Ramón Rivero

Ramón Rivero (May 29, 1909 – August 24, 1956) — known as Diplo — was a Puerto Rican comedian, actor, and composer. Rivero made his television debut in Puerto Rico in "La Taberna India" (The India Tavern), the first comedy/variety show on Puerto Rican TV. He starred in the movies Los Peloteros ("The Baseball Players"), and Una Gallega en La Habana ("A Gallega in Havana").

Rivero organized the world's first known Walk-A-Thon, to raise money for the Liga Puertorriqueña Contra el Cáncer (the Puerto Rican League Against Cancer).

Early years Rivero (birth name: Arturo Ramón Máximo Ortiz del Rivero ) was born in the town of Naguabo, Puerto Rico, to José Ortiz Alibrán and Providencia del Rivero. His first house was in La Cambímbora street at Playa Húcares. In 1917, his family moved to the Old San Juan section of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. There he received his primary and secondary education. As a young man he learned to play various musical instruments, among them the piano, the guitar and the mandolin, under the tutelage of Amelia Maestú y Jorge Rubiano. His father, a lawyer, sent him to Ontario, Canada to study law, however while he was in Canada, he learned to play baseball and received an offer to try out for the New York Giants major league team. He did not accept the offer and when he returned to Puerto Rico he joined the "Senadores de San Juan" (San Juan Senators) baseball club. Rivero married and found it difficult to sustain his family economically as a professional baseball player, therefore he moved with his family to the town of Cayey and worked as a physical education instructor at a local school.

Career as an entertainer

In Cayey, he met and befriended Jose Luis Torregrosa, and joined Torregrosa's traveling theatrical company. Torregrosa became his best friend and later served as his comedy sidekick. Together they acted in the comedy "El proceso de Armando Líos"; this experience convinced Rivero to pursue a career in comedy. After witnessing a comedy by Cuban comedian Leopoldo Fernández also known as "Tres Patines", Rivero adopted the idea of creating a comical "Afro-Puerto Rican" character. Together with Torregrosa, Rivero founded "La Farándula Bohemia", a theatrical company in which he was able to develop the character "Diplo" and make him known to the public. Rivero's father asked him to change his name because another son was a priest, and having a comedian in the family ran against propriety. Rivero respected his father's request and changed his name from Arturo Ramón Máximo Ortiz del Rivero to Ramón Rivero, and he added the nickname "Diplo". Among the local talents that Rivero and Torregrosa discovered was Juan Boria, a Puerto Rican poet who would become known for his Afro-Caribbean poetry. In 1941, Boria was participating in a show in the town of Loíza. Rivero and Torregrosa, who were present, were so impressed with Boria's performance that they incorporated him into their troupe. Among the many Puerto Rican artists who began their careers in "El Tremendo Hotel" were Luis Vigoreaux, Miguel Ángel Álvarez and Sylvia Rexach. On one occasion, Rivero denounced and lambasted a foreign newspaperwoman who had published an article in the U.S. stating that "Puerto Rican men sold their women to the American servicemen", exhorting his countrymen to expel her from Puerto Rico (which they did), during a radio broadcast of El Tremendo Hotel. La Taberna India, similar in concept to Duffy's Tavern. He became known to his fans as the "Rey de la Farándula" (King of Show-business) and "Señor Televisión" (Mr. Television). In winter 1953, Rivero and his troupe traveled to New York City to perform before the Puerto Rican community which had migrated and settled there during the Great Puerto Rican migration of the 1940s. For three weeks Rivero and his show "El Tremendo Hotel" held sold-out performances at the Teatro San Juan, Teatro Hispano and the Teatro Puerto Rico. The movie, which is based on a real-life story, is about a man (Pepe) who, despite the fact that no one takes him seriously, is willing to coach a group of very poor children and help them raise funds for their baseball team.

Rivero wrote more than 3000 scripts for radio, theater, television and motion pictures and was the author of ¿Por qué se ríe la gente? (What Makes People Laugh), and El Album de la Radio, (1940–1948), a significant study and the first historical record of the radio industry in Puerto Rico. Rivero also composed more than ten songs, among them "¿Por qué será?" (Why is it?), "Ya me olvidaste" (You already forgot me), "Comienza el fin" (The beginning of the end), "Así es" (That's how it is), "Me gustó" (I liked it), "Hola, don Pepito" (Hello, Mister Pepito) and "Donde quiera que tú vayas" (Wherever you go). Rivero also defended the victims of injustice during student revolts at the University of Puerto Rico, led the first actors' strike on the island, and was the first producer/personality to actively combat racial prejudice on Puerto Rican television, incorporating blacks in his television shows; first in "La Taberna India" (Juan Boria), followed by Rita Delgado and Dixon as cast members of his "La Farándula Corona".

Rivero was in the process of organizing his performing troupe, which was to travel to the town of Yabucoa in an attempt to help the town after it was devastated by the Santa Clara hurricane, when on August 24, 1956, he suddenly died of a congenital aneurysm. Rivero was the father of five children, three from his first two marriages and two which he had in his third marriage with Puerto Rican actress Alicia Bibiloni. Due to his untimely sudden death, Rivero was unable to participate in an anticipated film with Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth. Una Gallega en la Habana

Radio El Tremendo Hotel La vida en broma El colegio del amor La agencia del amor

Music/Composer Among the songs composed by Rivero are the following ¿Por qué será? Donde quiera que tú vayas Hola, don Pepito Las Penas de mi amor Llora monina Ya me olvidaste Juan Calalú Me gustó La vieja se desmayó

Books El album de la radio (1941-1948) ¿Por qué se ríe la gente?