VOL.5 ISSUE 80 • JUNE 24 - 25, 2012

EDGEDAVAOARTS & CULTURE

By Edward C. Lactaoen

Diverse. if there’s any single word that could be used to describe the roles Dolphy has portrayed throughout his career, diverse would prob-ably be one of the most fitting words for it.

Dolphy does it all Born rodolfo vera Quizon, and more well-known by his nickname Dolphy, is an icon in the Philippine art of acting. With a career spanning several decades, taking on a diverse variety of roles throughout, Dolphy is noth-ing short of a treasure that represents the best of acting in film and television. in his breakout role, Dol-phy was cast as Gorio, a gay character in 1954’s Jack en Jill. Dolphy’s role as Gorio, would pave the way for him to portray more gay roles in comedies at various other times in his career. The “Philippine King of Comedy” also had several stints in films spoofing se-cret agent films when they proliferated in the 60’s. Taking the moniker Agent 1-2-3 as inspired by Agent 007, Dolphy strengthened his comedic reputation over the years he spent in film. in 1973, in what would be the first of his major roles in television, Dolphy portrayed John Purun-tong in the Tv series John en Marsha. in this sitcom, Dolphy was able to portray the plight of the Filipino everyman trying to make ends meet. even given the character’s grave situation, Dolphy remained success-ful in bringing smiles to the households who watched the story of John Purun-tong unfold. Dolphy would later be cast once again as a Filipino everyman in the se-ries Home Along Da riles. These two series combined ran for over two decades, reinforcing the legacy of the career that pays testament to the ability of Dolphy to entertain the Filipino peo-

ple. Dolphy’s illustrious career may be filled with his track record of comedy films, but ventures into other genres have shown that he is not a one-dimensional actor. Dolphy departed from his regular comedic portrayal of gays when he played the role of Walter Dempster Jr. or Walterina Markova in the film Markova: Comfort Gay. in the film, Dolphy was successful in show-ing a more serious side in his acting, ably portraying the struggle that Markova went through in his days as a comfort gay during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. His perfor-mance in the film earned him nominations for Best Actor during the FAMAs

Awards and Gawad Urian Awards. With a career spanning many decades, Dolphy has received numerous awards over the years. His only FAMAs Award is being the Best Actor for the film Omeng satanasia, but many of the other award-giving bodies in the country have awarded him with Lifetime Achievement awards for his innumerable contributions to the Philippine entertain-ment industry. in Novem-ber of 2010, Dolphy was awarded the Grand Collar of the Order of the Golden Heart by the president him-self, giving recognition to his work in the entertain-ment industry as well as his philanthropic works. Dolphy is a single man

who has taken up many names and roles in his ca-reer in the entertainment industry, but his best role is he as himself. Dolphy con-tinues to be an icon for the Filipnos, one that has shown them over the years that no matter what happens in life, there will always be a reason to smile. Edward is a senior Com-munications student of the Ateneo de Davao University.

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siNCe this afternoon we have all remained restless. And sad. Although we have heard about his physical condition for some time, we are still struck with such loneliness when we hear the updates regarding his health.

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A2 INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 80 • JUNE 24 - 25, 2012EDGEDAVAO

There shall never be another Dolphy This time it looks bad. As i write this, everyone is quiet and speculating. We all love the man. The nation has always loved this man. We love him because for decades — nay, generations — he never ceased to give us the joys of laughter. His was a most imperfect life but he never made any claims of sainthood nor did he use himself as an example of perfection. He shunned invitations to join politics ... and in-stead preserved that oh-so-awesome disposition that had remained unchanging through so many years that we have known him. What was it about him that made him so different — and so loved? it certainly was not his reputation as a Lothario. it was not the sheer power of his comedic talent. it was his humanity. it was his humil-ity. it was because they don’t make people like him any more. There shall never be an-other Dolphy. We are in tears because we do not know a life in this country — with our obses-sion for stars and show busi-ness — without that single icon whose very image em-bodies all of what we know as Philippine comedy. if Fernando Poe Jr was Da King ... then Dolphy owned the other half of the kingdom. if FPJ shared the throne with the equally iconic Joseph estrada, Dol-phy reigned unquestioned and unchallenged as the emperor of Comedy. For he, together with only a handful left, represent the entire evo-lution of popular entertain-ment in the country as we understand it today. Dolphy is living history. For the career of rodolfo Quizon was not as privi-leged as the “stars” of today who become overnight sensations because of the availability, accessibility and the power of media. Dol-phy rose from the ranks. He honed his talents through years of hard work together with some of the legends whose names shall forever remain etched in the annals of entertainment doctrines in our country. To trace the history of

