480. Jukebox Queen, EVA EUGENIO for THREE FLOWERS POMADE (1979) and TOSHIBA (1983)

Chanteuse EVA EUGENIO (b. 22 Jan. 1946), was a successful pop singer dubbed as one of the country’s "Jukebox Queens", so called because of their hit songs that were popularized via jukeboxes, that were music entertainment staples for the masses. The pay-for-play jukeboxes were once available in places of leisure and convergence like in billiard and pool halls, beer gardens, restaurants, cabarets and downtown establishments.

Jukebox Queen EVA EUGENIO ALBUM COVER

Eugenio shared the title with Claire dela Fuente and Imelda Papin, singing melodramatic songs that spoke of anguished love, troubled relationships, and broken feelings---themes that resonated with the common tao. They were all sung in similar styles, with a lot of angst, sensuality, verging on tearful sentimentality.

The titles of her hit songs, recorded under Polyeast Records, conveyed it  all: “Tukso”, a massive hit in 1979, “Pag-ibig na Walang Dangal”, “Kaligayahang Pansamantala”, “Gulong ng Palad)”(1980), “Kasalanan Ba?”, “Umaga Na, Wala Ka Pa” (1981) and “Uhaw” (1982).

At her peak, she made the rounds of top TV shows, top clubs and hotels, out-of-town engagements nationwide, and was a much-sought after performer in the Asian entertainment circuit. She even ventured into movies and even made one based in her song: “Hoy,Tukso! Layuna Mo Ako”, ” with Joseph Estrada.

Eugenio’s popularity among the masses was not lost among advertisers. Legendary adman Minyong Ordoñez of Basic Advertising, chose her to resurrect a dying pomade brand THREE FLOWERS BRILLIANTINE, that has been around in the Philippines since the 1950s. He created the theme “Lalaking Disente” (man of decency), which very much described the image of a Filipino gentleman—handsome, well-groomed, polished, a true cavalier—qualities that are fast disappearing in these modern times.

WATCH 3 FLOWERS "LALAKING DISENTE" TVC HERE:

The quick fix for that of course, is the tried and tested THREE FLOWERS BRILLIANTINE. It was Eugenio who sang a paean to this man who has captured her heart at first sight--“hindi ko mailihim ang damdaming sa aking dibdib, na nagsasabing ika’y mahalin…Lalaking Disente. Eugenio sang it so intensely, moving men to rediscover the old brand and revert back to being the gentlemen that they were.

TOSHIBA WITH EVE EUGENIO, 1983

THREE FLOWERS BRILLIANTINE was Eugenio’s most renown endorsement project, but it wasn’t the last. Four years after, she bagged another lucrative deal with TOSHIBA, a leading Japanese electronic company that specialized in audio and video appliances like Bombeat, Beta and VCRs. She did a local print campaign and had the chance to go to Japan and promote the TOSHIBA brand in malls and trade shows.

EVA IN A TOSHIBA EVENT IN JAPAN

Today, EVA EUGENIO continues to accept bookings for shows, and ocassionally appear as guests on TV noontime shows, and in game shows, the most recent of which was in “I Can See Your Voice PH”, a mystery music contest franchise.

SOURCES:

Eva Eugenio, Wikipedia and FB Page

Three Flowers Pomade, Lalaking Disente, uploaded by 4 A’s Philippines, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4wAzNXxJFo

457. BENCH FIX HAIRSTYLING STICK, "Do-It-Yourself Styling Demo", 2002

A CONCEPT BOARD TO EXPLAIN THE BENCH/FIX ACTIVATION IDEA,

The BENCH FIX Styling Salons were opened in 2002 by the lifestyle company BENCH, and their initial success spawned hair grooming products, the first of which was the BENCH FIX HAIRSTYLING STICK. 

The creative team of Jimenez D'Arcy, the agency assigned to BENCH promotions, conceived of an idea to launch the product and introduce styling possibilities. The team, led by Creative Director Don  Sevilla III, came up with a do-it-yourself demo using a whiteboard marker attached to the product case. A whiteboard poster was placed in Bench FIX Salons.

362. MORE AMUSING BRAND NAMES YOU WON'T BELIEVE WERE USED IN THE PHILIPPINES, Part II

Part II of some of the most amusing, unusual, and sometimes, weird-sounding names ever coined for real products, that were available in the Philippines –from the 1930s to the 1960s.

***********

BARRY’S TRICOPHEROUS, Brand name for:  Hair Tonic against baldness, thinning hair and dandruff

BARRY’S TRICOPHEROUS was introduced in the late 1840s by "professor" and former New York wig-maker, Alexander C. Barry. The term “tricopherous” alone  conjures many images—either a serious, incurable disease or the name of an extinct dinosaur. But despite its name, the product did surprisingly well.  Barry exhorted his customers: “Stimulate the skin to healthful action with the Tricopherous, and the torpid vessels, recovering their activity, will annihilate the disease.” Apparently, that worked for many satisfied men. The product contains 97% alcohol, 1.5% castor oil, and 1% tincture of cantharides (Spanish fly), which supposedly help stimulate the scalp’s blood supply.  BARRY’S TRICOPHEROUS is still being produced and sold today by Lanman & Kemp-Barclay & Co.

