The last word on Dolphy

I also have my own story about Tito Dolphy. He was kind to me, always. I’ve had many conversations with him and the most memorable was for Inside the Cinema on Cinema One which we did in 2008. We taped the episode for more than two hours with students from different schools in the audience.

Here are the highlights of that conversation:

• Tito Dolphy discovered Ronaldo Valdez for the movie Pepe En Pilar in 1966. The movie was under RR Productions (Ronnie and Rodolfo), his production outfit with Fernando Poe Jr. Susan Roces asked him to look for a new artist. He saw Ronaldo playing basketball in the neighborhood and asked him if he wanted to be an actor. He brought him to a presscon and asked Tita Susan to take a good look at the not-so-prepared young Ronaldo. At first, she didn’t like him so Tito Dolphy brought him to a barber shop for a haircut. Then he asked him to try some of his suits at home. The next time Tita Susan saw Ronaldo, she immediately gave her approval without knowing that he was the same guy she rejected at the presscon.    

• Tito Dolphy was kind-hearted. “Madali akong daingan.” A priest needed a piano, Tito Dolphy had no money that time so he pawned his ring to be able to help the priest. “Sa Diyos naman yun. ’Di bale ng wala akong singsing,” he said.

• On dream and failure, he said, “Dream. Huwag bibitiw. ’Pag hindi natuloy, may dahilan iyon. If dreams come true, remember to stay humble. Humility is the name of the game.”

• What will God tell him when he enters the pearly gates? “Oh, matagal na kitang hinihintay ha! Marami na akong araw na binigay sa yo. ’Di kita kinukuha,” he answered in jest.

• I asked, “You have become part of every Filipino home, the Filipino psyche, how do you do this?” “Maniwala at manalangin sa Diyos. ’Yun ang paliwanag diyan.” In 1977, he bought a coffin. He also bought a memorial plan. “Madali akong mabentahan,” he enthused. It was morbid according to some people. But he had his reason for buying. “Kung mahal mo ang pamilya mo, ultimo ang huling hantungan, maganda ang paglalagyan nila. Hindi iyong ‘Saan ba natin ililibing? Maghukay ka na lang diyan? Ibalot nyo sa banig at itapon sa ilog?’ Yun bang ganon. Naranasan ko kasi yon. Hindi maganda.”

• His favorite leading lady was Nida Blanca. They made several successful films together and their TV show John En Marsha ran for 17 years. I asked Tito Dolphy why they never became a couple. He explained that he knew her very well. Nida’s husband was his good friend. He considered her as a sister but when the cameras began to roll, he saw her as a wife. They respected each other. 

• Before a performance, he makes the sign of the cross (like Manny Pacquiao according to him). Tito Dolphy admitted that he still had jitters every time he went on onstage. 

• On friendship: “Basta sway ako sa kaibigan. Kung ano ang gusto mo, sasama ako sa yo. Huwag lang illegal.”

• Tito Dolphy had an inferiority complex when he was a child. He would walk away from people. He was sickly and suffered from asthma attacks. He would sleep for a week inside a mosquito net. He took Pedral, a medicine that made him tremble. Tito Dolphy started dancing when his asthma attacks slowly disappeared.

• Once upon a time, the Great Tito Dolphy spoke to me in an interview. I laughed, I cried, I listened to his wise words. He even taught me how to dance.

Thank you, Tito Dolphy.