93. ROY T. GONZALEZ, 1st Filipino Design Genius to Conquer Europe's Fashion Houses

IMAGE 1:  DESIGN WIZ. 22-year old Roy T. Gonzales, works on designs for the House of Cardin at his Paris office. Pierre Cardin handpicked the young Filipino to join his fashion house after seeing his award-winning designs while a student at the famed Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Image: Sunday Times Magazine

In 1964, a young Filipino design student placed first in a class of 80 students from  France’s premiere fashion school Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. It was a historic triumph in the fashion capital of the world for the unassuming Kapampangan boy who displayed his mastery in cutting and designing to beat competition.  Little did his professors and classmates know that Froilan “Roy” Gonzales, had long prepared for this, living and breathing fashion design in all  his 20 years.

His auspicious win would presaged a long career in Paris, where he would conquer the elite fashion houses of the city—the likes of Cardin, Patou and Lecoanet-Hemant, the Versace and Calvin Klein of that period.

Undoubtedly, his creative genius was in his genes, imbibed from both his grandmother and mother, prominent couturiers back in Manila. But the course of his career was also shaped an influenced by a unique background, the kind of story that movie dramas are made of, and which must be retold.

IMAGE 2: ALING BELTA, MODISTA PAR EXCELLENCE. Roy’s design genius was inherited from grandmother Roberta “Belta” Paras, whose own drama-filled life story tested her will and shaped her character. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

Roy’s grandmother was  Roberta “Belta” Tablante Paras, a woman of extraordinary talent and character, very much ahead of her times. She was the daughter of Modesto Paras, a juez de paz of Angeles, Pampanga and Juliana Tablante. Early on, Belta showed dexterity in handling needle and thread; she could cut and sew clothes with such skill that she started making a name for herself as dressmaker of note. Thus, in 1902, the young modista opened her Angeles shop.

IMAGE 3: JOSEFINA PARAS. Roberta Paras’ love-child with prominent Angeles doctor, Dr. Jose Tayag, and Roy’s mother, at her communion. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

By a twist of fate, she would fall in love with Dr. Jose Tayag, a prominent Angeles doctor who was very much married man.  Her father disowned her, so she fled to Manila, heavy with the child of Dr. Tayag. Yet, she managed to open a small dressmaking shop in Quiapo on Fraternal St. near the Pasig River in 1912. She would give birth to her daughter, Josefina,  on November 9, 1912, but once she recovered, the single mother went back toiling in her little shop.

IMAGE 4: CLIENT CALL. Lola Belta gained a reputation for her beautiful bridal gown creations. Her early commissions include this bridal gown of Socorro Brigida Naval for her wedding with Zosimo P. Ricafort. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

Her ambition and determination paid off; her creations—from bridal ensembles to ball gowns and formal wear found a steady stream of clients, many from among Manila’s elite. So in 1918, she moved her shop to Binondo in where her business gained more ground

IMAGE 5: R.T. PARAS BUILDING, along Rizal Avenue, housed a school of dressing as well as the fashion shop of Roberta Paras. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

But there was more to come. With her substantial earnings, Belta invested on a property along Manila’s premiere commercial center, Avenida. She put up her own R.T. Paras Building at 859 Rizal Avenue, which housed not only her couture shop but also a school of dressmaking. The last venture, too, flourished, and Belta’s fashion business was now a big-league enterprise.

IMAGE 6: ALING BELTA WITH GRANDCHILDREN, TITA & ROY GONZALES. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

Roberta Paras lived long enough to reap the rewards of her dreams and enjoy them. She remained selfless in the midst of her success, welcoming even Dr. Tayag’s children to her house in Manila during their schooling in the University of the Philippines, and treating them as her own. Most important too, she managed to pass on to daughter Josefina her passion for her art and craft, her exacting eye for good design, and her fine taste in fashion couture. These too, were not lost on grandson Roy, who, at a young age, was a witness to her grandmother’s talent, work ethics, and strong family values that  that would serve him well as a design student in Paris.

IMAGE 7: INANG, THE SUCCESSOR. Josefina “Inang” Paras (with  Roy), continued the R.T. Paras fashion house and her business savvy helped grew the family enterprise. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

When Roberta Tayag Paras passed away in 1952, her daughter, Josefina, took on her mantle and embraced her new role as the head of the fashion house. She brought to the table, her sharp business acumen honed by years of being an assistant to her mother as a teen. She finished her high school at St. Theresa’s College and earned a Commercial Science degree from Jose Rizal College. She also enrolled at her mother’s dressmaking school, and successfully completed that course too.

 “Inang” (b. Nov. 9, 2012) as she was fondly called, married Francisco Gonzales of Camiling, Tarlac who gave him two children, Robertita (Tita) and Froilan (Roy). The two would tag along with their mother when she reported to the shop of their Apung Belta, staying close as the elders managed the affairs of the day.  Tragically, at age 9, Tita would  drown in a summer swimming accident that would test Inang’s faith and spirit. A woman of weaker constitution would have spiraled into profound despair at this great loss, but Inang pulled herself together, buried her daughter, and carried on with what she had left—her son Roy, and her mother’s legacy, now a flourishing fashion business she had promised to run.

