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Saturday, October 01, 2005
Carmen Rosales
By Skipojack
Skip the beat
ACCORDING to one writer, " She's an all-time cinema sweetheart who had the looks, the shape, the height, the oomp, the allure that made her easily eclipse any other Philippine movie actress.
Her movies certainly made the most money. She was drop dead gorgeous". Another one wrote, "She is a star of the magnitude of Hollywood greats Great Garbo, Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn."
This actress also memorized the other person's line with whom she was going to have her scene, down to the cueing, the timing, the pregnant pause before dropping the ultimate piece de resistance, pagtaas ng kilay and the toss of the head to underscore a point", the writer continued.
Her movies enjoyed showing in Sine Siete some decades back. These days, one can catch some of her movies on Cinema One.
She is also a singer who graced the tin pan alley with unforgettable World War II and 50's songs my mother would love to sing like Arimunding-munding (one of her earliest movies which had no follow-up after), Maalaala Mo Kaya, Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig, Si Si Senorito, and Senorita.
I am talking about Carmen Rosales who according to Lena Strait Pareja "was a virtual unknown when she Sampaguita Pictures signed her up to be the leading lady of Rogelio de la Rosa in "Takipsilim" (1939).
She lived in a period when a movie star was a celebrity to reckon with and when movie queens were put in a pedestal their lives were kept private to preserve their appeal as silver screen idols.
The movie "Takipsilim" was released during the yuletide season and that was the start of the ultimate love team that would last until the mid-50's.
The following years after their first team-up would have them together again in the classic romantic films like "Senorita" (1940), "Colegiala" (1940), "Lambingan" (1940), "Panambitan" (1941), "Tampuhan (1941), "Maala-ala Mo Kaya" (1954), "Ang Tangi Kong Pagibig (1955) and "Iyong-iyo" (1955).
At a time when Rogelio de la Rosa got detailed in the political arena for the presidential elections, Carmen continued doing Sampaguita movies with other leading men like Jose Padilla Jr. in "Matandang Dalaga" (1954), Cesar Ramirez in "Uhaw na Pagibig" (1955), Ric Rodrigo in "R.O.T.C." (1955), Eddie Garcia in "Halik sa Lupa" (1961) and Leopoldo Salcedo in "Anak ni Kamagong" (1964).
Carmen Rosales, who started her professional acting career when she became Radio Queen in 1937, met and fell in love with radio personality Ramon Novales.
They had one son, Rene. Her husband unfortunately died fighting with the Japanese during World War II. What is worth-noting is that a barrio (Carmen) in Rosales, Pangasinan was named after her. Her life-story was made into a movie by Sampaguita, "Guerilyera" in 1946.
After the war she resumed her acting career, this time on her own. She got married to Jose Puyat Jr., and they both had a son named Cesar. She appeared in a big box office hit of Premiere Productions' first venture called "Probinsiyana (1946).
When she returned to Sampaguita, she was reunited with Leopoldo Salcedo in "Hindi Kita Malimot" (1948), the movie was directed by Eddie Romero. In 1949, she became the highest-paid movie star when LVN Pictures paid her the whopping sum of P45,000 to team up again with Rogelio de la Rosa in "Kampanang Ginto".
Aside from being a top-rate actress who loved the camera and whom the camera loved, Carmen was also a singer. She crooned popular love song done by Constancio C. de Guzman, Mike Velarde and Josefino Cenizal.
Her other memorable movies included "Estela Mondragon", "Lydia", "MN", "Octavia", "Pitong Pagsisisi", "Sandra", "Tatlong Magdalena", "Sa Kamay ng Diyos" (with Leopoldo Salcedo), "Mameng Iniibig Kita (with Oscar Moreno), "Camelia" (in 1945) and "Vicky". (Send email to skipo_jack@yahoo.com or text at 09287125618 for your comments and suggestions.
Advance Happy birthday to Rogelio dela Cruz on October 5, from friends. I guess I know the guy.)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (October 1, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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