TWO MOVIE QUEENS WAX NOSTALGIC (by Behn Cervantes, Inquirer, May 29, 1999)

             Two movie queens wax nostalgic

                                     By Behn Cervantes
                              (Conclusion)

                   Inquirer.net, May 29, 1999

WHAT do you think was the chemistry in the Nida/Nestor, Gloria/ Luis combination? Gloria: Luis and I looked good together. Mestiza ako, siya more Filipino. Ako tahimik. Si Luis pilyo. Nida: We were a good dancing pair. Kami ni Nestor galawgaw. Gloria and Luis were more dignified. Our roles were varied. We were a lovable pair. Nagpapantalon ako, parang a break with conservatism. Magbubuga-buga ng usok na sigarilyo sa sabung, mga sneaky little things to show me to be more modern. Who was your favorite leading man? Gloria: The late Ric Rodrigo, Mario Montenegro and Ramon Revilla. Si Ric was very funny. Sayang 'di na-exploit ang pagka-funny niya. He had difficulty with Tagalog, but he worked hard at improving himself. He was very correct, a real gentleman. Juancho Gutierrez? Actually, he did more movies with Amalia Fuentes because he was Mr. Number One and she was Miss No. One in Sampaguita contest for new faces for the studio. Nida: Si Dolphy. He has great timing. Wow, saludo ako diyan. Hindi siya galawgaw. He's a gentleman. Did you ever fight with Luis/ Nestor? Gloria: Si Luis? May ugali yan-mapagbiro, always fooling around even when the scenes are serious. So I would get angry at him, ''Will you concentrate? This is a drama, not a comedy!'' He would bow to me and reply, ''Opo! O, nagalit na naman si Aling Gloria.'' Ako? Seryoso sa trabaho! Nida: Oh yeah… about crazy things. About our dance steps, personal appearances and other minor things. Did the studios (LVN and Sampaguita) exploit your rivalry? Gloria: Oo, siyempre. Very healthy naman, e. Kung sasayaw si Nida at Nestor, sayaw na din kami. (Laughs again.) Naku nakakapagod. Scribes Nida: Hindi naman. It was the scribes and the reporters. They would come up with contests like the one for the most popular love team. The fans would vote by means of ballots published in those movie magazines. How did the fans fuel the rivalry? Gloria: Of course, they would say mas maganda o mas magaling ang favorite nila. They would show who had more autographed pictures of their stars, or thicker scrapbooks, things like that. I tried to be very nice to the fans. In Sampaguita, there used to be fans' day. Ako naman pirma ng pirma. We never said anything against each other. No, we didn't do that. Nida: They would vote for us in those contests. They would flock to see our movies and cheer us when we (Nida-Nestor) did our dance numbers. What was your first film together? Gloria: ''Huwag Kang Sumingit.'' It was produced by Nida and Nestor. Nida: ''Huwag Kang Sumungit.'' Nestor and I produced it. How did the pairing fare at the box office? Gloria: Very well. Si Nida, nag-free lance na. Sa Sampaguita, nagkikita kami when she was hired by the studio to make movies there. Nida: Very successful! I didn't mind getting second billing to Gloria. Did you do anything for each other? Gloria: I think it was in ''Magdusa Ka'' where she won a grand slam. I was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress. We even sat at the same table. We were cheering for each other. It was her name that was called. I was very happy for her. Promotions Nida: Nakakatawa. Doing promotions in the past, we would both have to dance. Ayaw na niya. "Pagod na ako," Gloria would complain. I would even carry her step-ins for her. These days, I go to her house before Christmas for the usual talk and exchange of gifts. We know each other's birthdays and things like that. How do you recall your years of rivalry? Gloria: It was okay; very healthy. Sabi ko sa sarili ko pagbutihin mo! Nida: Okay naman, I enjoyed it. I had nothing to lose kasi. I feel a rival can, make you more popular. Iba kung may kompetisyon, especially someone like