Shorty Castro

Israel Castro Vélez, better known as Shorty Castro (January 28, 1928 – January 22, 2018) was a Puerto Rican comedian, actor, comedy writer, stage director, radio host, singer, dancer, composer and musician, with a career spanning over 60 years.

Castro was born in Mayagüez's in La Quinta barrio to Juan Castro Ayala and Victoria Vélez Cuevas, the second and oldest male child of twelve siblings.

He developed the skills necessary to become an entertainer: good singing voice, talent as a percussionist, and good timing for comedy.

While working full-time as a messenger for the municipality of Mayagüez, Castro held odd jobs in numerous local orchestras, mostly as a singer and percussionist.

These orchestras included William Manzano's and Carlos López's (for both, Mon Rivera had also been a singer and percussionist), Mingo and his Whoopee Kids; Charlie Miró y sus Pájaros Locos; and San Germán's Happy Hills' Orchestra.

One of these orchestras performed a gig at the Baños de Coamo, where producer Tommy Muñiz took notice of Castro's performance.

After meeting him, Muñiz asked Castro to perform in La Taberna India, Muñiz's best rated television show, alongside Rafael Cortijo's band.

Castro then returned to Mayagüez to prepare for his move to San Juan, which was supposed to occur on August 24, 1956.

At a road stop in Quebradillas, however, Castro learned about the sudden death of Ramón Ortiz del Rivero (Diplo), Puerto Rico's most popular comedian at the time.

With the country in mourning, Castro was forced to return to Mayagüez and wait one week for his television debut, on August 31.

He played congas and sang a few of Mon Rivera's plenas with the Cortijo band that day.

He later became a stagehand (first) and musical bit player within the program.

When his contracts ran out, Castro returned to singing, and made a second tour of New York with the Happy Hills' Orchestra.

Muñiz and other producers regularly staged shows with Puerto Rican talent at the Puerto Rico Theater near Spanish Harlem, in New York City.

Asked to return to Puerto Rico by Muñiz, Castro left his orchestra and started playing regular comedy roles in Tommy Muñiz's productions such as "Hogar, Dulce Hogar" where he played Napoleoncito, the romantic interest of María Antonieta, a maid played by Carmen Belén Richardson.

He later played a similar role, "Medio Metro", along Velda González's Azucena in "La Criada Malcriada", first on television, later on film.

He and José Miguel Agrelot worked together in many comedy television programs and live appearances.

Their professional relationship and friendship lasted over 40 years.

Agrelot once joked about Castro: "we get along so well that I'll probably die in his birthday."

In the 1970s, he almost died in a car crash with his red Corvette.

He hosted Máxima 940 am radio show "Shorty Castro a las 11", on weekday noons, together with long-time friend and fellow comedian Tito Negrón.

After this show ended suddenly, Shorty stayed unemployed for a while until he started hosting "Shortyoganes", a new show in the same radio station and at the same daytime, along with his old friend Dr. Oswaldo Oganes.

This show also ended quickly.

He later hosted a third show, "Nuestras Raíces", again with Tito Negrón, on weekday mornings.

Shorty had a son and a daughter, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Castro eventually became a major player in Muñiz's productions, developing comedic characters of his own.

Among these were:

Two of Castro's plenas are particularly better known.

"Pa' los caborrojeños" is an ode to the people of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, written to coincide with his stints as a singer and percussionist in one of the town's local orchestras, that of Roberto Ortiz.

On the other hand, the novelty song "Por dos pulgadas" ("By two inches") was a sleeper hit for fellow comedian Juan Manuel Lebrón during Puerto Rico's 1997 Christmas season which became a #1 hit on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart.

Puerto Rican Public Law 186 (2010) honored Castro by naming a newly constructed shoreline park in Mayagüez, the Parque del Litoral, after him.