IMAGE 8 : ON THE MOVE. The House of R.T. Paras at the new Quezon Boulevard location in 1957. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

Inang proved to be as strong-willed as her mother, but on her own, she was also a visionary of sorts. In 1957, Inang moved R.T.Paras to a new location in Quezon City, an area that was then just being developed. A spanking, modern building was built to become the all-new House of R.T. Paras Haute Couture.

IMAGE 9: A WEDDING GOWN CREATED FOR BRIDE NONNIE AGUINALDO. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

This proved to be a smart move as the fashion house even became even more popular, its elite roster of clients growing by leaps and bounds. In its heyday, the House of R.T. Paras got to dress all the First Ladies of the country (except Dra. Loi Ejercito), beginning with Mrs. Aurora Aragon Quezon . Presidents Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were also valued clients. Manila’s 400 came knocking at the doors—the Cojuangcos, Aranetas, Tansecos,  Lagdameos , among others.

IMAGE 10: THE SON ALSO RISES. Young Roy Gonzales showed his design skills early, using his school notebooks to sketch and do fashion illsutrations.Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

Froilan “Roy” Gonzales (b. Mar. 23, 1944) remembers distinctly how, as an 8-year old, he started sketching his own designs in his school notebooks. He was just 13 when the House of R.T. Paras opened in Quezon City. Although not a stranger to the comings and goings in the house—client consultations, design discussions, cutting, sewing, endless fittings--the pace of activities have quickened at an accelerated rate. And, he was absorbing, as he was observing everything with much interest.

Roy’s horizons expanded when his mother took him to her trips abroad, traveling to such places as Hong Kong, Egypt and Europe, with the last making the most impression on him. He was an Economics sophomore at the Ateneo when he made up his mind to help continue the legacy left behind by his grandmother, now in the able hands of his hardworking mother. And so, still in his teens, he decided to study Fashion Design in Paris no less, home to the world’s leading fashion houses.

IMAGE 11: PARIS, HERE I COME. Roy Gonzales was admitted to the hallowed fashion school, Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

Roy enrolled at the famed Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, a fashion school founded in 1927. For almost four decades, the school have been turning young talents into polished,  highly-skilled professionals who are seen to chart the course of fashion and the fashion industry. Beginning in 1960, the school started creating international affiliations, paving the way for Roy, a Filipino, to be a student of the school.

His first place award for school year 1963-1964 drew the attention of Pierre Cardin, the French-Italian designer who would take the fashion world by storm for his avant-garde unisex creations—including the bubble dress launched in 1954. Taking an interest in Roy’s talents, he handpicked him for an interview one day in June 1964.  Roy strode in to meet Monsieur Cardin armed with his sketches, that so impressed the design icon that he hired him on the spot.

The Filipino designer, who had just turned 20, was quickly put to work on the Spring Summer Collection of the House of Cardin. The Op Art collection reflected the rage of Paris at that time, marked by stark, geometrical patterns, with a bold splash of orange and yellow, the colors of the season.  Unlike in Manila, it was not just the dresses that Roy designed, but also the accessories to go along with the look, including hats, jewelry and shoes.

 IMAGE 12: DESIGNS BY ROY. Some of Roy’s designs for the House of Cardin reflected the style of the season: op art. Creations include dress inspired by a kimono, day dresses, and accessories like hats and pieces of jewelry.Image: Sunday Times Magazine, 8 May 1966 issue.

As Cardin’s lone fashion designer, Roy reported daily at the Cardin workshop that occupied a whole building along Rue du Fauborge Sainte-Honore, on Paris’ 5^th Avenue. He worked directly under Cardin, and a small staff that includes a business director (who took care of contracts involving the sale of patterns to American department stores), two Frenchwomen  and a Swiss who staged Cardin’s fashion shows.

His rigid schedule begins from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and then from 2:00 pm. to 7 p.m., a full 8 hours that involved sketching and designing. Cardin would then choose the ones he liked for production. In his first attempts, only a few would be selected by Cardin from his scores of design. Being a quick learner, he was soon averaging about 5 approved designs for every 10 sketches submitted. “I think I know Cardin’s taste by now”, he says, “which is for me an accomplishment”.  The cutters and seamstresses are then put to work to execute the design, and when finished, are shown off by models to prospective clients.

IMAGE 13: TWO TERNOS, by Roy T. Gonzales. Even in a foreign land, Roy also designed Filipiniana pieces. These ternos, designed 40 years apart, shows a tri-colored terno and a terno specially designed for her mother, Inang. Images: Sunday Times Magazine/  A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

In the six years (1964-1970) with Cardin, Roy got to know many high-profile customers of Cardin, like actresses Jeanne Moreau (who was romantically linked with his boss), Greek superstar Melina Mercouri, Natalie Wood, Bridget Bardot, Mme. Dewi Sukarno and Mme. Claude Jacqueline Pompidou, First Lady of Prance.

From the House of Cardin, Roy worked for a year (1972-1973) at the House of Cerruti, founded by Italian stylist Nino Cerruti. As an assistant modéliste (model maker), he created the patterns of a garment based on a sketched design, which showed his cutting skills at his best.