Gloria, di ba? How do your fans recall your days of rivalry? Gloria: (laughs again.) They tell me what Nida's fans were supposed to have said then. They show me their old pictures and scrapbooks. They also say, ''Aba, bakit hindi kayo ni Nida tumatanda?'' They also say: "Sana gumawa pa kayo ng pelikula na magkasama." Of course, I'd love to work with Nida again. Nida: They still call me galawgaw. They still see me holding a balisong. They say: ''Naku, si Batangueña!'' I guess that's the way they remember me. Who is the Nida/ Gloria of today? Gloria: Sabi nila, si Snooky. Nida: (With conviction) Si Maricel (Soriano)! Anything else you recall about that rivalry? Fashion shows Nida: I really envied Gloria for appearing in fashion shows. It was very sosyal then, with gowns designed by Ramon Valera. So, for one big movie ''Ikaw Kasi'' in LVN, I was supposed to be crowned the town reyna for a fiesta it was shot in Villa Escudero in Tiaong Quezon, and I requested Doña Sisang if I could wear a Valera gown. She scolded me and said it was nothing but a ''capricho.'' I walked out crying. She called me back and granted my wish. But, at the end of the scene, there was a fight in the fiesta and nilihis ko ang sleeves ng Valera gown. ''Diyos ko,'' sigaw ni Doña Sisang, ''bakit mo ginawa yan? Ramon Valera pa naman!'' What other common memories of that period do these Box Office Queens have? I asked the former rivals to react to the following: 1. Tropicana? Nida: (Laughs out loud. Does a pose.) Glamor portraits! Basta glamour shots, sa Tropicana for sure. Ador would even come to my house to take pictures of my sayas and gowns. Gloria: (laughing): Mang Ador! Of course, we all went to Tropicana for those glamour shots! (Actually, so did the starlets, the hopefuls and wannabes, the debutantes, town queens and whoever wanted to have the ''Tropicana look.'') 2. LVN and Sampaguita? Family Nida: At LVN, we were like a family. I still feel that closeness. Too bad, it isn't like that now. Gloria: What do I remember about Sampaguita Pictures? Siyempre, the Vera-Perezes. We were all treated well, like a family. Yes, we still get together and talk about the old days. 3. Fashion shows? Nida: I hated them. I don't know why they kept getting me. I'm not built for them, you see. Si Gloria Romero, ang taas-taas. Eh, ako? Petite ang size ko. Pero when LVN said go, I didn't have a choice. Basta, I didn't like them. Gloria: They were fabulous! The Oca-Valera shows at Manila Hotel! During our time, those fashion shows were elegante. Really classy. Today, they are more informal. Noon, formal affairs talaga. I asked Ching, a new-generation fan, what she thought of Nida and Gloria. ''Si Nida pang-masa, ang charisma niya ay pang-lahat. Si Gloria naman pang-drama. Lately lang siya nag-kokomedi,'' she said. If that is true, do we expect a new rivalry between these former celluloid queens? Yes and no. Both continue to work hard to improve themselves. They are consummate professionals in this competitive field, but the former rivals have become fast friends and know their rivalry is a thing of the past--that glorious era when Nida would dance with Nestor to the delight of their fans. Soon after, Gloria would execute fancy tango steps with Luis to the delight of their fans. It was a tit for every tat. In the process, Nida and Gloria made everyone happy. There was no malcuie in their rivalry. Instead, the competition spurred the duo to excel in their craft and to deliver the best entertainment they could to their many fans. No wonder the Gloria-Nida rivalry holds happy memories even for the protagonists, who continue to delight their loyal fans to this day. More impressive yet is the fact Gloria and Nida have amassed more followers from among the new generations who have come to admire their skill and professionalism long after their much-publicized movie rivalry. Long live the two formidable and long-lasting queens of Philippine cinema.

