Dolphy: Everyone’s Father

Dolphy, the Comedy King of the Philippine Movies and Television, would have been 85 years old on his birthday on July 25, 2013. He died on July 10, 2012 leaving a legacy of comedy to the Filipino movie and television audience. When he was still alive, he said that if his fans and audience want to see him again after he died, all they need is just to push the rewind button of a video player where his films are and watch them all over again.

For this post, we take a look at the movies where he played father roles. He is not only the father of his children, but was also treated as a father figure by the younger performers of the Philippine movies and television programs or series who played his children in these and his peers from these from all generations. He also served this role to the audience of his films and television series as well. Most of all, he served as a father figure to those people whom he helped when he was alive by doing good deeds quietly and without publicity.

1. “John and Marsha” – Based on the hit TV comedy series on RPN 9 where he played John Puruntong while Nida Blanca played his wife Marsha. The former came from a poor family while the latter was from a rich family. His mother-in-law played by Dely Atay-Atayan always tell him to work harder so that he could give a better life to his family. He tries his best to work hard by getting jobs even with a low wage just to make ends meet for his wife and children played by Rolly Quizon and Maricel Soriano. With her own initiative, Marsha decided to look for a job to help her husband. She found one in a company owned by the character played by Rod Navarro but this was just a front for drug trafficking. In the nick of time, John discovered it accidentally and was able to save his wife from this. The illegal activities was busted by the police. Since the director of the movie was Ading Fernando, the audience will learn some lessons in life along the way with funny situations on the side.
2. “Ang Tatay Kong Nanay” – In this movie, Dolphy played Coring, a beautician who became a surrogate single parent to a boy played by Niño Muhlach when the latter’s biological father played by Phillip Salvador left the child in Coring’s care because his real father thought that his child will have a better future in the beautician’s custody. Coring and the boy formed a bond like father and child which almost ended when the boy’s biological mother played by Marissa Delgado showed up after several years to claim her custody on her son. Coring accepted that this situation will happen and with a heavy heart let the child go. But one evening, after joining and winning a beauty contest in their area, he was surprised to see the boy back in his home. This movie was directed by Lino Brocka.
3. “Home Along Da Riles Da Movie” – A movie based on a hit situation comedy on television via ABS-CBN Channel 2. The comedy king portrayed the role of Kevin Cosme, a widower with four children played by Smokey Manaloto, Claudine Barretto, Gio Alvarez and Vandolph. From time to time, his sister-in-law Azon, played by Nova Villa, acts as a second parent to his children. He was a former chef at a five star hotel who was fired after an accident which was his doing. He later found a job as a messenger in a recruitment agency which supports the needs of his family. His house is located near the railroad tracks. His life with his family and friends can be considered as work life balance. The Cosme family stays together whether in good or bad times. This was proven when his youngest child in the person of Vandolph, became an unlikely recipient of an audio tape which recorded the details of the illegal activities of a governor played by Eddie Gutierrez from a man being hunted and later killed by the governor’s henchmen. This group later turned their ire on the Cosme family who fought the former with their creative weapons and tactics. With their help, the authorities arrested the governor and his men and put a stop to their illegal activities. At the helm of this movie was director Johnny Manahan.

The images used for this post were taken from online sources as references.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days Ahead to All of Us!

Post Related Quotes:

• “The most important thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” (Theodore M. Hesburgh)
• “A Father is God’s chosen one to lead the family and point it to His will for life of love and harmony…” (Sue Skeen)

Trident: Inside The Submarines

Trident is a three-pronged spear according to online sources. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. They are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The god of the sea Poseidon in Greek Mythology or its Roman counterpart Neptune and the major Hindu Lord and God Shiva are all classically depicted bearing a trident.