IMAGE 14: JUDOKA JACKET of white cotton pique damask, edged in braid over pleated black satin trousers. Jean Patou designed by Roy Gonzales. 1978. Image: https://www.shrimptoncouture.com

It was at the House of Patou that Roy’s star would shine even brighter. The venerable couture house was founded  by designer Jean Patou, who died unexpectedly in March 1936. His sister Madeleine, together with husband Raymond Barbas,  continued the House of Patou which have come to include world- renowned designers like Marc Bohan (1954–1956), Karl Lagerfeld (1960–1963) and Jean Paul Gaultier (1971–1973).

Enter Roy Gonzales, now with more fire, more experience tucked under his belt. Starting as a modéliste, he proved his worth for five years, where his technical wizardry in design served him well, indeed.  

IMAGE 15: PATOU IN THE PHILIPPINES! Roy T. Gonzales, design head of the House of Patou, brought the Jean Patou Collection to Philippines in 1976. Image: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

In 1976, Roy returned to the Philippines, to stage a homecoming fashion show at Hotel Intercon featuring his designs worn by statuesque Patou models. The show was a smash hit; Manila revelled in his international success, which further elevated the quality high-fashion reputation of the House of R. T. Paras. The next year, Roy was finally named design head of Patou, thus establishing him firmly as a world-class fashion genius.

In the summer of 1977, Roy  presented his summer collection for Patou that was hailed as “one of its prettiest collections in recent years”. Here, he deftly replaced traditional blouses with little waistcoats. He also featured a lot of strapless dresses which doubled as evening skirts when dropped from bust to hip. Singled out as Patou's best was a fluttery shirt of red-striped beige over a red dotted beige skirt and topped by a beige canvas waistcoat. The collection  was noted for its eminently European, ultra-feminine look.

He made quite a splash at the fall couture show held in July 1977 in Paris with such eye-turning numbers such as a vest made of feathered patchwork and a batwing cardigan sweater. In the 1978 editorial of Vogue Paris, his sumptuous designs for Patou were featured on the pages magazine considered as a fashion bible.

IMAGE 16: GET WELL SOON! An illness forced Roy to slow down and check-in at a French rest house where he would convalesce. While recovering, he was visited by his mother Inang. Photo: A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

But a debilitating illness befell Roy, which would hound him for months, so in 1981, he took off from work to recover in a country home in France where his mother, Inang,  visited him. His convalescence however, took more time than usual,  and he sadly decided to quit the House of Patou in 1982, and return to the Philippines for a much needed rest. Roy would be succeeded by the equally brilliant Christian Lacroix as design head in 1982, and who, in a matter of years, become a fashion superstar.

Back on his feet in 1982, Roy returned to Paris and  was signed up as by Dorothée Bis as its modeliste-stylist . The ready-to-wear house was founded by Jacqueline and Elie Jacobson in 1962. It would earn repute for its stylish sportswear line, that included knits.

In 1984, he would start a long and illustrious career at Lecoanet Hemant, which was founded by Didier Lecoanet and Hemant Sagar in the ’80s, right on the street where Roy first worked for Cardin, close to the Elysée Palace. The fashion house became known for a unique style that mixed eastern and western elements, most evident in the drapings reminiscent of the Asian sari, that characterized most of their creations.

IMAGE 17: ROY IN THE PARIS METRO, after a 1984 Didier Lecoanet Hemant Sagar fashion show 1984. Photo:  Jean-luce Huré, http://snap361.com/ig-tag/roygonzales/

Draping was one of Roy’s area of expertise being a superbly-skilled technician, and he would leave his mark in this haute couture house that was patronized by European aristocrats, Middle eastern blue-bloods, as well as the international jet set crowd. He would stay with Lecoanet Hemant until 1998.

By then, Roy’s mother Inang was already 86 years old. Away for more than three decades, he finally decided to come home for good in 1998 to spend time with her. It was also the perfect time to take over the reins of the R.T. Paras Couture House which her mother had so productively ran by herself with her loyal staff, and which had set a record by becoming the longest continuing haute couture shop in the country. Indeed, the name “R.T. Paras” was top-of-mind when it came to creating opulent wedding gowns, smart corporate attire, suits and formal wear.\

IMAGE 18: HER MOTHER’S SON. Roy Gonzales and her mother Josefina Gonzales at the pinnacle of their success, Photo: Ruppert Jacinto, A Century of Couture R.T. Paras, 1902-2002.

 Comfortably settled in Manila, Roy indulged her mother’s passion for dinners, dances and costume parties with her ‘amigas’. They were even planning the 2002 centennial of the House of R. T. Paras, plus her 90^th birthday. Roy had already designed a fabulous terno for her mother to wear for the said occasions. But Inang would not be there to see the celebration of their milestone of the design empire that she helped built; she passed away on January 28, 2001. It was a most heartbreaking moment for Roy, and he would reflect later on that “her absence scooped out a portion of our lives…and for me, it was a bucketful.”

On November 9, 2002, on what would have been the 90^th birthday of Inang Gonzales, the House of R.T. Paras celebrated its 100^th year, marked with a spectacular fashion show and an exhibit of vintage Paras gowns at the NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio.   The beaming Roy chose to call it a “family reunion”, as it was attended by many patrons of the house, veritable members of Manila’s who’s who.