NIDA BLANCA (Literary Song-Movie Magazine, March 16, 1960)

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Source:  Literary Song-Movie Magazine, March 16, 1960

(From the magazine collection courtesy of Simon Santos, Video 48)

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AWAY NA (1963)

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Source:  Literary Song-Movie Magazine

June 6, 1963

(Courtesy of Simon Santos/Video 48)

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ASYANG NG LA LOMA (1963): MIGHTIEST MITE (Literary Song-Movie Magazine, June 6, 1963)

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Source:  Literary Song-Movie Magazine

June 6, 1963

(Courtesy of Simon Santos/Video 48)

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ANG BABAENG ISPUTNIK (Literary Song-Movie Magazine, March 23, 1963)

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Source:  Literary Song-Movie Magazine

March 23, 1963

(Courtesy of Simon Santos/Video 48)

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SIKAT NA, SIGA PA (1961)

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Source:  Literary Song-Movie Magazine, December 16, 1961

Courtesy of Simon Santos, Video 48

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MAGKAPATID NA JESSE AT JAMES (1965)

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"MAGKAPATID NA JESSE AT JAMES"

Release Date:  March 25, 1965 / Dalisay Theater

Production:  Kayumanggi Cinema, Inc.

Cast:  Nida Blanca, Chiquito

Val Castelo, Boy Garcia, Elena Razon and Stella Suarez

Direction:  F.H. Constantino

D

Source:  Movie Confidential Magazine, April 1965

Courtesy of Simon Santos, Video 48

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THE EFFERVESCENT NIDA BLANCA (by Danny Holmsen, Artista Magazine, March 4, 1982)

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Source:  Artista Magazine, March 4, 1982

Article by Danny Holmsen

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THE SWEET, THE SEXY, THE SCREWY, THE SERIOUS (The Weekly Nation, October 22, 1965)

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THE SWEET, THE SEXY, THE SCREWY, THE SERIOUS

Published in:  The Weekly Nation Magazine

                       October 22, 1965

VARIETY OF TYPES among local movie actresses has come, after some delay, with the evolution of the female film personality in other parts of the world.  Somehow, this development puts Filipino movie queens abreast of screen modes abroad.

     The singular sentimental type of old, therefore, has been washed out by the deluge of tearjerkers that cascaded from local studios until the early fifties.  In her place now are four distinct kinds:  the sweet, the sexy, the screwy, and the serious, each with its own public.

     Since before World War II, the sweet type projected the ideal Filipina.  Representatives of this line were Rosa del Rosario, Corazon Noble, Carmen Rosales, Tita Duran, and , later, Gloria Romero.  they struck a contrast to Hollywood's favorites of the time:  Marlene Dietrich, Hedy Lamarr, Dorothy Lamour, and other pre-war screen sirens.

     Today's most popular sweet babes of the local screen are Susan Roces, Rosemarie, Amalia Fuentes, plus a handful of less admired personalities.  Sampaguita Pictures is the home of the sweetest types in the country.

Susan -- Grace Kelly

     Susan Roces presents the Grace Kelly school -- prim and proper, model daughter, prudent in love, subdued in hate, composed in joy and dainty in sorrow.  Like Grace, Susan earned some sort of royal title herself when she became Queen of Philippine Movies a few years ago.

   Susan's kid sister, Rosemarie, is the modern teenager without parallel in other countries.  Actually a blooming young woman now, she is true to form even off the screen, just like her sister.  At the recent gala premiere of The Sandpiper, she appeared in the preceding fashion show in an elegant Filipino costume, bearing that alluringly meek carriage only a true-blood Filipina knows how to effect.

   Amalia Fuentes carries the sentimental strain in her sweetness even in real life.  When friends surprised her with a midnight asalto on her recent birthday, she sobbed her heart out in joy.

     In her roles, Amalia is a good-natured girl, an example of humility and kindness, but oppressed by the evil elements in love, fortune, and womanhood.  In her current picture, The Love Affair Of Amy And Bobby, which is being filmed in Europe, she plays an only daughter deeply in love with a playboy (Bobby), and victim of a fatal ailment.

     Joy is usually a glorious twist in Amalia's pictures.  The great appeal of her sweetness is in her loveliness in sadness.  Her girlish ways arouse heart throbs among her fans, and at 25 these are still her identifying marks.

Symbolize Fine Womanhood

     Susan, Rosemarie and Amalia differ in style but they all symbolize fine Filipino womanhood.  Their fans, on the other hand, themselves champions of Filipino womanhood in words, diehard Catholics and at the same time worshippers of the Beatles, gobble up such stuff and thereby keep the screen Maria Claras in business.

     The happy era in the early fifties spawned the screwy type of star, an offbeat swing from the proven moneymaker -- the cry baby.  Occasionally, the sweet types switch over to screwball roles where they are readily appreciated.  Susan, for instance, was  hit in her riotious Susanang Daldal and Susanang Twist.

     Rosemarie has been in a number of screwy-kid roles, but unlike Susan, she hasn't done down-to-earth slapsticks.  She confines herself to juvenile situation comedy.

