Tita & Pancho: Most loved team on & off screen

Of all the movie partners, past and present, the most loved are Tita Duran and Pancho Magalona. But more than a loveteam onscreen, Tita and Pancho were husband and wife in real life, their love story lasting till the end of time.

Tita (Teresita Rigo Durango) was the most popular child star before World War II. After the war, by this time already a teenager, Tita signed up with Sampaguita Pictures where she was paired with Oscar Moreno, Fred Montilla and Pancho Magalona.

The first Tita and Pancho starrer, Dahil sa Iyo (1948), was a big hit.

Romance blossomed and after their wedding, Tita and Pancho were paired mostly in romance-musicals like Sa Isang Sulyap Mo, Tita and Sa Isang Halik Mo, Pancho. From then on, Tita appeared on the big screen only with Pancho.

Outside Sampaguita, they starred in Bella Filipina and Mr. and Mrs., among others. Tita and Pancho were identified with two songs, Dahil Sa Iyo and Always.

Pancho (Enrique Gayoso Magalona) was the son of Sen. Enrique Magalona of Sarabia, Negros Occidental and Consuelo Gayoso. An Ateneo de Manila student, Pancho was introduced in 1947 in Prima Donna (topbilled by soprano Jovita Fuentes) upon the recommendation of former First Lady Aurora Quezon.

Unlike Tita, Pancho made films with other leading ladies, including acclaimed ones like Bert Avellana’s Cry Freedom with Rosa Rosal, Gregorio Fernandez’s Emily opposite Charito Solis, Gerardo de Leon’s El Filibusterismo and Hanggang sa Dulo ng Daigdig, which gave him the Best Actor award from FAMAS in 1958.

The Tita and Pancho legacy was carried on by Francis Magalona, rapper, actor and TV host. He was married to Pia Arroyo.

The Magalonas in showbiz today are siblings Maxene and Elmo. Maxene is the lookalike of her beautiful grandmother, Tita Duran. Elmo is a combination of his parents, Francis and Pia.

In Negros Occidental, a town is named after Sen. Magalona, the father of Pancho and the legendary beauty Susan Magalona Elizalde.

Magalona fans are following Maxene’s presence in showbiz. But then right now, she’s occupied with personal matters, preparing for her wedding to musician-artist Robby Mananquil.— RKC