Charmed by the king
Yes, I do have my own little Dolphy story, one that showed me first-hand how magnetic the King of Comedy was—and how he had none of the airs that a star of his stature had every right to put on.
Yes, I do have my own little Dolphy story, one that showed me first-hand how magnetic the King of Comedy was—and how he had none of the airs that a star of his stature had every right to put on.
“Life is a mist,” a good friend wrote me today. That was the message to me this week after the two extraordinary men passed away one after the other—Dolphy at 83, and Wawel Mercado at 44. Their extraordinariness was most manifested in the way they loved their families to the very end.
Mang Dolphy always had the last laugh when he played gay roles. Perhaps because he laughed at himself clad in outrageous women’s clothes, first and foremost. A shy smile, then a soft chuckle. He always played gays as soft-spoken, and with a moral compass pointing to integrity and optimism. Not a screaming faggot, but a proud gay man.
For the fast few days, every Filipino has worn a shroud of sorrow to mourn the passing of our beloved Dolphy. This incredibly funny, sensitive, gentle and gracious, incomparable entertainer was genuinely respected and held in high esteem by powerful people, his peers and by the man on the street.
I photographed Dolphy a few times. This photo was from 2001. Eric Quizon, a neighbor of mine and a good friend, asked if I could do the poster for the movie he was directing. I shot the cast. My studio was in my house—my living room area was my studio. They asked Dolphy to do many things—jump, tiptoe.
His vital signs may have improved, but comedian Dolphy remains at the intensive care unit of the Makati Medical Center, so calls for him to be proclaimed National Artist, while they may have abated in the meantime, are expected to continue. But the drawn-out selection process and other inconvenient realities may conspire to rule out any immediate proclamation.
The national outpouring of love and support for Dolphy, the Philippine’s undisputed King of Comedy, has been most heartwarming. In the media and on social networking sites, everyone, young and old alike, has something wonderful to say about the legend who has been part of our homes, our culture and our lives for as far back as we can remember.
It all happened in 1964 for Jim Toolen. Only 19, 6-ft-4, blonde and bronzed from surfing in his native Long Beach, California, Jim was picked that summer for a role beyond his dreams.
They’re immortals. They’re happiness givers who lived and died bringing the “feel-good” and hearty laughter in our lives.
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