortijo became interested in Caribbean music and enjoyed the works of some of the era's most successful Plena music musicians...
's band. Castro then returned to Mayagüez to prepare for his move to San Juan, which was supposed to occur on August 24, 1956. At a road stop in Quebradillas
Quebradillas, Puerto Rico
Quebradillas is a municipality of the island of Puerto Rico, located in the north-western shore bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of San Sebastián; east of Isabela; and west of Camuy. Quebradillas is spread over swven wards and Quebradillas Pueblo...
, however, Castro learned about the sudden death of Ramón Ortiz del Rivero
Ramón Rivero (Diplo)
Ramón Rivero — known as Diplo — was a comedian, actor, composer and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television and cinema industries...
(Diplo), Puerto Rico's most popular comedian at the time. With the country in mourning, Castro was forced to return to Mayagüez and wait one week for his television debut, on August 31. He played congas and sang a few of Mon Rivera's plenas with the Cortijo band that day. He later became a stagehand (first) and musical bit player within the program. When his contracts ran out, Castro returned to singing, and made a second tour of New York with the Happy Hills' Orchestra.
Muñiz and other producers regularly staged shows with Puerto Rican talent at the Puerto Rico Theater near Spanish Harlem, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. For a while, Castro had an impromptu orchestra of his own in New York, with Héctor Pellot as musical director and Kako Bastar as percussionist. His orchestra was invited to perform at some of these shows, along Myrta Silva
Myrta Silva
Myrta Silva was a Puerto Rican singer, composer and television producer. She was known affectionately as "La Gorda De Oro".-Early years:...
and Bobby Capó
Bobby Capó
Félix Manuel Rodríguez Capó , better known as Bobby Capó, was an internationally known singer and songwriter from Puerto Rico...
, among others; in these he was asked to do longer comedy parts.
Asked to return to Puerto Rico by Muñiz, Castro left his orchestra and started playing regular comedy roles in Tommy Muñiz's productions such as "Hogar, Dulce Hogar" where he played Napoleoncito, the romantic interest of Maria Antonieta, a maid played by Carmen Belen Richardson
Carmen Belen Richardson
Carmen Belen Richardson is an actress and a comedian considered to be a pioneer of Puerto Rican television.- Early years :Richardson was born in Santurce, San Juan...
. He later played a similar role, "Medio Metro", along Velda González's Azucena in "La Criada Malcriada", first on television, later on film.
He also participated often along José Miguel Agrelot
José Miguel Agrelot
Giuseppe Michael Agrelot , better known as José Miguel Agrelot, was a comedian, radio and television host and media icon in Puerto Rico...
in many comedy television programs and live appearances. Their professional relationship and frienship lasted over 40 years. Agrelot once joked about Castro: "we get along so well that I'll probably die in his birthday." As fate would have it, Agrelot died suddenly on the afternoon of January 28, 2004, a date that coincides with Castro's birthday.
Original Characters
Castro eventually became a major player in Muñiz's productions, developing comedic characters of his own. Among these were:- Angelo - a mischievous angel that played pranks on other angels that lived among the clouds in heaven, generally annoying Angel Guardián, the head angel, played by Jacobo MoralesJacobo MoralesJacobo Morales is an auteur, whom many consider to be the most influential film director in Puerto Rico's history.-Life and career:...
. This character was a favorite of Benicio del ToroBenicio del ToroBenicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...
's, who claims to have mimicked it as a child. - Armando Galán y Figura - a ladies' man, always on the prowl for female company and constantly acting the part
- Ramoneta Cienfuegos de la O - an old maid, constantly craving male companionship, in a way similar to José Miguel AgrelotJosé Miguel AgrelotGiuseppe Michael Agrelot , better known as José Miguel Agrelot, was a comedian, radio and television host and media icon in Puerto Rico...
's Pasión character - Camellito - a clever drunkard, named for his prodigious consumption of alcohol, which resembled that of a camelCamelA camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
drinking water - El Conde de París - an enigmatic, silent character -nominally a countCountA count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
- dressed in 1870's garb and a top hatTop hatA top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
who acted physical comedy bits that were the complete opposite of what was logically expected: pulling a ladder from behind a painter who had to hang from a ceiling, for example. The character's name is a play on Castro's home neighborhood in Mayagüez, named after Paris, France. The character played its bits against a musical backdrop: Ennio MorriconeEnnio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
's Muscoli di Velluto, an instrumental song written for the Italian film "I Malamondo". This European-themed character was a personal favorite of Raul JuliaRaúl JuliáRaúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...
's, who would later dress similarly in the final scene of La Gran Fiesta, a Puerto Rican film. - Don Bernabé - a brash millionaire, dressed in a white suit, who would buy out anything and anybody who would stand in his way.
Castro played a bit part as a rebel soldier in Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
's film Bananas
Bananas (film)
Bananas is a 1971 comedy film written by Mickey Rose and Woody Allen, directed by Allen, and starring himself and Louise Lasser. Parts of the plot were based on the book Don Quixote, U.S.A. by Richard P. Powell. It was filmed on location in New York City, Lima , and various locations in Puerto...
, which was filmed in Puerto Rico. His single memorable line was "Suck out the poison!"
Original Songs
Castro has said that, "once a musician (you're) always a musician," and has therefore composed lyrics for several songs. The bulk of his lyrical work was for other Puerto Rican comedians, particularly Luis Antonio Cosme. Cosme had a recurring character (named at times "El Choferito" and "El Cocinerito") at noon variety shows produced by Luis VigoreauxLuis Vigoreaux
Luis Vigoreaux Rivera was a Puerto Rican radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer. The son of a sugar worker, Vigoreaux became one of the most popular television entertainers in Puerto Rico's history....
and Paquito Cordero
Paquito Cordero
Paquito Cordero , was a comedian and television producer and also one of the pioneers of Puerto Rican television.-Early years:...
between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s. Cosme's character sang a daily news brief in these shows, no longer than five stanzas long, using humorous verses written by Castro.
Two of Castro's plena
Plena
Plena is a folkloric genre native to Puerto Rico. Its creation was influenced by African and Spanish music.-History:The music is generally folkloric. The music's beat and rhythm are usually played using hand drums called panderetas, but also known as panderos or pleneras. The music is accompanied...
s are particularly better known. "Pa' los caborrojeños" is an ode to the people of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
, written to coincide with his stints as a singer and percussionist in one of the town's local orchestras, that of Roberto Ortiz. On the other hand, the novelty song "Por dos pulgadas" ("Because of two inches") was a sleeper hit for fellow comedian Juan Manuel Lebrón
Juan Manuel Lebrón
Juan Manuel Lebron is a well known Puerto Rican actor, model, screenwriter, television producer and salsa singer.-Career:...
during Puerto Rico's 1997 Christmas season which became a #1 hit on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart.
Mayagüez' Parque del Litoral
Puerto Rican Public Law 186 (2010) honored Castro by naming a newly constructed shoreline park in Mayagüez, the Parque del LitoralParque del Litoral
Parque Litoral Israel "Shorty" Castro is a park located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It is commonly named "Parque del Litoral".-Features:...
, after him