556. SOUVENIRS FROM THE NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR 1964

SWISSAIR offered flights to New York World's Fair visitors in 1964

After New York successfully staged its first world’s fair in 1939, it Once again played host 25 years later to another international exposition known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair. 

The venue was at  a 646-acred fairground at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, and the fair attracted 80 nations that put up their own exhibitions, activities, performances, films, art, crafts, and food presentation. "Peace through Understanding" was the fair’s theme and its symbol was the Unisphere, a stainless-steel model of Earth.

Among the 139 pavilions was the Republic of the Philippines building. Designed by national architect Otilio Arellano, the Philippine Pavilion was a circular structure made to look like a traditional salakot sun hat.

AMONG MY NY WORLD'S FAIR  SOUVENIRS. Capiz token and shell key chain.

This structure was widely praised and officially judged as one of the top ten most popular and visited international pavilions, highlighting the country's rich arts and culture.

Advertisers, particularly airlines an film outfits, cashed in on the international event, using the fair’s imagery for films and print ads. The Philippine Pavilion was also promoted through merchandising souvenirs that were sold on site.

SOURCES:

Movie print ad,”Romansa sa World’s Fair”, courtesy of Video 48.

520. Is that Who I Think He Is? ANTHONY ALONZO for LITTON DENIMS, 1983

Once, in the 1950s-thru the 70s, the Philippines was a major manufacturer of fabric in the Asian region, thanks to LITTON & Co. Inc., producers of the well-known LITTON brand of fabrics. The business was started by Englishman George Litton Sr., who came to the Philippines and married a local girl, Rosa Tulod. His fabric business survived the war and became a success in the 50s, helping develop the country’s fabric industry, By the 60s decades, over 20 textile mills were operating in Mandaluyong and Pasig area, with LITTON having the largest and most complete factory built for Php 40 million.  

The Denim craze in the 70s and 80s drove the demand for denims to great heights, and LITTON denims were in full color, in major magazines and newspapers. LITTON’s choice as celebrity endorser surprised many as he was over 30 years old then, quite mature, while other brands employed younger models.

Still, LITTON opted to use the action-sexy film star ANTHONY ALONZO, as he was perhaps, the most visible actor around, with some 30 films under his belt, shot from 1980 to 1985 alone. This meant that Alonzo had quite a major exposure on the silver screen, as well as on videos. In fact, within this 5-year period, he won the 1982 FAMAS Best Actor Award for Bambang and , he triumphed as Best Actor twice at the Manila Filmfest for Bago Kumalat ang Kamandag (1983) and Moises Padilla Story: The Missing Chapter (1985). He would win again in 1987 for Anak ng Badjao, making him the second most awarded Best Actor in the filmfest, after Christopher de Leon.

Born as Antonio Viana Hernandez (2 Apr. 1948) in Quezon City, Anthony is known as  the brother of actress Alicia Alonzo, who herself is still appearing in Filipino films and soap operas. He was already 26 when he appeared in his first movie, Muntinlupa 1950. But he made up for it by becoming the Philippines’ busiest actor from the 1980s thru the 1990s decade. Some of his well-known roles were in the movies Hindi Sa Iyo ang Mundo, Baby Porcuna (1978), Dakpin si Junior Bombay (1979), Dakpin si Pusa, Totoy Scarface (1981), Ang Paghihiganti ni David Burdado (1983), Jabidah Massacre (1990), Relaks Lang, Sagot Kita (1994)-Warlito Gan, and his last movie, Masdan Mo ang Mga Bata (1997). Alonzo died of skin cancer on 9 Oct. 1998 at age 50.

As to LITTON & Co., the heirs—that includes the famous TV Host and Personality Johnny Litton, has shifted its business from clothing to shelter, still aligned to its mission of helping make life better, all for the benefit of many.

SOURCES:

Litton Company: https://littonandcompany.com/litton-legacy.php

Anthony Alonzo, Wikipedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Alonzo

The Washington Post, List of People who fled with Marcos

Video 48, THE EIGHTIES # 504: ANTHONY ALONZO, ROBERTO GONZALEZ, et.al. "ANG PAGHIHIGANTI NI DAVID BURDADO" (1983), https://video48.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-eighties-504-anthony-alonzo-roberto.html

115. History in Ads: IDEAL THEATER, Movie Ads, 1929

RAMON NAVARRO in THE FLYING FLEET. 1929. Print ad, Graphic Magazine

The advent of the moving picture during the first decade of 20^th century Philippines, relegated the old performance arts like zarzuela and the moro-moro to the background. In time, movie houses began sprouting in Manila—and IDEAL THEATER—built in the last quarter of 1910, initially made of wood,  would be hosting the best of Hollywood movies.

Source: Beyond Forgetting, flickr.com

IDEAL THEATER was founded by five Manila families—the Roceses, Tuazons, Teoticos, Guidotes and Basas. It originally had a seating capacity of 400 people, with tickets at 20 centavos for the orchestra, and 40 centavos for balcony.

The theater could be accessed thru Plaza Goiti and along Dulung Bayan St. Its permanent address would become Rizal Avenue after buildings between Dulung Bayan and Salcedo streets were demolished to give way to the new landmark Avenida.

IDEAL THEATER became a byword in city entertainment ever since its first film offering, “The Exodus”, a French production from Gaumont Film Co. After Italian movies, American-made films of Fox, Universal and Famous Players proved to be blockbuster hits among moviegoers.

This led to the expansion and renovation of IDEAL THEATER in the early 1920s, that saw its stature rise as the theater that exclusively showed first-rate Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) films. It would be renovated in 1933 again, under the helm of Architect Pablo Antonio (now National Artist), who gave it a distinct Art Deco look.

THE VIKING, an MGM epic filmed in color. Print Ad, Graphic Magazine. 1929

It was again refurbished in 1955; its screen and stage were widened, and its seating capacity expanded from 1,000 to 5,000. At its prime, the fabulous IDEAL THEATER stood as one of the finest moviehouses in the country, providing its patrons with maximum viewing enjoyment owing to its modern amenities, ambience and elegant features such as its spectacular lobby.

GRETA GARBO & JOHN GILBERT in A WOMAN OF ARRAIRS, 1929. Graphic.

 Sadly, IDEAL THEATER was closed in the 1970s, and further fell  into disarray in the 1980s with the construction of  the LRT (Light Railway Transit) along Avenida. Shortly after, IDEAL THEATER,  was demolished,  its hallowed place taken over by a shopping center.

THE TRAIL OF '98. 1929. Print Ad. Graphic Magazine.

These 1929 movie film ads sponsored by IDEAL THEATER are a testament to its reputation as the crown jewel of movie entertainment in “the most beautiful city in the Far East”.