Dolphy’s career is to create a map of what was Philip-pine entertainment through decades of the twentieth and the early twenty-first century. From the bit player of stage shows called bodabil where the likes of Mary Walter, Bayani Casimiro, Katy de la Cruz, German Moreno, Pugo, Tugo, Lu-pito and Patsy — and, yes, the young Gloria romero — found their footing into the world of music, ap-plause and laughter, Dolphy evolved into more than just an icon — but a personifica-tion of the Filipino immor-talized by stage, television and films. Anyone Filipino familiar with local mass media, its images and elements can-never talk about television without mentioning the name of John Puruntong. For who of that Tv gen-eration escaped the years of amusement that Ading Fernando’s seminal Fili-pino family in the persons of John, his wife Marsha (played by the late Nida Blanca) and their children rolly (performed by his real life son rolly Quizon)and shirley (embodied by a child star named Maricel soriano at the start of the se-ries). John en Marsha holds the record of being one of the longest running sitcoms in Philippine television. The family evolved right front of the eyes of the viewer — and, to this day, the Filipino everyman has been and will always be John Puruntong. For the younger genera-tion, Dolphy is Kevin Cosme of Home Along Da riles.A carry-over of the John Pu-runtong character, Kevin Cosme provided the same image of the Pinoy tatay who dealt with fate with an open heart and who never lost his humanity amid the foibles and complexities of-fered by life. One thing notable about Dolphy’s seminal portrayals and characters: they are fun-ny in a Chaplin-esque way: it is the vulnerability of the portrayal that makes him lovable. He is never harsh, he is never impolite — and he does not resort of vulgar-ity to win his laughs. He is a gentleman as much as he is a

comedian. He dignified the power to generate laughter ... never resorting to the low-est techniques and strategies just to elicit a chuckle. Unlike comedy as it is understood today (founded more on profanity, insulting and macabre forms of ag-gression), Dolphy was the master of timing, wit and even underacting. Whereas others resort to in-your-face slapstick even to the point of vulgarity or brutality just for laughs, Dolphy was the original Mister suave who earned his laughs by being real and human and never insulting the dignity of his co-actors just to pander to an audience. it is this humanity that has made his other most memorable characters go far beyond the superficiality of slapstick. remember Facifica Fa-layfay or Fefita Fofonggay? Whereas there are still those who feel that the actor made a mockery of the flamboy-ant gay image, a closer look would reveal that never did he assume a condescend-ing nor an insulting atti-tude toward the characters he played. On the contrary, despite the fact that he was going for the laughs, Dolphy showed affection and love for the characters because he made them human and not mere shrill caricatures as others of less talent and nobility of intention would tend to do. He never made his gay characters abrasive — loud perhaps and exces-sive — but never conscious-ly malicious nor indecent. That is what made them funny ... yet endearing. And in that movie where Dolphy worked with anoth-er legend of Philippine cin-ema Lino Brocka, in a film entitled Ang Tatay Kong Nanay with then child su-perstar Nino Muhlach, the master comedian proved that behind the perfection in comedic timing lived an actor whose sensibilities and sensitivities could easily elic-it tears from the audience as well. For more than anything else, Dolphy was an artist. During his Buhay Ar-tista days in the old ABs-CBN, Dolphy displayed his smooth moves on the dance

floor as well as his perfect chemistry with then side-kick Panchito Alba. To this day, we of that generation recall all those somewhat tired but still funny weekly routines when Dolphy and Panchito translated english songs into Pilipino. The hu-mor was actually a one-note number but still we suc-cumbed to fits of hysterical laughter as the duo massa-cred their musical transla-tions. But perhaps for the peo-ple in the industry, Dolphy means so much more than the other half of the symbol of the business: the mask that flaunted laughter, he who is the quiet and gentle clown. Dolphy is loved by his col-leagues because of legendary generosity — but more so, his endearing ability to listen to others. Despite his stature, Dolphy never lost his sense of reality — and humility. He would always be the first to give a helping hand even before anybody asked for it. He would lavish people with what was within his reach ... inasmuch as he would make sure that he took care of everything and everyone around him. That was his sense of high. That was what kept his humanity. Whereas nowadays we are surrounded by instant celebrities who think they are stars and behave as if the entire universe revolved around them, a man of such magnitude and stature like our Mang Dolphy remained the same simple, feet-on-the-ground gentleman with a soft voice and immacu-

