#2014 De María África a María Montez un mito en Technicolor

[tina-aumont]

Beautiful Dominic Fuentes Gracia interviewed for the documentary “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014.

[tina-aumont]

María Montez Gracia Fiallo interviewed for the documentary “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014.

[tina-aumont]

And as I know some of you love María Montez II, Tina's cousin, here I put some screencaps I took from the 2014 documentary "De María África a María Montez, Un mito en Technicolor" where she is interviewed about her auntie and it's also mentioned that she had a very interesting theatre carrer in England!!

[tina-aumont]

📸Gracia Vidal Family. Among the people in the photo, we can see at the left one of Adita with her mum (Regla María Teresa Vidal y Recio), Teresa Galista de Vidal, Leonardo Vidal Recio, Celeste Soto, Catalina Vidal Recio, Lia Felix Vidal, Valencia Felix, Consuelo, Digna Vidal, Justa Recio, Teresita and Luis Fuentes Felix celebrating Justa's (María's granny) birthday in 1942. From "De María África a María Montez, Un Mito en Technicolor" documentary.

Hi everybody, I want to aplogize for the lack of updates but I'm working on Tina Aumont's family tree and I contacted a person from her family who will help me, I'm very excited for this!!

Eleni xx

[tina-aumont]

Hola. No sé si viste el documental «De María África a María Montez, Un Mito en Technicolor», está en youtube, dura poco más de 1h y estámuy bien, te dejo el enlace por si lo quieres ver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41rZT-mRf9E (

Hola Pepita Juarez, muchas gracias por enviarme el enlace, la verdad es que sí que lo vi, me parece muy interesante, pero muchas gracias por mandarmelo por aquí, así lo puedo publicar sin ningun problema.

María Montez era una mujer fascinante, verdad? Sabía lo que quería y como lo quería aconseguir, estaba muy segura de ella misma, era una artista total, bellísima, talentosa y feliz, aquí os dejo con el enlace que me ha enviado para que lo podais mirar, es muy muy interesante, no os lo perdais!!!

Es bonito ver que también hablan de su hijita Tina y que salen sus primas y familiares cercanos.

Muchas gracias Pepita por compartir 🙏🏽

Eleni

[tina-aumont]

Beautiful photo, taken circa 1952 showing María Montez' brother Isidoro Gracia Vidal with her beautiful sweet babygirl María Montez Gracia Fiallo.

I've always believed this photo was showing Isidoro Gracia García and her daughter María África Gracia Vidal, who would become María Montez in the big screen, but I was wrong since father and daughter are called the same!!

Thanks to “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” documentary we all know the truth now :)

[tina-aumont]

Barahona, 1943

First photo shows Lucita (Left) and Consuelo (Right) pictured with Soledad Vicens Coll, the second photo shows Lucita (seated at the centre of the photo) with her sister Consuelo, on the left there's Soledad Vicens Coll and on the right there's her sister Margarita. This second photo is taken by Adita.

Both pictures were taken in 1943 in Barahona before the Gracia sisters left to Hollywood to meet her Famous sister María.

The Vicens Coll sisters were friends of the Gracia Vidal sisters, and thanks to this friendship, Margarita Vicens de Morales (María Montez biographer) could write and keep all these precious memories of María and her family as Margarita is Vicens Coll Sisters' direct descendant.

Photo 1 comes from “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” documentary, photo 2 has been shared by @74paris (muchas gracias!), in Margarita Vicens Book about María Montez you can find a clearer copy from that photo.

[tina-aumont]

María Montez married William McFeeters and became Marie McFeeters, 1932.

In 1932, when Maria was 19 years old, she met the Irish banker William MacFeeters and they fell in love despite their age difference (he was nearly 50), they got married the 28th November 1932 when she was 20 in Barahona and lived there for a long time. In the house where they lived she was the perfect hostess as she prepared many good dishes which she served to her guests and which she then taught her mother to prepare. Maria and McFeeters’ house was very close to Maria’s parents’ house.

