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Creator
Valdez, Corinne
Call number
(S) *MGZMD 426
Physical description
5.54 linear feet (11 boxes)
Language
English; English, with some materials in Spanish and French.
Preferred Citation
Corinne and Tito Valdez papers, (S) *MGZMD 426. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Repository
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Corinne and Tito Valdez were the stage names of Corinne and Rubén García, married vaudeville dancers who performed together in nightclubs throughout the United States and internationally from 1938 to 1952. The Corinne and Tito Valdez papers, dating from the 1920s to 1982 (bulk dates 1920s to 1952), trace their careers before and during their partnership through newspaper clippings, photographs, contracts, programs, notated music, a scrapbook, scripts, and two dancewear items.

Biographical/historical information

Corinne and Tito Valdez were the stage names of Corinne and Rubén García, married vaudeville dancers who performed together in nightclubs throughout the United States and internationally from 1938 to 1952. They also starred in films and danced in Broadway musicals.

Rubén García was born in 1911 in Puerto Rico and grew up in New York City. He dropped out of Columbia University to pursue a dance career, studying Spanish dance styles in the United States and Spain. García performed for a few years in London and Paris, where he changed his stage name to Tito Valdez, before returning to New York with Clifford C. Fischer's Folies Bergère revue in 1938.

Corinne García was born Pauline Tillman in 1915 in Connecticut and raised in Texas by adoptive parents; her name changed to Corrine Boese following her adoption. After contracting polio at a young age, she began dancing to strengthen her body. In 1936, Boese famously performed as the semi-nude "Apple Dancer" at the Texas Centennial Exposition. She subsequently toured Europe and joined the Folies Bergère in Paris. Her stage name was Mademoiselle Corinne, or simply Corinne; beginning around 1936, her name appeared in media with two Ns rather than two Rs.

García and Boese met in 1938 while dancing in Folies Bergère productions. They began a vaudeville act as Corinne and Tito Valdez the same year, and married in 1940. Throughout the 1940s, Corinne and Tito toured the nightclub circuit in the United States and Europe, gaining notoriety for their energetic and provocative performances. They also appeared in the films Lady for a Night (1942) and Cowboy and the Senorita (1944), and starred in the musical revue Michael Todd's Peep Show from 1950 to 1951.

Tito and Corinne divorced and stopped performing together in 1952. Tito continued to perform with a different partner, Louisa Lewis, for a few years. He died in 1994, while Corinne died in 1973.

Scope and arrangement

The Corinne and Tito Valdez papers, dating from the 1920s to 1982 (bulk dates 1920s to 1952), chronicle the careers of the American dancers before and during their partnership that lasted from 1938 to 1952. Corinne's early career is emphasized more than Tito's, though much of the collection highlights their time together. It contains newspaper clippings, contracts, notated music, photographs, programs, a scrapbook, and scripts. Two dancewear items - a bow worn by Corinne, and a jockstrap worn by Tito - are included as well. Some photographs and programs in the collection feature nudity.

The clippings trace the entire careers of Corinne and Tito, both separately and together. Clippings from Corinne's early career cover her dancing appearances as a child, the Texas Centennial Exhibition, and her time in London and Paris. Clippings from Tito's early career similarly cover his time in Europe and with the Folies Bergère. The majority of clippings are reviews and announcements for Corinne and Tito Valdez shows.

Contracts are chiefly for Corinne and Tito's nightclub engagements and film roles during the 1940s and early 1950s. A few contracts from their separate early careers are present, as are contracts from Tito's career after his partnership with Corinne ended in 1952. Occasional financial notes and correspondence about engagements accompany the contracts.

The notated music largely contains unpublished scores for Spanish songs likely gathered or used in performances by Rubén García (or Tito Valdez). Also present are several scores and lyrics for songs used in nightclub performances by Corinne and Tito.

Photographs make up roughly half the collection. A large portion of the photographs depict Corinne before her partnership with Tito, including childhood portraits and performance shots in Texas and Europe. Tito's photographs are fewer, mostly solo portraits from the late 1930s. Photographs of Corinne and Tito together consist of performance shots at nightclubs in New York City, Chicago, and Montreal; contact sheets, stills, and negatives from Michael Todd's Peep Show; and studio portraits of the duo from throughout their career. Additionally, there are studio portraits of other dancers and entertainers, many of which are inscribed to either Corinne or Corinne and Tito.

Programs are mostly for Corinne and Tito's nightclub engagements, including a large set for 1945 shows at Florentine Gardens in Hollywood, California. Programs for Folies Bergère revue performances are included, as well as programs and fliers from the mid-1930s for shows featuring either Corinne or Tito before their partnership.

The scrapbook features clippings and programs concerning Tito's time in Paris from 1937 to 1938. It also contains reviews for Michael Todd's Peep Show.

The collection holds scripts for Lord Byron's Manfred used by Tito for performances around 1939; and Michael Todd's Peep Show. There are also typescript and handwritten scripts for Corinne and Tito's nightclub shows that feature extensive annotations.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by format.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Francesca Pratten in 1998. Pratten donated additional material in 2022.

Revision History

10 boxes processed by Nathan Evans. (2025)

Processing information

Processed by Heather Halliday in 2016.

Using the collection

Location

Jerome Robbins Dance Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor