The “Hora da Gymnastica”: The gymnastic radio broadcasting in the government program of Getúlio Vargas (1930-1945)

Abstract

This text aims at refl ecting on the teaching of gymnastics through radio broadcasting and newspapers during the President Getúlio Vargas’s administration (1930 – 1945). This is a documentary study which has as its starting point Carvalho’s work (1994) and publications from the newspaper “O Estado de São Paulo”, where we have searched for radio programs, especially those broadcasted on “Hora da Gymnastica” and “Hora da Saúde”. These pioneer gymnastics classes on the radio became prominent during Getúlio Vargas’s presidency, in 1932, and attracted many followers. They had high audience and were kept on until 1983, leaving great legacy for radio-gymnasts, as well as for the Brazilian education and, particularly, for the country’s Physical Education.