Roy Gonzales now holds high the torch of the esteemed fashion business that was begun a century ago by his Apung Belta and his beloved mother, Inang. But he also keeps the fire close to his heart, as he strives to continue the legacy of the house—now solely  his own.

These days, Roy has totally immersed himself in the local fashion scene, and his couture creations been seen everywhere—from the President’s State-of-the-Nation Address to gala balls and fashion runways. Part of his continuing journey is his mission to share and impart his couture knowledge to budding designers and students. In 2010, Roy was one of the mentors in the Designer Fashion Workshops  organized by fashion professionals in collaboration with iacademy.

The trailblazing Filipino who conquered the leading fashion houses of Europe and who paved the way for other local designers to leave their mark in the international fashion scene, can afford to rest on his laurels, no doubt.  But he chooses not to, for while he holds high the torch of the fashion business started a century ago by his Lola Belta and Inang, he also keeps the fire close to his heart. Now infused with the lifeblood of three generations, the House of R.T. Paras lives on.

 SOURCES:

Gutierrez, Lydia C., The Wizard of Op. Sunday Times Magazine, May 8, 1966, pp. 50-51.

A  Century of Couture, R.T. Paras 1902-2002, Le Recueil des Anniversaires

Tayag, Claude. My Tita Inang, TURO-TURO column,  6 October 2002 https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/sunday-life/2002/10/06/178780/my-tita-inang

https://prabook.com/web/froilan_tayag.gonzales/775456

Shrimpton Couture: Photos of Patou Designs,

https://www.shrimptoncouture.com/blogs/curated/shadows-and-lights-on-the-new-evening

 Photo, Vogue Paris, 1977. Photo by Helmut Newton. http://snap361.com/ig-tag/roygonzales/

 The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois · Page 28, Publication: Thursday,  October 27, 1977, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/73127955/

 Image: “Surprise Encounter ! Didier Lecoanet Hemant Sagar in the Paris Metro after their show 1984 and Roy Gonzales”,  Photo Jean-luce Huré, http://snap361.com/ig-tag/roygonzales/

 

 

83. MEMORABLE MOVIE KISSES IN PHILIPPINE CINEMA HISTORY

LIPS-TO-LIPS: Evolution of Kissing Scenes in Philippine Movies

By the first 2 decades of the American Occupation in the Philippines, the influence of our new masters had become more pronounced, even in our forms of entertainment and leisure. For example, the rickety Spanish period cinematografo teatros—cinematographic theaters where short films were screened—were giving way to newer, more modern edifices.

Cine houses sprouted bearing American names:  Empire, Majestic, Modern. Many existing theaters like Ideal and Cine Moderna were enlarged and updated with new acoustics to suit  the latest trend in films--talking pictures—as well as to accommodate the growing number of star-struck moviegoers.

But when it came to film choices, traditions die hard. Filipinos clung to Spanish-influenced themes, which they believed reflected their own culture and values. As such, religious pictures depicting biblical characters and stories—like “Passion Play”, Los Milagros de la Virgen de Antipolo--- were the most popular in the early years of Philippine cinema. In 1911, “Life of Moses”  was the blockbuster film for the year 1911.

OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS. A Hollywood made film that tackled the controversial subject of the “loosening of youth morals”, never before seen in local cinemas. It was shown in 1929 at the Ideal Theater. Starring the flirtatious Joanne Crawford and John Mack Brown. Before the 1920, religious themed-movies were the most popular. Image: Graphic Magazine, July 1929.

This pattern would change when Hollywood stars came to town, overshadowing the European performers. These larger-than-life screen figures would not only become the new idols of the movie masses, but their films would also be powerful mediums of Americanization.

A far cry from the plot-less, disjointed films of old, American films, with their superior production,  were windows to the changing ways, mores  and attitudes of the modern world. Depictions of sex on screen, under the cloak of harmless amusement, provided sensual fulfillment, among others.

Ideal, for example, showed MGM films that would captivate even the morality-conscious Filipinos—fiery love stories  like “Woman of Affairs”, and “Our Dancing Daughters”—that tackled “the loosening of youth morals”.

A WOMAN’S AFFAIRS. A Greta Garbo-Gilbert Roland starrer, first shown in 1929 at the Ideal Theater. Just  3 years before, the same stars indulged in the first open mouth kissing on screen, which shocked audiences worldwide. Hollywood Films such as this would change Filipino attitudes towards overt displays of affection such as kissing. Image: Graphic Magazine, August 1929 issue.

Filipino males ogled at early sex sirens Theda Bara, Clara Bow, and later, Great Garbo. Women secretly admired the bedroom charms of Rudolph Valentino,  Douglas Fairbanks, Ramon Novarro, and John Gilbert. 

Filipino film makers foresaw the lucrative future of this new art, with Jose Nepomuceno  (b. 15 May 1893 ‘ d. 1 Dec. 1959) at the helm. Known today as the “father of Philippine Movies”,  Nepomuceno  exhibited his first dramatic feature, “Dalagang Bukid”, in 1917, followed by a string of usual Spanish-titled films.  Two fires destroyed his studios and equipment, but Nepomuceno would rebuild his business in 1924  with the help of a University of Southern California law graduate and  Hollywood-trained actor and director, Dr. Vicente Salumbides.

