Direk Fritz in the eyes of Martin

I bumped into Martin Nievera a few weeks ago. It was good seeing him again after a long time. I think the last time we saw each other was when we participated in a grief management conference organized by EPCALM (Erwin Piedad Cabanag Adult Leukemia Ministries) held at the Siliman Hall in Dumaguete City. I did an interview with Martin before the attendees of the seminar.

The verbal joust we had was electric with a healthy dose of chismis on the side. After a while, our conversation moved to veteran director-actor Fritz Ynfante. There is a special tribute for Tito Fritz on Nov. 28, 8 p.m., at the Music Museum. You have to catch this!

Martin reminisced the first time he met direk Fritz. “If memory serves me right, we met during a production meeting for a new show I was being offered. It was the show Penthouse Live. Tito Fritz was a joker. Well, at least I hoped he was, because he seemed pretty serious when he was joking around so full of love and lambing. In short, he was a big flirt. He was so cute and supportive and full of big words only a Thesaurus could make me understand. Above all, he was confident he could turn this young ambitious boy into a successful TV host.”

He added, “He is intimidatingly sweet. With Tito Fritz, what you see is not what you get. With Tito Fritz, it’s ‘ready or not,’ what you see is what you get!”

Martin went on to describe Tito Fritz, “He is the sweetest, sharpest, bluntest perfectionist I have ever known. He never forgets a thing. He makes it his life to remember every detail about how he met you when he met you almost to what you wore that day. And if you don’t remember what he does about that day you better run.”

“In my opinion, Fritz Ynfante invented the ‘extreme close-up.’ He used to give us the closest close-ups, so close that you could almost see not just my pores but my thoughts, too. He is demanding almost to a fault but as the perfectionist that he is, he is only after not just the good shot but the perfect one, too. Tito Fritz had a temper back then, but as quick as he was to bark, he was quicker to explain his bite with a big hug or even a tender caress to the face. He was a big baby camouflaged in a monster suit.”

Martin has fond memories of the brilliant director. “I owe Tito Fritz my life. He gave me my first hosting job and taught me everything I know and don’t know enough about television. From sequencing a show, lining up songs to adding humor and lightness to every interview. He taught me how to listen more and talk less even with a big mouth.

“Tito Fritz is a director’s director. He may be fierce and demanding but he gets the job done. He was a great director during a time when directors did everything great all by themselves. I miss the tender screams I would hear through the headphones of half deaf floor directors grimacing at his every command. Music to my ears! Without Tito Fritz in my life, I would have never lived this dream come true.”

Even Bettina Aspillaga, Backroom’s vice president and Martin’s former road manager, had this to say, “Mataray si Fritz. Terror. But I never had any bad encounter with him. He is always nice to me. He is a prankster. If you look at Fritz, he really looks mataray. People who don’t know him will not go near him right away. Mataray siya pero may soft heart.”

Backroom president Rowena Salido shared an anecdote about Tito Fritz, “When our office was still at VV Soliven, tumatawag si direk Fritz to inquire about the artists and the shows. Until now, I never met him. I heard others say direk Fritz is mataray pero tuwing sisindakin niya ako, I charm him by promising, ‘Sige, Tito Fritz, dadalhan kita ng tiramisu at payong ng Backroom.’ Then, we’re okay again.”

So much has been said about direk Fritz’s storied career. Apart from his directorial stint with Penthouse Live, he was also at the helm of other television shows like Keep On Dancing and It’s a Date. He is also acknowledged for creating the memorable character Donya Buding, played by Nanette Inventor.

As an actor, Tito Fritz was part of the cast in movies like Jose Rizal (1998), Gumising ka... Maruja (1978) and Mananayaw (1978). In recent years, he acted in Vic Sotto movies such as Enteng Ng Ina Mo and Dobol Trobol, where he played Doc Fairy and Chef Paco, respectively.

During the Holy Week observation in 2013, direk Fritz tried to wring all his creative juices through an exhibit showing “a new wave stations of the cross” adorned with Filipino culture touches and peopled by unusual models including a cancer survivor who portrayed the Virgin Mary.

Last year, after getting involved in training top beauty contestants in communication, he predicted the victory of Mutya Datul at the Miss Supranational held in Minsk, Belarus. He also helped train Janine Tugonon for the Miss Universe 2012 pageant where she took home the first runner-up crown.

People who have been part of Tito Fritz’s remarkable journey in front and behind the camera are expected to camp around him in a tribute show titled I’m Still Here: Barbra and I — A Soiree for Direk Fritz Ynfante. Tito Fritz is known for being a big fan of Barbra Streisand. The title is adapted from a song famously performed by the legendary superstar.

Around 20 big names in Philippine showbiz — in music, theater and movies — are likely to share their time to sing songs, mostly Streisand hits, for direk Fritz and share stories about their experiences with him.

I’m Still Here: Barbra and I — A Soiree for Direk Fritz Ynfante is presented by Pink Productions.