A not-so-trivial pursuit
Bayani San Diego
Inquirer News Service
A VERITABLE treasure trove overflowing with show biz "facts, feats, tales and trivia" is "A Movie Album Quizbook," launched early this year.
The book is the fruit of research by an inveterate movie fan, who embarked on the project clearly with other star-struck souls in mind.
In his introduction, Jessie B. Garcia- teacher by profession and movie buff by avocation-says the idea for this book, his fifth on show biz, came to him in 1982. He recalls that fellow film aficionado T.D. Agcaoili encouraged him to whip up a volume on "things that will never make it in a dry-as-dust . . . straight historical account of Tagalog movies."
Sifting through the 400-plus-page book yields not a few gems:
The first underwater kissing scene in Philippine movies was between Fernando Poe Sr. and Rosa del Rosario in "Zamboanga," 1937. "Zamboanga" was also the first Pinoy film to be shot in full color. It was processed in Hollywood, with no less than Frank Capra ("It's a Wonderful Life") as editor and supervisor.
The first radio play that crossed over to the big screen was Lina Flor's "Gulong ng Palad," 1950. It starred Jose Padilla Jr. and Arsenia Francisco.
Leila Morena was the first local actress to produce a film, "Salome," 1952.
The lead star of "Ifugao," Efren Reyes, was the first Pinoy to win Best Actor at the second Asian Film Festival held in Singapore, 1955.
The first Pinay to bring home the Best Actress prize from the Asian Film Festival was Charito Solis, for "Dahil sa Isang Bulaklak," 1967. La Chato was also the first local actress to headline a Japanese movie slated for international release-"Shaka" (later retitled "Buddha"), 1962.
Lino Brocka scored a double whammy at the Cannes. His "Insiang" was the first Filipino film to be screened in the "Director's Fortnight" in 1976, and "Jaguar" was the first to be shown in the "Main Competition" in 1980. And how's this: Brocka actually considered hiring Imee Marcos as "Insiang," instead of Hilda Koronel.
Aside from these noteworthy "firsts," Garcia also compiled a number of facts that even some LVN, Premiere and Sampaguita stars would barely remember:
In 1939, movie queen Carmen Rosales, already a radio star, flunked her LVN screen test because she had "no profile."
The country's first "Darna," Rosa del Rosario, worked as a welder in Henry Kaiser's shipyard in the US during World War II. She was also the first Pinay to star in a Hollywood flick, "Border Bandits," 1946.
Ruben Tagalog was not Tagalog; he was actually from La Paz, Iloilo.
The zoom lens was invented by director Manuel Silos while doing "Victory Joe," 1946.
The first Maria Clara Best Actress was Nena Cardenas, for "Doble Cara," 1950.
Anita Linda-Alice Lake in real life-shares her birth name with her paternal aunt-a Hollywood star and contemporary of Rudolph Valentino.
Manuel Conde gave up his direction credit in "Genghis Khan" in favor of Lou Salvador Sr., because the latter agreed to completely shave off his head to play a Mongolian chieftain in that movie.
Lilia Dizon was the first Pinay to win Best Actress in a foreign film fest-specifically the Cambodia Film Festival-for Lamberto Avellana's "Kandilerong Pilak," 1954. The same Avellana classic was also the first Pinoy film shown "Out of Competition" at the Cannes.
Susan Roces first appeared as a child star in Jose Nepomuceno's "Mga Bituin ng Kinabukasan."
Gloria Romero's singing voice in musicals was dubbed by pro Cely Bautista.
Artemio Marquez wrapped up shooting "The Lucila Lalu Story," 1965, in four days, while Elwood Perez took over three years to finish "Bilangin ang mga Bituin sa Langit," 1989.
And for the ultimate piece of trivia:
The term "bakya" was coined by National Artist Lamberto Avellana, not as a pejorative term, but to describe the masses who watched movies at the Rialto and Dalisay, "lugging their bayong and baon and wearing wooden clogs."
(For copies of "A Movie Album Quizbook," contact Erehwon Books & Magazines, P.O. Box 331 Iloilo City.)