Salumbides not only introduced new techniques in screenwriting,  design, editing, and cinematography, but also dared defy guardians of morality—including movie censors—by showing on the big silver screen, the first ever kiss in Philippine movie history.

THE KISS THAT STARTED IT ALL. Couple May Irwin and John Rice re-enact the kiss from the musical “The Widow Jones”, captured on film in April 1986. Image: wikimedia.commons

The world’s first kissing scene captured on film was shot in April 1896, a re- enactment of the kiss from the stage musical “The Widow Jones”, between May Irwin and John Rice, at the Edison Studios, New Jersey. The 18 second kiss—which includes sweet nuzzling and short pecks—shocked the Catholic Church and called for its censorship. But not only was this ignored; instead,  the film spawned  three copycat film versions: Negro Kiss (1898), The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899) and The Kiss (1900).

LEARNING FRENCH. The first open-mouth French kiss, performed by reel-real life lovebirds, Greta Garbo and Gilbert Roland in the movie “The Flesh and the Devil”. Image: Alex Castro Photo Archives

In due time, passionate displays of affection were routine in American movies. But the most explicit was performed  by  reel and real life lovers, Greta Garbo and Gilbert Roland in the movie, “The Flesh and the Devil” shown in 1926.  Their torrid, open-mouth kissing was the first French kiss in an American film. Their  lip-smacking moments were photographed by William Daniels, using natural lighting (such as a lit match stick), and were described as “very erotic”.

That very same year, Salumbides began a film project with the title “Tatlong Hambog”, a silent romantic comedy starring the hunky Luis Tuason, a nationally-ranked boxer and the Filipina-American actress Isabel Rosario (Elizabeth) Cooper (aka “Dimples Cooper” on the bod-a-bil stage) .

FIRST MOVIE KISS IN PHILIPPINE CINEMA. Luis Tuason and Isabel Cooper (aka “Dimples”) made history by smooching for the silver screen in “Tatlong Hambog”, a silent picture produced by Jose Nepomuceno in 1926. Cooper later became a mistress of Gen. Douglas Macarthur. Image: Motion Pictures in the Philippines, by Vicente Salumbides. 1952.

The story called for a kissing scene, which, ordinary Filipino directors would simulate, using such tricks as fading out the lights before the  lips of the actors could touch, or shooting from the back so as to hide the actors’ lips.

Salumbides and his stars dared break the kissing taboo by performing the real thing—a full mouth-to-mouth kiss, that was shot against the ruins of the old Guadalupe Church in Makati. It is, today, recognized as the first historic osculation in Philippine movies.

An undated  silent picture, “La Hija de la Revolucion”, starring Mary Walter and Gregorio Fernandez, also featured a kissing scene between the two stars. Though no photo exists, Walter, said in a 1962 magazine interview: “It was a kiss and there was no faking about  it”.

Director Salumbides began shooting another movie later in the year entitled “Fate or Consequence”. This time,  he would not just direct a film, but would also star in it. Written into the script was another intense kissing scene.

The Manila Carnival of 1926  had just ended, and Salumbides convinced some of the candidates to appear in his film, including Muslim princess and former Miss Cotabato, Sofia Lota (real name: Pinaganda Magadi Sinambal Malibatang).  Also cast in the film was Miss Pampanga, Rosario Panganiban, whom Salumbides had been squiring for some time. They had met through Vicente’s niece, Nanita, who was a classmate of Rosario at Centro Escolar de Señoritas.

A WHOLE LOTA LOVE: The exotic Mindano beauty queen, Sofia Lota, locked lips with Vicente Salumbides in the 1926 film, “Fate or Consequence”. Salumbides was also the director of the film. Image: Motion Pictures in the Philippines, by Vicente Salumbides. 1952.

When the cameras began rolling, Salumbides and Lota embraced and locked lips—much to the chagrin of Panganiban, who was watching the shoot. She was livid.

“When I saw you (Vicente) kissing Miss Cotabato”, Rosario recalled,” I suffered the worst feeling of jealousy although we were not engaged at that time. I don’t want to experience another attack of that sort. It’s better to be away from temptation”.

Needless to say, that movie kiss fast-tracked the wedding nuptials of Salumbides and Panganiban. As for Lota, “the exotic find from the untamed regions of Cotabato” would pucker up again in her next movie, “Lumang Simbahan”, doing it this time with Gregorio Fernandez. Lota would rise to become one of the most sought after star in the showbiz circuit.

MOUTH-WATERING. Fernando Poe Sr. and Rosa del Rosario caroused and kissed underwater, and on land in this 1937 classic movie directed by Eduardo Castro. Image: (Zamboanga Movie 1937) Robert G. Published on Jul 14, 201 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWb6fo8ZbYI

It would take over a decade before another much-talked about kissing scene would happen. This time, it was in the 1937  “ Zamboanga”, the first Philippine full color movie from Filippine Films which famed director Frank Capra proclaimed as “the most exciting and beautiful picture of native life I have ever seen on screen.”

