The MAGALONAS are a very popular showbiz family, thanks largely to the love team of
reel-and-real life sweethearts PANCHO MAGALONA and TITA DURAN, who captivated
Filipino movie fans with their many hit movies.
PANCHO MAGALONA
(Enrique Gayoso Magalona Jr., b. 22 Jan. 1923/d. Apr. 1998), was born with a
silver spoon in his mouth, the son of former senator Enrique Magalona Sr. of
Negros Occidental. His sister, Susan Magalona (who married Joaquin Elizalde)
was a legendary beauty in her time. He began his film career in 1947, when he
was cast in “Prima Donna”, backed by
a recommendation from Dna. Aurora Quezon, no less. The film was headlined by opera singer Jovita Fuentes
His dashing mestizo looks sent many fans swooning, but
his star shone brighter when, the next year, he was teamed up with a former
child actress TITA DURAN. Their formidable
love team was one of the most well-loved in showbiz, beginning in 1948, with
the movie “Dahil Sa Iyo”.
PANCHO MAGALONA FOR LUCKY STRIKE CIGARETTES, 1965 |
The apex of Pancho’s
career was a FAMAS Best Actor trophy for
his 1958 film, “Hanggang sa Dulo ng Daigdig”.
He even went on to bag Hollywood roles lin the Jeff Chandler starrer “Merrills’
Marauders” and “The Hook”, with no less than Kirk Douglas. His iconic role,
however, was that of Simon, in the 1962 Jose Rizal movie,”El Filbusterismo”.
Pancho’s other half, TITA
DURAN (aka Tita Durango, b. 14 Jun,1929/ d. 2 Dec. 1991) started as a child
actress,who as an 8-year old, was cast as an abandoned child in the 1936 melodrama, “ Awit ng mga Ulila”. Sampaguita Pictures signed her up in 1938,
and put her in another tear-jerker film, “Inang
Mahal”. The war intervened but she returned as a young woman to her former
studio, Sampaguita Pictures, to support Carmen Rosales in “Gerilyera”, which led to light musical roles—and a durable partnership
with PANCHO MAGALONA.
The tandem were acclaimed for romance-musicals like “Always, Kay Ganda Mo” (1949), “Umaga Na
Giliw,” “Kay Ganda Mo Neneng,” (1950) “Sa Isang Sulyap Mo Tita,” and “Vod-A-Vil ”(1953)
and “Sa
Isang Halik Mo, Pancho” (1954). So wildly popular was their love team that PANCHO and TITA were sought after as commercial models, even after they had married and had started a
family. Their children would include Francis, Susan, Vicky, Victor, Henry,
Popeye , Malot, Maricar and Martin.
WATCH FRANCIS MAGALONA
"Royal Tru Orange" TVC "Ito Ang Gusto Ko"here:
The MAGALONA legacy
was continued by son FRANCIS MAGALONA
(b. 4 Oct. 1964/6 Mar. 2009), who, as Francis M, is recognized as the best and the most
successful all-time Filipino rapper. He had monster hit songs like “Mga Kababayan Ko”, “Kaleidoscope World”,
”3 Stars and a Sun”, and “Ito ang Gusto Ko”, which became the
track of his well-remembered ROYAL
TRU-ORANGE Commercials.
WATCH FRANCIS MAGALONA RTO TVC HERE:
On March 18, 2009, FRANCIS
MAGALONA was recognized by the Philippine government with a posthumous
Presidential Medal of Merit award, "for his musical and artistic
brilliance, his deep faith in the Filipino and his sense of national pride that
continue to inspire us."
SOURCES:
Pancho Magalona, Tita Duran, Francis Magalona:
Videos:
Francis Magalona Royal Tru Orange 2 Commercial Royal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHi6Zg_io6g,
uploaded by
Francis Magalona, 22 May 2016
Francis Magalona RTO Commercial, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tipPV_45gkw, uploaded by ninjacool 69, 3 Mar. 2011
He is the son of the late Pancho Magalona & Tita Duran he is also a rapper musician singer songwriter and actor/comedian in the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteFrancis Magalona (1964-2009) Filipino actor singer & comedian.
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