GALISATUM: Brand Name for: Skin Ointment

GALISATUM Lunas Galis was a skin ointment developed by Dr. Carlos Jahrling of Botica Sta. Cruz in the 1930s. Dr. Jahrling was a German pharmacist from Offenbach who opened his own business in Manila.“Galis” was an all-encompassing local  term for any skin conditions. “-Atum” was a suffix that was  commonly used in pharmaceutical products  like “mentholatum”and “petrolatum”.  GALISATUM with Lunas Galis sounds more like an incantation or a Latin spell to improve skin condition, especially when you say it thrice.  But it does relieves prickly heat, chafing, pimples, mange, eczema, dandruff and  maladies with mysterious names like Dhobie’s Itch (another term for Jock’s Itch) and Hongkong Foot (a slang for athlete’s foot), as this ad from 1936 claims.

GAYTOP: Brand Name for: Concentrated Hairdressing and Conditioner

Before gay language became more elaborate, it was okay to for Helene Curtis to dub its latest hair conditioner product.  GAYTOP. Nothing wrong with that--in the late 1950s. Today, GAYTOP sounds so suggestive with its homo-erotic undertones;  it seems to reveal  one’s orientation and preferred sexual role—especially when talked about in a beauty parlor! Indeed, if this product were around today, it will be a “brand that dares not speak its name”.

JAGGING JAGGING: Brand Name for:  Face Powder and Pomade

There really is no reason why a  cosmetic product guaranteed to make you “lovely to look at” be named JAGGING JAGGING. It is nonsensical, unfeminine and the sound is far from mellifluous. But  Chun Huat Pomade Factory, the manufacturer, did just that, making it hard to believe that Jagging Jagging  is indeed,  a “girls’ favorite”. Ad from 1934. 

KULSO-ALIS: Brand Name For:  Anti-diarrhea, anti-dysentery

Another product coming from Dr. Jahrling’s Botica St. Cruz is  KULSO-ALIS, a concoction with a brand name that comes from “Kulso” (diarrhea, loose bowel movement) and “Alis” (to be free from, begone). It was a common way to coin brand names for products this way, bewildering the Pilipino name may be to a foreigner. Perhaps this anti-LBM medicine was really meant to target local market only.It is interesting that Kulso-Alis lists  opium as one of its ingredients. Ad from 1937

 (This article originally appeared in the online magazine Esquire Philippines www.esquiremag.ph, on 11 Feb. 2019, under the title "Funniest Filipino Brand names in the 20th Century", commissioned from the author, Alex del Rosario-Castro)

280. Need A Haircut? Get the TRIM JIM Cut, by Union Carbide, 1971

In this age of the great COVIC pandemic, the world desperately needs a cure, a vaccine to put our fears to rest—and end this agonizing, extended community quarantine, that  continues to leave us isolated, hungry, pennyless—and in need of haircuts. Back in the early 1970s though, when long hair ruled supreme, there was a handy plastic contraption that one could carry in one’s jeans' pocket for quickly trimming and styling hair—without going to the barber shop.

In 1971, UNION CARBIDE introduced the TRIM JIM Safety Haircutter. It is a handy two-bladed do-it-yourseld plastic  hair trimmer that you use to trim your locks, simply by running the TRIM JIM through your hair, much like comb.

You can cut your hair longish—to achieve the HARE KRISHNA Look. Or thin it to get that EXECUTIVE Look. 

The TRIM JIM was so convenient when launched in the Martial Law years as long-haired boys opted to cut their own hair personally, than have it cut by scissors-wielding military people who were then hot on the trails of these long-haired nonconformists. ROTC cadets, too, brought a TRIM JIM along, in case their crew cut was still deemed to lush and thick.  A quick TRIM JIM cut will do it—for just 4 pesos!

Despite its much-heralded convenience, the results of using a TRIM JIM were unpredictable.  Unsteady hand pressure can cause uneven cutting. Sometimes, a single run of TRIM JIM with new, sharp blades can result in instant bald patches.Contouring hair like sideburns was difficult.

But then again, it’s true what TRIM JIM claims. The TRIM JIM cut is your own personal signature-- you get truly a different breed of cut!

162. Filipino Matinee Idols in THREE FLOWERS POMADE Print Ads, 1956-57

One of the most enduring  brands of brilliantine pomade was THREE FLOWERS, made by Richard Alexander Hudnut way back in 1915, an American perfumer and cosmetics maker based in New York, with a European office in Paris, France.

It was distributed locally in the Philippines by Edward A. Keller & Co. sometime in 1950 to capitalize on the growing hairstyle trend of the midcentury--pompadour, side parts, slick-backs and cowlicks—popularized by screen legends as Cary Grant, Elvis Presley, James Dean, and later, Sean Connery. THREE FLOWERS Brilliantine Pomade became a favorite grooming aid  to style hair and give it a good sheen and, subtle masculine scent.