The story about the seafaring southern tribes starred Rosa del Rosario as Minda, and Fernando Poe Sr., as Danao. It featured the first underwater kissing scene, and more smooching on land.

Of her kissing scenes in that movie, del Rosario would later muse: “My underwater sequence with Fernando Sr., were nothing compared to my kissing scenes with Johnny Mack Brown in Hollywood westerns”. Del Rosario was referring to the 1946 cowboy photoplay, “Border Bandits”, where she was cast as Mack Brown’s love interest.

Not to be outdone, the 1939 Visayan talkie, “Bartoldo Balodoy”, featuring leading man Ben Ollada, paid lip service to her leading lady. But so defective was the sound system of Cebu’s Vision Theater where the movie was screened, that a crackling smack was loudly heard all over the cinema.

KISS ME, JOE!. Matinee idols Rogelio dela Rosa and Norma Blancaflor had their kissing moment in the 1946 rom-com movie, “Victory Joe”.Image: (1946 Victory Joe B&W 97 minutes Directed by Manuel Silos), Citizen Jake, https://vimeo.com/328659457

After the war,  producers  had more reasons to insert  titillating  kissing moments in their films. The 1946 romantic comedy from LVN pictures, “Victory Joe”, showed a long, romantic kiss between Norma Blancaflor and her suitor, Rogelio dela Rosa, just returned from the War.

WE KISS IN THE SHADOWS. Vic Oliver and Erlinda Cortes do some serious kissing in the 1947 movie “Dalawang Anino”.Image: Motion Pictures in the Philippines, by Vicente Salumbides. 1952.

 When things had settled a year later, movie fans were treated to the provocative kiss performed by Vicente Oliver and Erlinda Cortes,  complete with tight embracing and hair clutching. The 1947 blurb of the love-drama  “Dalawang Anino” referred to this fervid display of feelings as the  result of the “baliw na pagnanasang umabot sa sukdulan ng pagbubunyag” (crazed desire that had reached the point where it had to be revealed!).

KISS UNIVERSE. Armi Kuusela and Virgilio Hilario in their only movie based on their love story “Now and Forever” shown in 1953. Kuusela was a guest of the 1953 Philippine International Exposition when he met the dashing businessman, and became man and wife soon after. Image: Constantino, Ronald K., Lo, Ricardo F. The Golden Years: Memorable Tagalog Movie Ads 1946-1956. Published by Danny Dolor, Manila, 1944. P. 18.

By the 1950s, kissing in Philippines became more common, and in fact, more fashionable.  The first Miss Universe Armi Kuusela and beau Virgilio Hilario showed them how it was done in their 1953 debut “Now and Forever”.

A VETERAN AT KISSING. In “Anak Dalita” (1956) Rosa Rosal plays a prostitute who falls for Vic, a war veteran, ably played by Tony Santos Sr. Image: (Anak Dalita) Gobitz, Published on Apr 18, 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX2fiDZ8gPE

The Golden Harvest Best  Film awardee at the 1956 Asia-Pacific Film Festival, “Anak Dalita” (1956), had, perhaps, the best horizontal position kiss administered by Tony Santos Sr., on screen vamp Rosa Rosal. In the film, Rosal was Cita, a prostitute with a heart of gold, who has fallen in love with a returning injured Korean war soldier, Vic, portrayed by Santos. The fleeting, loving  kiss was just about the hopeful thing in a story filled with sorrow and squalor.

CARIÑO BRUTAL. Aida Cariño and Oscar Moreno were the star performers in “the  most sizzling kissing scene ever  shot for a Philippine film”, at least in 1957. This was in the movie,  “Objective: Patayin si Magsaysay” . Image: Garcia, Jessie B., A Movie Album Quizbook. Erehwon Books & Magazines, © December 2004 by Jessie B. Garcia.

After reviewing local films, weekly magazine Variety voted the kissing-in-bed scene of film veteran  Oscar Moreno and young actress Aida Cariño as “the most sizzling kissing scene in Philippine movies, to date”.  The said scene was shot for Champion Pictures’ “Objective: Patayin si Magsaysay”,  released in 1957.

It was also in the Fifties that American production outfits began discovering the Philippines as a perfect shooting location for war pictures that were all the rage at that time. Filipino actresses were often typecast as island girls who stole American soldiers’ hearts. It was not difficult to persuade our conservative actresses to kiss their American leading men--for the sake of art.

TAKE ONE KISSER. Filipino actress Alicia Vergel resisted a kissing scene in the 1957 movie “Day of the Trumpet”  with American John Agar, but changed her mind and did the scene in one take. Agar asked for more, which sent her scurrying  away. Image: Garcia, Jessie B., A Movie Album Quizbook. Erehwon Books & Magazines, © December 2004 by Jessie B. Garcia.

Alicia Vergel reluctantly complied when she was cast as John Agar’s love interest in the 1958 film, “Day of the Trumpet”, a joint Fil-American production. ”I didn’t like to do the kissing scene”, she said. But then she reconsidered when she realized that “the film would be dull in America without the kissing scene.”

