393. RICHARD GOMEZ AND HIS 1ST ADS FOR BENCH

BENCH "SCULLER" PRINT, featuring Richard Gomez, 1990

The biggest male matinee idol of the 1990s and who became the face of the country’s most popular fashion brand was born on 7 Apr.1966, the only child of car racer Eddie Kelly Gomez and 60s sexy star, Stella  Suarez.

 RICHARD GOMEZ (full name: Richard Frank Icasiano Gomez) was working at a McDonald’s fastfood when he was spotted by talent manager Douglas Quijano and groomed him for showbiz at age 17. At 18, he appeared in his first movie, “Hindi Mo Ako Kayang Tapakan”. He made a few more, and his screen presence was soon being noted not just by fans, but also by advertising and marketing people. 

BENCH, PrinAd, with a very young Richard Gomez, 1990

It was not until his manager introduced him to the executives of BENCH, then a growing lifestyle brand, that Richard Gomez’s popularity would zoom, thanks to his well-followed appearances as a top commercial model. After snagging a contract with BENCH, he started appearing in their prints ads, store merchandising, displays, giant billboards, and out-of-home advertising materials. He became a staple feature in the talk-of-the-town underwear fashions shows of BENCH.

WATCH BENCH "SCULLER" TVC HERE:

(Credit: Trevor Hone Youtube)

In 1990, he starred in BENCH’s most well-known commercial, a stylish TVC entitled “Sculler”, in which Gomez, a multi-discipline athlete, is shown sculling in a boat all throughought the commercial, which was directed by the late Trevor Hone. Hone, an Australian who had come to the Philippines in 1988 to  take part in the shooting of Philippine Airline’s “Shining Through” commercials would stay on to become a well-respected and admired commercial film director in the Philippines. 

BENCH 'SADDLE'.  1990,  Credit: Bench, via Preview.ph

The same formula was used in the “Saddle” BENCH TVC, also directed by Hone, this time showing the swashbuckling actor with a buzz cut, on a horse.  Gomez thrilled the audience of the 1991 Philippine Advertising Congress when he made his appearance in the awards night in Bacolod. His “Sculler” BENCH TVC won Best in Cinematography. 

WATCH BENCH "SADDLE" TVC HERE

(Credit: Trevor Hone youtube)

A 3rd BENCH commercial shows Gomez paired off with model Joanne Zapanta, in an ad entitled “L’Amoreaux’. 

WATCH BENCH "L'AMOREUX" TVC 60S HERE:

(Credit: Trevor Hone youtube)

His star shone brightest in the 1990s where his mettle as a screen actor was tested: “He appeared in “Dyesebel” , “Shake, Rattle & Roll II “ (1990), and in his big hit, “Hihintayin Kita sa Langit” (1991) , opposite his love interest, Dawn Zulueta. He went on to do more: “Lumayo Ka Nga sa Akin “, “Ikaw ang Lahat sa “, “Iisa Pa Lamang –“ (1991), “Saan Ka Man Naroroon”(1993), “Wating”, “Bakit Pa Kita Minahal”, “Maalaala Mo Kaya: The Movie”, Kapantay ay Langit”, (1994), “Dahas” (1995), “Eskapo” (1996), “Hanggang Kailan Kita Mamahalin” (1997), and “Ang Babae sa Bintana”. 

On TV, he became a star in the long running “Palibhasa, Lalake”, that ran from 1987-1998, “Lagot Ka, Isusumbong Kita” (2003–07) .“Captain Barbell” (2006-07), “Marimar” (2007–08) and hosted “Family Feud”, and “The Biggest Game Show in the World”. 

RICHARD GOMEZ, at the peak of his career, and as congressman, now.

In 1998, he married Lucy Torres, whom he had met while filming a LUX Soap TV commercial. Both had their own sitcom, “Richard Loves Lucy” (1998-2001). They have a daughter, Juliana.

An avid athlete, Gomez took up volleyball and fencing, and became a gold medalist in the latter sport at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.  He ventured in to politics, but had a shaky start (he lost in the 2007 senatorial election, and disqualified for the governorship of Bulacan and mayoralty of Ormoc, due to lack of residency. . In 2016, Gomez ran again and won, and was re-elected in May 2019. Since June 2022, Gomez has been a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, representing Leyte’s 4th district. 