For this post, which this blogger called Trident, we take look at the movies which settings and story lines are inside the submarines. They are the following:

1. “Up Periscope” (1959) – James Garner played an American naval officer who undertook trainings as a frogman for the special demolition unit of the United States Navy. The timeline of the movie was set during World War II.  After being cleared for security measures (which included the use of charm by an undercover lady naval officer to tell her his military identification number) by his superiors, he joined the crew of a submarine commander who briefed him on his mission: to photograph a code book used by the Japanese Imperial Navy in its military operations in an island which the latter held as a base. During his stay at the submarine, he was instructed by its commander to be silent as to the extent of his mission to avoid leaks about it (only three persons must know about the mission: himself, the commander and the latter’s executive officer), although he mingled with them. He used his time wisely to study the details of his mission while at the same time keeping it confidential. He was able to accomplish his mission without being detected by the enemy as to his presence in the island and leaving it with the negatives of the pictures he shot there in his possession and the submarine commander and the latter’s men waited for him at their point of rendezvous so that he could return safely to the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with them. He was launched as a human torpedo from the submarine to reach the target island.
2. “Gray Lady Down” (1978) – An American atomic submarine was hit accidentally by a foreign fishing vessel as it surface from the sea. The accident happened along the territorial waters of the United States. Its crew led by the outgoing commander played by Charlton Heston must endure the risks and dangers of the submarine to sink under the deepest levels of the sea while awaiting rescue from their colleagues. Racing against time, rescue did arrive and various methods were tried and a mini submarine piloted by a naval officer played by David Carradine became a crucial and a major factor in saving the lives of the surviving crew. However, the said naval officer died aboard the said vessel. The other cast of characters were Stacy Keach, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty and Christopher Reeve among others.
   
3. “The Hunt For Red October” (1990) – The Soviet Union’s nuclear submarine known as Red October is considered state of the art with its modern technology and being larger in size as compared to standard submarines. Its commander played by Sean Connery decided to defect to the United States along with this submarine and its crew. But the higher echelons of the military and the government of his country did not want this, so they sent a submarine that matches the capacity of the Red October to chase it and if possible, destroy it before reaching the American seas. The diplomat from the Soviet Union even told a false information to an American key official that it will make a military strike in American shores. The United States Navy made its move to prevent its (Red October) alleged hostile action. Jack Ryan, an analyst from the CIA played by Alec Baldwin told his superiors and key naval officials that the Soviet naval officer is defecting. He was given permission to join the crew of an American submarine in looking for it. Together with its crew led by a naval officer played by Scott Glenn, they found it. The American crew and their Soviet counterparts in the submarine joined forces in defending the Red October and its personnel from the attacks made by the submarine which was tasked to hunt it. Their cooperation also revealed that there was a saboteur who was embedded with the crew of the Red October in the person of the cook. The cook managed to kill some of the submarine personnel but he was also killed later. The Red October, together with its surviving officers and men, were brought to a secret location in the United States.

The images used for this post were taken from online sources as references.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days Ahead to All of Us!

“Flying Cadet” and “The Blue Diamonds”: Movies About the Philippine Air Force

“While we look back at the rich history of the Philippine Air Force, there is one thing that is noticeable; While we, in 1963, had the capability to help and send squadrons to other nations, why is it in the last decades, it seemed that the wing of our Air Force had been clipped, and we rely only on old, rickety planes and equipment?” – President Benigno Aquino III (on the occasion of the 66th Philippine Air Force anniversary celebration held last July 1, 2013 at the Clark Air Base, Pampanga. Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 2, 2013 Issue)

Once upon a time, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was considered a model air force among the Asian countries. This blogger remembers that there were Filipino movies which featured the said military organization. For this post, we take a look at the two of them which were shown in Philippine television channels in the 1980s.