lately garbed. Unlike today when “stars” enter a room with their intimidating en-tourage as if demanding everyone within peripheral view to turn around and look while declaring, “Look, you mortals ... i am here!” Dolphy would slip in qui-etly, take his seat and make himself as inconspicuous as possible — as if he of the stuff that make legends is wary that he would disturb the peace. i never had a chance to work with Dolphy as a di-rector — but what i hold dearest was the opportunity to work for him as a writer. And considering all the volumes of work i have writ-ten for television and screen, that single television script i created for a made-for-tv movie starring the King of Comedy should prove to be one of the closest to my heart. entitled “Love, Daddy”, it was directed by Peque Gal-laga. Aside from Dolphy, this obscure piece of work also featured the late Charito so-lis and his son eric Quizon as well as Dawn Zulueta. When i was approached to write for this project, i immediately thought of a story i was yearning to see onscreen and i knew Mang Pidol would be the perfect actor to portray the role. it was about my father’s year right after his retirement: even before Jack Nicholson did About schmidt, i wrote a teleplay about the pain, agony and frustrations of a freshly retired man who has worked all his life and is now

compelled to stay home and feel absolutely useless. i guess the story was just too close to my real life be-cause when my parents — as well as my other rela-tives — saw the telecast, the reactions were varied. some of my cousins were on the floor laughing as Dolphy faithfully captured the pag-kabugnutin of my father as he found himself at home doing nothing except nit-picking on all the details of running a household and looking over my Mommy’s shoulders while she under-went her own therapy to cope with my Dad’s omni-presence: making endless kalderos of mango jam. My mother was not too happy because she said i did not characterize her correct-ly (and i still laugh each time i remember how my mother berated me for making her look somewhat like a con-travida — and worse, when she went completely ballistic and said, “Hindi ko iniwan ang tatay mo, ano? Bakit mo pinalabas na hiniwalayan ko ang Daddy mo?!”) But it was my Dad who was the best sport. That is why to this day i miss him. Amid all the flurry of re-actions, my Dad said: “How much more honor can i get? somebody portrayed me ... and it was no less than Dol-phy.” i never had the chance to tell Mang Dolphy the hap-piness he gave my father for unwittingly portraying his role. But now that i think of it, i feel bad ... i feel sad when i hear all the news about Mang Dolphy’s state of health. i guess the affinity is there. Like so many of us in the entertainment business, we are so afraid — so terri-fied — to be left behind by a man who we all consider as our father. i have said it once and i will say it again: rodolfo Quizon may not have been given the honor of being a National Artist (for some reason or another to which i will refuse to even think about or discuss because the deed has been done) — but to a number of us, nay, a great number of us not only in show business — Dolphy is more than a National Art-ist appointed by a committee and anointed by a Palace. The man who made us laugh is a national treasure. And no simple decision of men or laws can make some as priceless. We love you, Mang Dol-phy. We cannot imagine Philippine entertainment without you.(As published on the blog of Direk Joey Reyes, chokingonmyadobo.blog-spot.com, last June 20, 2012.)

Look what Spidey’s snagged in his web: some early-bird re-views! The Amazing Spider-Man doesn’t open State-side until this weekend, but a handful of critics have already swung into action with their verdict on the highly anticipated reboot. And although the friend-ly neighborhood websling-er has proven to be one of pop culture’s most beloved superheroes, the flick is anything but a sure bet: It’s got an untested lead-ing man (Andrew Garfield) and a first-time big-budget director (Marc Webber). Not to mention the fact that this do-over comes just five years after Tobey Maguire hung up his Spi-dey suit from Sam Raimi’s trio of Spider-Man block-busters. So has this new web-slinger spun gold? Sure looks like it: Many reviewers seem sold on the reboot, singling out its fresh cast and darker tone, with just a few holdouts

dinging the flick for failing to live up to its predeces-sors. “Leaping back onto the screen with a new cast, crew, costume and a whole new array of daddy issues, The Amazing Spider-Man reboots the top-grossing Marvel franchise to alto-gether satisfying results,” praises Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter. “Directed with emotional depth and plenty of come-dic touches, this somewhat darker depiction inserts a touching portrait of ado-

lescent angst into an oth-erwise predictable dose of CGI-fueled action.” “Webb successfully treads a fine line between keeping the hardcore su-perhero-movie fans happy and injecting a dose of meaningful affect,” writes The Guardian’s Andrew Pulver, noting that the di-rector is “aided by a terrific performance from Andrew Garfield, who brings a ge-nial unflappability…It’s the successful synthesis of the two—action and emotion—that means this