SOURCES:

Richard Gomez, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Gomez

Youtube videos:

TREVOR HONE youtube account: 

Bench “Sculler” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2KbwgrwbQE

Bench "Saddle" 30s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr0NPI09w_4

Bench "L;aMoreux" TV 60s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM1H70Yrw84

Preview.ph for the Bench "Saddle" print ad. 

190. Is That Who I Think They Are? RICHARD GOMEZ and GRETCHEN BARRETTO for BIC Ballpens, 1986

RISING STARS IN THEIR OWN WRITE: Richard Gomez (age 20) & Gretchen Barretto (age 16).

To a high school student growing up in the 1970s, BIC Ballpoint Pens were a must-have lust when shopping for school supplies. The ubiquitous BIC Cristal---created in 1950 by Société Bic of Clichy, France (founded by Marcel Bich with oartner Edouard Bouffard)—was brought to the U.S. in 1959. The ballpoint pens, with tiny metal sphere tip that allowed ink to flow freely helped shift the world market for from fountain pens to ballpens.

BIC Ballpoint Pens—in Orange and Cristal--were widely available in the Philippines by the late 60s and 70s though a local distributor.  They were the dominant brand until papermate of Gillette came along. BIC was promoted on TV and print ads, with focus on product features.

In 1986 however, BIC thought it needed the help of influential celebrities, so a local ad agency created these ads using the endorsement of the two rising showbiz personalities of the day.

RICHARD GOMEZ, (b. 7 Apr. 1966) a former McDonald’s fastfood attendant and the son of 60s sex bomb Stella Suarez, was the toast of tinseltown at the start of the 90s decade. His career was masterminded by Douglas Quijano who urged producer Lily Monteverde to include the 19 year old in her movie “Inday Bote” starring Maricel Soriano. GOMEZ became a megastar in no time at all—not just as a matinee idol, but also as a A-list celebrity endorser. He would star as a sculler in the iconic 1990 commercial of Bench, a signature role he is best remembered for.

But 4 years before Bench, GOMEZ was cast as a model-endorser in a ‘chismis-sy’ BIC print ad. He was already making heads turn for his bit roles in the movies and his potentials were being recognized. By 1990,  the handsome GOMEZ was lording it over the silver screen, starring in hit movies, winning major acting awards while squiring the likes of Dawn Zulueta,  Aiko Melendez,  Sharon Cuneta, and yes, GRETCHEN BARRETTO.

GRETCHEN BARRETTO (b. 6 Mar. 1970) was launched as one of the Regal Babies in the movie “14 Going Steady”, where she also sang the film’s theme song, a radio hit. Her stock rose when she started doing sexy movies produced by Seiko Films, (“Tukso, Layuna Mo Ako”, “Paminsan-minsan”, “Ama, Bakit Mo Ako Pinabayaan?”), erasing her teenybopper image.

But that didn’t seem to faze the advertiser, BIC, as the company employed her services to star in a second BIC ad. In the next years, BARRETTO would be involved in the 1994 Metro Manila Filmfest envelope-switching scam and also with Tony Boy Cojuangco, who would give her a child, Dominique.

Photo: R.Gomez (FB Page)/ G. Barretto (inquirer.net)

Like BIC, the two celebrities have weathered their own personal storms, RICHARD GOMEZ would find a second career as an athlete, meet his wife Lucy Torres while filming a  commercial and dabble in politics. He is currently the mayor of Ormoc, and is seeking re-election in the 2019 election.

GRETCHEN BARRETTO occasionally appears on TV, and runs her own personal charities. She and her partner are still maintaining their relationship.

Meanwhile, BIC Ballpoint Pens  today are considered as the best-selling pens in the world, with over one billion sold. Since 1993, they are distributed in the Philippines by Filstar Distributors Corp.

SOURCES:

BIC Cristal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bic_Cristal

Richard Gomez: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Gomez

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Richard Gomez: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/publicaffairs/tunaynabuhay/356538/six-things-you-didn-t-know-about-richard-gomez/story/

Gretchen Barretto: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_Barretto