1. “Flying Cadet” – A movie released by LVN Pictures, Inc. in the 1950s with Jaime dela Rosa who played the role of a former musician who passed as a recruit for the PAF. His adjustment to this situation is just fine unlike his fellow recruit played by Willie Sotelo, who had a hard time in the beginning, because the latter thought that as the son of a Philippine Senator, he would get a special treatment. The duo learned the ways and the rudiments of being a pilot of the Air Force. The movie showed its audience how the personnel of this branch of the armed forces conduct their briefings before a military mission and the actual applications of the things they learned come the actual missions.  It also showed how they engaged the enemies (in this case, the communist rebels) in actual encounters. In one of the scenes, the plane piloted by the character played by Sotelo, crash landed behind enemy lines after an accident, when he made a dive at a low level.  The character played by dela Rosa suggested to his superior officers that they should make an immediate rescue of their colleague because he believed that the latter is still alive. He was told by them to wait for further instructions after a thorough assessment of the situation. Feeling dejected, he made his own move and flew a military helicopter without permission. He was able to rescue Sotelo with the help of a former recruit who joined the rebels who was later killed by his comrades and later with the help of their colleagues from the air force. However, since he violated a military rule, he was put on trial at a court martial and was removed from the service. He accepted the decision of the court because he thought that fate had other plans for him. He reconciled with his sweetheart played by Delia Razon at the closing scenes of the movie while looking at a plane flying above them. For a related post, please see this link: https://hughlockwood.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/the-gallant-filipinos-in-lvn-movies/

2. “The Blue Diamonds” – This movie released by Dalisay Pictures, Inc. in the 1960s was about the famous national aerobatic squadron of the old Philippine Air Force from the 1950s to the 1980s. The actors who portrayed the title role were Amado Cortez, Von Serna, Cris de Vera and Malony Antonio among others. This blogger remembered in the opening credits that the word PAF was beside de Vera’s name. When he (this blogger) shared this observation to his late father, the latter replied that the actor was a pilot in the PAF in real life based on a magazine article he read. Even if de Vera was involved in show business, he need to hone his flying skills every year with a required certain number of flying hours. It presented their lives during military duties and their activities during their times of off duty. It showed to the audience that they are the protectors of the Philippine skies from potential threat from external enemies with modern jet fighters and equipment and competent manpower at their disposal during that time. The squadron song was played as a background music during the opening and closing credits of the movie. It also showed the actual film clips of the said squadron during the demonstration of aerobatic skills of its pilots in flying their respective airplanes.

The images used for this post were taken from online sources as references. Special mention to the Video 48 blog for the “Flying Cadet” poster.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days Ahead to All of Us!

“Golden Rules for Living”

As the beginning post for the month of July for the Year 2013, this blogger would like to share with the readers of this blog, the following quotes dubbed as the “Golden Rules for Living” which were shared to him as forwarded text messages:

1. “If you open it, close it.”
2. “If you turn it on, turn it off.”
3. “If you break it, admit it.”
4. “If you value it, take care of it.”
5. “If you make a mess, clean it up.”
6. “If it’s none of your business, don’t ask.”
7. “If ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
8. “If it will brighten someone’s day, say it.”
9. “If it will tarnish someone’s reputation, just keep it to yourself.”
10. “If it makes you happy, go.”

The images used for this post were taken from online sources as references.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days Ahead to All of Us!

Post Related Quotes:

• “A positive attitude is the key that opens doors anywhere and everywhere.”
• “Be happier and achieve more success. Spend your time on personal growth and development instead of backbiting, backstabbing and gossiping.” (Francis J. Kong)
• “It is genius to always do what you enjoy and love. To continue improving in what you do and then constantly see improving results.” (Francis J. Kong)
• “A person is wise only if he or she can be trusted. But once the trust is gone, the person does not seem to be wise after all.” (Francis J. Kong)
• “It is good to spend 90% of your time on positive things because this will have a corrective effect on the remaining 10%. (Francis J. Kong)
• “Develop a good moral compass. We face offers and choices daily that either add value to our lives or set us up for future defeat.” (Francis J. Kong)
• “Use your ears more often than your mouth and you will never get into trouble.”
• “Who said that being alone is a barrier to enjoying the laughs and big opportunities that life still throws your way?”
• “Compete with yourself by looking at your past and present. Comparing to others will only lead to flase expectations and disappointment.” (Francis J. Kong)
• “Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.” (Anne Sexton)
• “We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it’s forever.” (Carl Sagan)
• “When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” (Shauna Miequist)