Her only condition was that the kissing scene be done in one take. Vergel got a good “take one” kiss. But, as she related, “John Agar commented that he liked the kiss so much that he wanted one more take!”. Alicia demurred, and reacted by scampering away from the set, bawling all the while.  She recalled later that John Agar came back to appease and humor her. “I feel insulted”, Agar said. “You are the first leading lady I kissed who cried.”

PARALUMAN SURRENDERS TO A KISS. German-Filipino actress Paraluman had a record 4 kissing scenes with American actorKeith ndes in the war movie, “Surrender Hell”, shot in 1958.Image: (Surrender Hell) VCIClassicMovies, Published on Nov 7, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeq_NcD8ckM

The lovely Paraluman had no qualms about  kissing a foreigner, and required no persuasion.  “As long as it is done with finesse and the script calls for it, I do not object to it,”she declared like a real pro.

When she was cast with American Keith Andes in the 1959 war action film  “Surrender Hell” ( an Allied Artists movie based on Gen. Donald Blackburn’s exploits), Paraluman not just had one, but four serious smooching scenes with her leading man, an experience she enjoyed. “It’ all in a day’s work”, she quipped.

George Montgomery was already a  big star of TV and the Silver Screen when he returned  to the Philippines in 1961. He had previously been to the country in 1955 to shoot a guerrilla movie entitled “Huks”, with Mona Freeman.

This time around,  Montgomery was set to direct--and star-- in yet another war film-- “The Steel Claw”. As the handicapped John Larsen whose right hand has been replaced by a hook,  Montgomery meets a mestiza, Lolita Smith—played by Charito Luna.

SPLENDOR ON THE GRASS. Filipina Charito Luna and George Montgomery had some lovey-dovey moments in th 1961 war film “The Steel Claw”, that ended with some heavy kissing, dominated by Charito. Image: The Steel Claw: PizzaFlix, Published on Jul 10, 2013,: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v14Cpol3YQ8

In contrast to the shy, demure roles assigned to Filipinas, Luna’s character was more wordly and aggressive. As Lolita, she comes on strong to the captain, and soon, their small talk leads to some lolling on the grass,  culminating in a meeting of lips, with Charito on top.

Two movies in the 60s made the tabloid news—and not just because they featured sensational kissing scenes. “The first local picture wherein kissing scenes will be consummated”…. “the first Tagalog movie with real, honest-to-goodness kissing scenes”, thus heralded the blurbs used to promote “Huwag Mo Akong Limutin”, Director  Gerry de Leon’s 1960  opus.

KISSING LESSONS FROM THE SENIORS. The 1961 movie ”Huwag Mo Akong Limutin” ran afoul of the censor’s rules because of its controversial themes. But the theme won major awards at the FAMAS including acting awards for  the kissing seniors, Oscar Keesee and Arsenia Francisco. Image: Mirana Medina Collection

As it turned out, it was not the double kissing scenes (performed by Oscar Keesee/Arsenia Francisco and Cesar  Ramirez/Cynthia Zamora) that alarmed the local censors board, but the central themes of the flick: marital infidelity, kidnapping and abortion. The movie was briefly banned, until it was re-edited. De Leon was vindicated when the film dominated that year’s FAMAS, winning 8 awards, including Best Film and Best Director trophies. Senior kissers Keesee and Francisco won both supporting acting awards too.

KISS-KISS, BANG-BANG. Ronald Remy holds the distinction as the first Filipino actor to kiss an American actress full on the lips, He traded kisses with Sylvia Lawrence in the 1961 war movie, “Bus to Bataan”. Image. Video48 “The 60s #174. Ronald Remy, Liza Moreno, Paul Edwards, Sylvia Lawrence in Lamberto V. Avellana’s “Bus to Bataan” (1961).http://video48.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-sixties-174-ronald-remy-liza-moreno.html

The next year (1961) , “Bus to Bataan”, another war film with Filipino and American stars hot the theaters to the thrill of movie fans.  Filipino Ronald Remy turned the tables on Pinay-kissing American actors, by French-kissing American actress Sylvia Lawrence.  Remy eventually became a born-again religious leader, while Lawrence shifted to costume design which won for her many Emmy awards and nominations.

After awhile, it seemed that every other film of different genres was inserting  kissing scenes as part of the strory’s attraction.  In 1964, the comedy spoof, “James Bandong” had funny man  Chiquito, cavorting with sexpot Miriam Jurado. Their beach shore romp ends in a smooch that would go down in our film history as the longest, uninterrupted kiss in local cinema, that lasted for all of 6 minutes.

All hell broke loose at the onset of a the 70s decade as local producers took the counterculture slogan “Make love, not war” literally, by churning out soft-core movies known as “bomba” films.  Considered as the first bomba film is “Uhaw”,  the film, starring Merle Fernandez, was based on a komiks series touted as “the most daring and boldest story ever written”.  Fly-by-night producers cashed in on the bomba trend, but pushed the envelope further by adding not just scandalous kisses of all kinds, but also real, hard-core sex.

But nothing prepared the audience for one of the most unexpected kisses ever to be seen on theater screens. In 1971, the multi-awarded director, Lino Brocka, made the film “Tubog sa Ginto”, a story about an unfulfilled woman married to a closet-gay husband Benito, who secretly carried an affair with his male driver.