The most handsome matinee idols of the 50s were tapped to become celebrity endorsers for THREE FLOWERS’ 1956-1957 print campaign that primarily ran in leading magazines.  Four print ads from this series are shown on this page, each with a testimonial from a chosen actor-model.

LUIS GONZALES, for THREE FLOWERS,1956

Luis Gonzales,  (b. 8 Aug. 1928/d. 15 Mar. 2012) was born Luis Mercado, and grew up I  Tondo.  The prolific actor made over 100 films with Sampaguita Pictures and he is bets known for his portrayal of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos in two propaganda-cum-drama films:  “Iginuhit ng Tadhana” and a“Pinagbuklod ng Langit” ("Heaven was Gathered", 1965). He was often paired with actress Gloria Romero. Of THREE FLOWERS, Gonzales says: “ Women love the masculine fragrance of THREE FLOWERS…so do I!”.

MARIO MONTENEGRO, for THREE FLOWERS, 1956

Mario Montenegro,  (b. 25 Jul. 1928/d. 27 Aug. 1988) aka Roger Collin Macalalag of Pagsanjan, Laguna, was a Fine Arts student of UP, and was discovered while helping build sets for films. In his teens, he also was a member of Hunters ROTC guerrilla unit that saw action in the war. He is best known for his period films that showed him as a swashbuckling hero. Montenegro, who married fellow actress Letty Alonso, says that he “prefers the finest to look my best: THREE FLOWERS”.

EDDIE ARENAS, for THREE FLOWERS, 1957

Eddie Arenas,  (b. 7 Jul. 1935/d. 31 Mar. 2003) was a featured actor of Sampaguita Pictures and made many films with actress Lolita Rodriguez, who eventually became his wife. Some of his notable films include “Ang Tangi kong Pag-ibig” (1955), Gilda (1956), “Busabos” (1957),”Tanikalang Apoy” (1959). Before his passig, he was last seen in the 2002 movie, “Mahal Kita: Final Answer”. Of the product, Arenas opines that “I always look my best with THREE FLOWERS”.

RIC RODRIGO, for THREE FLOWERS, 1956

Ric Rodrigo (b. 1931/d.?)  was born as Paul Albert Bregendahl, the son of a Filipina mother and a Danish father . He is  best-known for  his appearance in “Igorota” (1968), where he was hailed as Asia’s Best Actor. Other significant films include “Dahil sa Isang Bulaklak” (1967) and “Ina, Kapatid, Anak” (1979). A son from actress Rita Gomez, Ronald Bregandahl, also became an actor. “THREE FLOWERS gives my hair a healthy sheen that is admired by all my friends”, says the good-looking Rodrigo.

THREE FLOWERS was a consistent advertiser through the 60s, but fell out of favor with the rise of modern pomade sticks, gels and cream, and it was only in 1979 that the brand was resurrected with the memorable relaunche campaign conceived by Basic Advertising—‘Lalaking Disente’. Needless to say, all the actors that appeared in the print ads from way back 1956, all fitted that “lalaking disente” mold—thanks to THREE FLOWERS!

119. Karapatdapat sa Paghanga: ROBIN HOOD POMADE, Print Ad, 1953

ROBIN HOOD POMADE/BRILLIANTINE. 1953

In the 50s, young Pinoy lads dabbed their hair with "brilliantine" pomade to create the pompadour look that was the rage of the era. Popularized by James Dean and Elvis, the iconic men's hairdo was completed with cowlick that was forced to curl in front of one's forehead with more dabs of pomade. Early brands included imported ones like Vitalis, Yardley and Brylcreem, but cheaper, local brands dominated the market from the late 40s-60s, like "Palikero", "X-7", "Verbena", "Le Conte" . One post-war brand, "ROBIN HOOD MEDICATED SOLID BRILLIANTINE POMADE" (in both cream and liquid brilliantine forms) attained a measure of popularity with young Pinoy lads of the era.

Created by Beauty Chemical Lab which had a plant along Benavidez St., Binondo in Manila, ROBIN HOOD caught on with the young crowd, favoring its extra-heavy brilliantine effect on hair.

The brand icon shows the bemoustached hero-outlaw who robbed the rich to help the poor---ROBIN HOOD--all in his red tights glory. Curiously, the package graphics show him wielding a sword instead of the bow and arrow that identifies him as an archer, first and foremost.

ROBIN HOOD Pomade was promoted nationally and advertising tin signs like this example were nailed in front of neighborhood stores to attract consumer attention. There were comics-like print ad versions written in deep, poetic Pilipino.

ROBIN HOOD, print ad 1953

Pomades went out of style in the 90s, with hair gels and clay taking their place. But in the distant 50s, there was nothing like ROBIN HOOD to groom you and bring out the the handsome rogue in you. Finally, as its advertising blurb proclaims---gleaming, shining, brilliant hair can now be "thrillingly yours!".

POSTSCRIPT: Sometime in 2012, a cache of vintage ROBIN HOOD pomade stocks as well as point-of-sale materials, mostly tin signs,  were discovered in a Binondo store. These were immediately snapped up by Filipino pickers and collectors.