Spider-Man is as enjoyable as it is impressive: Webb’s control of mood and tex-ture is near faultless as his film switches from teen-age sulks to exhilarating airborne pyrotechnics.” “Swinging from fresh to faithful-to-source, Marc Webb’s reboot is a sparky, well-cast, often punchy Spidey spin” observes To-tal Film’s kevin Harley, “but it’s also Spider-Man Begins Again, struggling in places to assert its own identity…. [Webb] gets enough right to sign us up for a sequel.” “The film’s second half offers more than enough bungee-swinging through Manhattan’s concrete canyons, immaculately rendered in vertiginous, silky-smooth 3D, to satisfy thrill-seekers of either sex,” writes The Telegraph’s Rob-bie Colin. “What’s refresh-ing is how Webb makes those action sequences count: with a plot that rests almost entirely on the ro-mance between his two leads.” The Daily Mail’s Chris Tookey, meanwhile, de-rided the film as “an ef-ficient piece of corporate filmmaking, but nothing more,” adding that “there isn’t a lot that hasn’t been seen before, and although the special effects are im-pressive, they’re no im-provement on Spider-Man 2, which remains by far the best of the franchise. Webb. does a competent job, helped by his two talented leading actors, but doesn’t bring anything fresh to the party. “Webb’s film is slow on plot, skimpy on character development,” writes the Evening Standard’s Nick Curtis. “The ‘RealD 3D’ is fine for the flying sequenc-es, confusing in the fights, and gives that awful card-board-cutout look to nar-rative scenes. Webb saves up most of the emotional punch for a downbeat, wet-eyed ending in which Garfield and Emma Stone are superb.”

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The Amazing Spider-Man:Swinging good or all bugged out?

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A4 INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 80 • JUNE 24 - 25, 2012EDGEDAVAO

DANNy Boyle is go-ing for gold! The oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire direc-tor, who’ll be helming the vaunted opening ceremo-ny at the 2012 olympics in London, has already re-vealed his head-scratching plans for the blockbuster bonanza. (Brace yourself for livestock, meadows and village cricket!) Now, the musical play-list for the opening has supposedly leaked, giving olympics watchers a pre-emptive glimpse at what the brazenly singular di-rector might have in the works. Is it a perfect 10? Depends on how you look at it. The full list, as reported by The Telegraph, offers a sweeping survey of the British musical canon that spans eras and genres. There are classics from the Beatles (“She Loves you”) and The kinks (“All Day and All of the Night”), along with, er, all-out clas-sics: Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” suppos-edly makes an arrival. Punk rock gets a shout-out with the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” and The Clash’s “London Call-ing,” while glam-rock is am-

ply repped by David Bowie (who reportedly gets three tunes—”Starman,” “He-roes” and “Absolute Begin-ners”) and Queen (“Bohe-mian Rhapsody”—natch!). you’ve also got British rock royalty, with the Roll-ing Stones’ “Satisfaction,” Led Zeppelin’s “Trampled Under Foot” and The Who’s “My Generation.” The playlist also gives props to New Wave— Du-ran Duran and New order are in there—as well as Top 40 hitmakers, with ditties from Adele and Coldplay. Noticeably absent, however, are tunes from British musical icons Elton John and Tom Jones, who recently played at Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Ju-bilee concert. (Guess Boyle didn’t want this playlist on “repeat”?) Speaking of the mon-arch, the queen herself will be attending the opening ceremony, which should make for a very interesting situation if one particu-lar song, which is also on the reported lineup, actu-ally gets played: “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Holly-wood. Looks like Boyle’s ready to score a new world re-cord for testing the queen’s poker face!

Olympic countdownWhat will be on the playlist come opening night?

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