     Amalia did some farce pieces early in her career.  Screwy roles are impractical for her now, for even in subtle comedy she must maintain her sweet-girl appeal.  If she has to be zany in some scenes, she has to end the picture projecting her characteristic selling point.

     The queen of the screwy type, the magnificent expert who hasn't been duplicated, is Nida Blanca.  She is still the mistress of the line after more than ten years of monopoly.  Her talent and appeal, yet undiminished, now delight more through television wherein she horses around with her perennial romantic foe, Nestor de Villa.

     A genius at comedy, Nida is superb in drama, as proved in her performance in Sa Atin Ang Daigdig.  She is a born all-around actress with an irrepressible bent for hilarity.

Burst On Screen

     Nida succeeded no one.  She burst on the local screen bringing a new style of comedy, a subtle one as compared with that of Patsy or Aruray.  The chuckles she provoked were a relief from the stodgy romances or the slapstick stuff of the time.

    Below Nida are the amateurs of humor, Sampaguita's brood who have not improved after a series of Mga Batang ... Being glamor starlets, they don't seem cut out for fine comedy.

      A far cry from the sweet and the screwy types is the sexy or the sex symbol as they have been called by psychoanalysts.  They are the most advanced (or retrogressive, depending on one's moral philosophy) creation in local movies.

     Though inferior in all respects to the sex symbols in other countries, the local femmes fatale are the boldest innovation in Tagalog film traditions.  These enchantresses were introduced by the breakers of the ancient mores in moviemaking in this country, the independent studios.

    The sex kittens enjoying box-office milk today are gorgeous Stella Suarez and shapely Divina Valencia.  Stella, with her voluptuous figure, is an adept screen temptress, while Divina, tall and statuesque, combines both seductiveness and seductivity.  The latter's sexiest form is in being raped and disrobed by villains.

     Both Stella and Divina specialize in action vehicles wherein they justifiably sport provoking costumes.  Sex in local pictures being a fad, the likes of Stella and Divina aren't expected to be around for long.  Meanwhile, they're giving movie viewers, particularly the male sector, an added spice to action, or something to look forward to.

The Serious Type

     A symbol of prestige in Filipino films is the serious type.  Elsewhere in the world this class is the one that survives the changes of morals and tastes.  Great dramatic stars of past decades, such as Ingrid Bergman, Maureen O'Hara, Deborah Kerr, Susan Hayward, and many other serious types are still going strong.

     Though, like their foreign counterparts, the local dramatic stars are the ones who have made the best films, they have been less prolific.  The Filipino movie industry is such that it kills quality for money.  Fortunately, the serious ones still get called into a serious picture once in a blue moon.  And so, talents like Lolita Rodriguez and Barbara Perez haven't entirely vanished.

      Our serious actresses are probably just as capable as foreign dramatic stars.  For one, Barbara earned good reviews in New York for her performance in No Man Is An Island a few years ago.  Locally, Lolita is still the recognized top dramatic star.

     Pursuing artistic satisfaction, the serious stars ignore glamor.  In a certain role Lolita appeared ugly as an alcoholic, while recently, in Daigdig Ng Mga Api, Barbara played a pregnant farmer's wife posing as such even in advertising photos.

     Such are the four main types of Filipino actresses for far.  Which is the best?  That depends on your taste.  But the ones whom most favor are still those with the best looks despite their histrionic shortcomings.

     However, not everyone can be beautiful, so there's room for all the sweet, the sexy, the screwy, and the serious.

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NIDA BLANCA'S ONLY REGRET IN HER 31 YEARS IN THE MOVIES (Movie Flash Magazine, 1983)

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Article by Mario E. Bautista

Movie Flash Magazine, 1983

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FORGIVE AND FORGET (1982)

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Forgive and Forget (1982)

(Viva Films, starring Nida Blanca, Nestor de Villa, Sharon Cuneta, William Martinez, Nova Villa, Chichay, Dencio Padilla, directed by Eddie Garcia)

Movie Review by Justino Dormiendo

Jingle Extra Hot Magazine, July 1, 1982

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NIDA BLANCA

NIDA BLANCA LOOKS BACK

By Mario E. Bautista

(As published in Philippines Daily Express,
December 28-30, 1978)

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