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Tribute to the King of Comedy: Dolphy 4:57 AM
He brought laughter to millions
of Filipinos for decades. He sometimes brought us tears. He inspired us in
different ways. His heart for giving and humility is bigger than the huge
success he obtained. And he is none other than the one and only Philippines’
King of Comedy, Dolphy.
For the more than 65 years he
spent making us smile, cry and of course laugh our hearts out, let us all pay
tribute to a King. Let us all reminisce his memories that will always be in our
hearts... forever.
The journey of Dolphy
Dolphy or Rodolfo Vera Quizon,
Sr. in real life wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was second
eldest of ten children of Melencio Quizon and Salud Vera-Quizon. At a young
age, Dolphy started selling peanuts and watermelon seeds at movie theaters. He also
did odd jobs including shining shoes; attaching buttons at a pants factory;
sorting bottles by size; working as a stevedore at the pier; trading; and
driving calesas.
In his free time he regularly
watched stage shows at the Life Theater and the Avenue Theater incluing shows
of his favorite performers the comedy duo Pugo and Togo, and the dancers Benny
Mack and Bayani Casimiro. Dolphy was turning 17 when Benny Mack got him a job
as a chorus dancer for a month at the Avenue Theater and subsequently on the
Lyric Theater.
It was the father of his friend
actor Fernando Poe, Jr., who first paved the way and gave him a break in films
playing bit roles as a character actor. Fernando Poe Sr. cast Dolphy in Dugo at
Bayan (I Remember Bataan), billed as Rodolfo Quizon.
Since then, Dolphy incessantly
given shows on film and radio. In 1952, he joined Sampaguita Pictures where he
had done some of his remarkable movies. This includes Jack en Jill, Silveria,
Captain Barbell and Facifica Falayfay.
After his contract with
Sampaguita expired, Eugenio “Geny” Lopez Jr. got him into television on Channel
3. His first TV show was with ABS-CBN on "Buhay Artista" (Actor's
Life), a concept by Geny Lopez and Ading Fernando. He also started doing movies
for independent studios like LEA Productions, Balatbat Productions, Filipinas
Productions, Zultana Productions and Fernando Poe, Jr.'s D’Lanor Productions.
He also ventures on producing films and established the RVQ Productions in
1965.
Two of the most prominent
television shows we remember when we hear Dolphy were John En Marsha and Home
along da riles.
John En Marsha started in 1971 on
RPN channel 9. He played the role of Johnny Puruntong with Nida Blanca as
Marsha, his wife in the sitcom. Dolphy also worked with comediennes MatutÃna
and Dely Atay-Atayan, then child star Maricel Soriano and his own son Rolly
Quizon.
The next successful TV venture
was Home Along da Riles in 1992 on ABS-CBN with Nova Villa as his wife and his
real life son, Vandolph. It was one of the longest running Philippine TV shows
of all time which dominated the primetime from 1992 to 2003.
Dolphy proves his also a
versatile actor. He showcased it on his astonishing movies like Lino Brocka’s
Ang Tatay kong Nanay and Markova: Comfort Gay, in which he won the Prix de la
Meilleure Interpretation in Brussels, Belgium for playing Walterina Markova.
Dolphy received a lot of
prestigious awards throughout his career. One of it was the Grand Collar of the
Order of the Golden Heart given by President Benigno Aquino III in 2010. It is the
highest award given to a private citizen by the President of the Philippines.
Dolphy was cited for his contributions to the entertainment industry and for
his charitable and philanthropic works.
Through the Years
For more than 20 years, Dolphy
has been with his partner Zsazsa Padilla. Though their relationship was
criticized at first because of their age differences, they’ve shown the public
their love for each other was never ending and love isn’t measured by age.
On her eulogy, Zsazsa made almost
everyone cried. In her heart felt speech he remembered Dolphy or her “Lovey” as
someone who is very supportive and loving as a husband and as a father. She
allowed her emotions to rule over her as she give thanks to the love of her
life “for being so proud of me, for giving me my two girls, for being so
thoughtful, and for doing your best to provide for us.”
“Loving the man, I came to accept all that came with him — his legacy, his personality when not in front of the camera, and of course his children. Hindi po naging madali ang lahat ng ‘yon, pero he was worth it.” she said.
Before her 11-minute tribute
ended she sang a few verses of “Through The Years” popularized by Kenny Rogers
before her voice trailed with these closing words:
“Kagaya ng huling naibulong mo sa
akin bago ka mamaalam, lovey ko, I love you.”
Remembering Dolphy
Dolphy battled COPD (chronic
obstructive pulmonary disorder) for about six or eight years. As Zsazsa said in
her eulogy, Dolphy his last few weeks with his family:
“To all his other kids, ang
inyong Daddy, Papang, Papa, nagpaalam siya with peace in his heart. Itong
limang linggo na magkakasama tayo sa ospital, mas nagkakausap tayo, mas
nagkakaintindihan. And of course, ang ating common bond, ang ating pagmamahal
para kay Dolphy.”
For most of us, he’s the King of
Comedy that made us laugh for a lot of years, but for his family he is a person
with a big heart, a caring friend and a loving father and husband. With all he
achieved in his career he stayed his feet on the ground.
Filipinos will always have a
smile on their faces whenever they remember Mang Dolphy; for he is one of
those people that had a great impact not just on the entertainment industry but
in our hearts.
For all the laughter you had brought us… Salamat, Tito Dolphy!
Sources:
Villagomez, Kaye (2012-12-07). “Tears
Flood Zsa Zsa’s Tribute To ‘Dolphy’” Manila Bulletin. http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/365701/tears-flood-zsa-zsa-s-tribute-to-dolphy
Rappler.com (2012-11-07) “Remembering
Dolphy: from 'John En Marsha' to 'Home Along Da Riles'” http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/207-spotlight/remembering-dolphy/8379-from-john-en-marsha-to-home-along-da-riles
Lo, Ricardo F. (2008-07-20).
"Dolphy at 80: Living in a Goldfish Bowl". ABS-CBN News
Montelibano Edith. (2008-09-22).
"Comedy King Dolphy to Shine at the Shrine". Pinoy Wired.
Photos from:
Abs-cbn