The theme of the movie was controversial enough, but Brocka defied government censorship and religious censure by showing the first no-holds barred gay kissing scene on Philippine cinema, between the homosexual husband Don Benito (Eddie Garcia)  and his young stud Diego (Mario O’Hara).

MAN-TO-MAN RESUSCITATION. Lino Brocka broke barriers by introducing the first gay kiss in the film, “Tubog sa Ginto” (1971) . Eddie Garcia and the late Mario O’Hara shared some daring kisses (as well as a shower), all done in the buff. Image: (Tubog sa Ginto), Cinema Retro, Published on 2017-05-01. https://reppeat.com/watch/?v=4ah2ajH_8aw

With a story written by the venerable comics legend Mars Ravelo,  and shot under the helm of a respected director, no dissenting voice was heard, not even a whimper. “Tubog sa Ginto” was given the ultimate accolades during the FAMAS season, winning  Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and  plus two other acting nominations.

The Garcia-O’Hara gay kiss was unprecedented in our media history, predating the first gay-themed drama series in Philippine television, “My Husband’s Lover” (2013), where the conflicted Tom Rodriguez (as Vincent) planted an oh-so-tender kiss on his object of affection, Dennis Trillo (as Eric). Unfortunately, the full kiss was not shown on TV, in deference to the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board); it is included, however in the DVD release.

Kissing in Philippine movies have now been featured for nearly a hundred years. Since then, every imaginable taboo, once unspoken and forbidden,  have  been depicted in graphic ways, especially in the internet age—involving transgenders, lesbians, bisexuals, husbands with multiple queridas, priests having affairs, mature women  indulging in carnal pleasures with young men (remember the rough kissing of young Tom Labrusca and Angel Aquino in “Glorious”?), among others.

But there’s nothing like a fundamental kiss to incite and ignite the audience’s full range of emotions—from warming hearts,  conjuring the magic of romance, arousing feelings of giddiness,  naughty thoughts, and let’s face it, lust and sex. Movies give a sense of legitimacy in releasing those feelings with the imprimatur of the censors.  

The audience can lose themselves and become, for a fleeting moment, the star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, the tempestuous Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler, the Sheik of Araby and his harem of lovers; or,  closer to home,  the conquering “Machete” or the insatiable “Curacha, ang Babaeng Walang Pahinga”. And since new love teams emerge every day from the silver screen, movies will never run out of kisses, because, just as the song reminds us-- the world will always welcome lovers…as time goes by.

 ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR ESQUIRE PHILIPPINES UNDER THE TITLE "LIPS TO LIPS" THE EVOLUTION OF KISSING SCENES IN PHILIPPINE MOVIES", posted on 12 June 2019.

 SOURCES:

·       “First Philippine Movie Kiss”, Sunday Times Variety, 1 May 1962. P. 3

·       GRAPHIC Magazine, July-August 1929 issues

·       “The History of the Kiss in Philippine Cinema”. PIC, The Ultimate Magazine,  Vol. 1, No. 11, 1972.

·       Constantino, Ronald K., Lo, Ricardo F. The Golden Years: Memorable Tagalog Movie Ads 1946-1956. Published by Danny Dolor, Manila, 1944. P. 18.

·       Deocampo, Nick. CINE: Spanish Influences on Tagalog Cinema, Chapter 5: On Viewership, published by The National Commission for the Culture and the Arts. p. 298

·       Garcia, Jessie B., A Movie Album Quizbook. Erehwon Books & Magazines, © December 2004 by Jessie B. Garcia.

·       Villasanta, Julianito, Tio Ticong Pelikula at Pulitika (Vicente Salumbides) . 2002

·       Salumbides, Vicente. Motion Pictures in the Philippines. © 1952, by the author. Ch. 18: Kising in the Movies. P.137.

·       Best Movie Kisses of All Time, https://www.filmsite.org/filmkisses2.html

·       Mirana Medina Collection, for the photo of Oscar Keesee and Arsenia Francisco from “Huwag Mo Akong Limutin”.

·       Advocacine Blog: https://advocacine.wordpress.com/2014/08/12/first-honest-to-goodness-kissing-scene-in-tagalog-movies/?unapproved=15163&moderation-hash=cdcdcad03be03a8275d815a84e040c54#comment-15163

YouTube screen grabs:

·       Zamboanga: (Zamboanga Movie 1937) Robert G. Published on Jul 14, 201

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWb6fo8ZbYI

·       Victory Joe: 1946 Victory Joe B&W 97 minutes Directed by Manuel Silos, Citizen Jake, https://vimeo.com/328659457

·       Anak Dalita: Gobitz, Published on Apr 18, 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX2fiDZ8gPE

·       Surrender Hell: VCIClassicMovies, Published on Nov 7, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeq_NcD8ckM

·       The Steel Claw: PizzaFlix, Published on Jul 10, 2013,: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v14Cpol3YQ8

·       Tubog Sa Ginto: Cinema Retro, Published on 2017-05-01: https://reppeat.com/watch/?v=4ah2ajH_8aw