Sophia Loren Archives - Chronicles 1950

Regiinetta del mare
Naples
02/10/49

Corriere di Napoli
01/10/49

Miss Italia Contest
Photo: Federico Patellani
02/09/50

Miss Italia Contest
Salsomaggiore
Photo: Fedele Toscani
02/09/50

Miss Italia
Salsomaggiore
Photo: Fedele Toscani
02/09/50

Sogno (Italy)
Non posso amarti
Cover: Nino Latanza

Lebbra bianca
11/50

Reginetta del Mare - October 2, 1949
Sophia, 14 years old, and her mother Romilda leave for Naples on October 1 in order to participate in the Reginetta del Mare Contest, which is held at the Circolo della Stampa, one of the most exclusive places in the city, the next day. Sophia does not win but is part of the group of twelve Princesses who receive a consolation prize.

FILMS AND FILMING

Cuori sul mare
Italy - spring

Quo Vadis?

Italy - May

Il voto
Italy - summer

Luci del varietà

Italy - summer

Le sei mogli di Barbablù
Italy - fall

Tototarzan
Italy - fall

Io sono il capataz
Italy - fall

Lebbra bianca
Italy - fall

MOVIE PREMIERES

ITALY
Il voto
October 17
Tototarzan
October 31
Cuori sul mare
November 2
Le sei mogli di Barbablù
November 10
Luci del varietà
December 6

MAGAZINE COVERS

Illustrato, Sogno

PUBLIC APPEARANCES

Queen of the Adriatic Sea - August
Sophia travels to the coastal resort town of Cervia with her mother Romilda to compete for the title of Queen of the Adriatic Sirens under the name Sofia Villani. Dressed in a traditional native costume, provided by the sponsors to all contestants, Sophia looks rather dowdy and fails to win even an honorable mention.

Miss Italy - September 2
Sophia, under the name Sofia Villani and accompanied by her mother Romilda, participates in the La Bella Italiana contest and wins the special title of Miss Elegance in Salsomaggiorre Terme, near Parma. Writer Orio Vergani, president of the jury in Salsomaggiore, writes that she is "too tall, too skinny, too little a woman, too much teenager still, awkwardly shaped and above all too much mouth..."

FUMETTI

Non posso amarti (I Can't Love You)
Sogno, from November 19, 1950 until April 22, 1951
First front cover on November 19 as Sofia Lazzaro

PRIVATE LIFE

Drama Classes
Sophia takes drama classes at a local school in Naples with Pietro Serpe (Sharoff) where she learns the basics of face expressions. We are still quite far from the Actor's Studio.

Living in Rome
Sophia and her mother can't afford an apartment in Rome so they live at one of Sophia's cousin. They sleep on the couch, go to bed late, get up early and have no privacy at all.

More Drama Classes
Sophia applies for a scholarship in order to be admitted at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinema in Rome with the reciting of a classic Neapolitan piece called Assunta Spina. Unfortunalely, she does not get it.

Miss Anticamera
Sophia spends days at the Cinecittà gate in order to get extra parts and although she does get some extra roles she is not finding what she is looking for. In those days Sophia was even referred to as Miss Anticamera for she would spend day after day outside the studio offices hoping to get a part.

Fumetti
Since she is not getting what she wants with cinema Sophia turns to the photo novels, called fumetti in Italy, which are very popular in those days. She meets one day Stefano Reda, editor of fumetti magazine Sogno who has noticed her numerous appearances at beauty contests. He hires her for Non posso amarti and as she shows to be a promising star he changes her name to Sofia Lazzaro - after an electrician on the set would have said, "call her Lazzaro, don't you see she could even bring the dead back to life" - and features her picture on the November 19 cover. Sofia Lazzaro, the new star was born.