[María África Gracia Vidal & William MacFeeters wedding certificate, from FamilySearch.org]

One year later of her marriage to William McFeeters, María’s dad, Isidoro Gracia García suddenly passes away although Maria made big efforts to bring a doctor to her parents home. She lived near her mother one more year but by 1934 Maria and William McFeeters change their residence into San Pedro, a little village in Dominican Republic. There, they meet some friends of McFeeters who invited her to the United States. With her husband’s permission, she went and stayed for quite some time, under the name of Maria McFeeters, in fact she was looking for work and worked there for two or three months and returned to San Pedro. Then she went to Barahona where she told his mother that she wanted to divorce McFeeters. There were rumors that Maria wanted to separate because she wanted to go live in the USA but another reason was that he could not have children and she wanted to be a mother. They separated in 1940 but remained friends forever.

Photo and information from “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” documentary directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014.

[tina-aumont]

Marie McFeeters, 1933

María África sent this photo to their parents in 1933 when she was living in San Juan married to William McFeeters.

Photos from: “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” documentary directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014 and Santo Domingo Invita - María Montez, Su Vida.

Information from: “María: Montez Su Vida”, book written by Margarita Vicens de Morales, Dirección General de Cine de la República Dominicana, 2012.

[tina-aumont]

Young and beautiful María África Gracia Vidal (future Maria Montez on screen) pictured in Barahona in 1931. She was between 18 and 19 years old when these pictures were taken.

Photos from “María Montez La Reina del Tecnicolor”, book written by Antonio Pérez Arnay, Filmoteca Canaria 1995; “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” documentary directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014 and "Santo Domingo Invita - María Montez, Su Vida"

[tina-aumont]

Maria Montez (María África Gracia Vidal) first public appeareance took place the 9th June 1926 when she was a teenager aged 14, at the welcoming of the new church parish priest in Barahona. The new parish priest was Fray Joaquín María de Andújar.

Screencaps from “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” documentary directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014; information from "María: Montez Su Vida”, book written by Margarita Vicens de Morales, Dirección General de Cine de la República Dominicana, 2012.

[tina-aumont]

María África Gracia Vidal (future Maria Montez on screen), aged 18, pictured circa September 1930 reading "Cine Mundial" magazine.

As a little girl she was interested in doing cinema (when no one ever talked about it) and she knew she would succeed in the Film Industry. When she was very young, she always did some theatre plays in front of her family and friends.

Photos from “De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor” documentary directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014 and “María Montez La Reina del Tecnicolor”, book written by Antonio Pérez Arnay, Filmoteca Canaria 1995.

[tina-aumont]

Tina Aumont's Family Tree

Sources:

Jean-Pierre Aumont family tree (you can go up to 1787)

Árbol Genealógico de Isidoro Gracia García (you can go up to 1465!)

Regla María Teresa Vidal at Geni, at Familysearch and at Ancestry.

Dos Actrices Internacionales descendientes de un Luño (Plenas Zaragoza 14.12.2016)

"De María África a María Montez, un mito en Technicolor" documentary directed by Jesús Reyes Mota, 2014.

La Exposición de María Montez viaja a Gran Canaria (El Apurón, 21.11.2013)

Personalidades Garafianas (12.2012)

Los orígenes turolenses y canarios de la actriz de Hollywood María Montez by María Victoria Hernández Pérez. Cabildo de la Palma, 2012.

"María: Montez Su Vida", edición especial del Centenario, book written by Margarita Vicens de Morales, Dirección General de Cine de la República Dominicana, 2012.

"Enrique Meneses, un flash" article in Spanish from Orsay magazine wriiten by José Luís Perdomo, 2011.

Los Orígenes palmeros de la actriz María Montez (October/November 2009)

Las raíces Turolenses de una diva (Heraldo, 26.10.2008)

"María Montez La Reina del Tecnicolor", book written by António Pérez Arnay and Terenci Moix, Filmoteca Canaria 1995.

*Very special thanks to Dominic Fuentes, @74paris and @shannendoherty-fans for their help.

Any contribution is welcomed and credited, this family tree is growing as more info comes to light.

Thank you very much!

Eleni xxx