Lorenzo P. Tuells’ features were commercial and artistic triumphs

TUELLS. Contributed to the popularity of Carmen Rosales and Rogelio dela Rosa’s screen tandem.

No movie director has been as “undervalued” as Lorenzo P. Tuells. For almost three decades, from 1930s to the ’50s, he held important positions in various studios like Excelsior Films and Lebran International, where he directed his first English movie, “The Spell,” in 1950.

At Sampaguita Pictures, Tuells directed two versions – in English and Tagalog –of the post-war film, “Maynila,” a drama set in the war-torn metropolis that follows the lives of people living under the Japanese Occupation Army’s rule, provoking viewers to ask: “Are they spies or patriots?” It starred Corazon Noble, Ely Ramos, Tita Duran, Johnnie Arville, Fred Montilla, Cris de Vera and Maria Cristina.

Love team

Tuells contributed to the popularity of the love team of Carmen Rosales and Rogelio dela Rosa with “Lambingan” and “Tampuhan,” which had colossal settings, romantic backdrops and scintillating songs from Mike Velarde, Constancio de Guzman and Santiago Suarez.

After the war, the popular tandem was split up when Dela Rosa put up his own movie company. Tuells continued to direct the movies of Rosales with other leading men, like Oscar Moreno (“Si, Si, Senyorito,” “Hele, Hele, Bago Quiere”) and Ricardo Montes (“Babae, Babae at Babae Pa”).

Interestingly, the first film that Tuells directed was LVN’s “Mabangong Bulaklak” (1939), which was intended by Doña Sisang to be a sequel to “Giliw Ko.” But, Fausto Galauran’s story didn’t have room for a musical number.

“Mababangong Bulaklak” is about a country girl (Elsa Oria) who catches the eye of a city boy (Fernando Poe), but they’re kept from meeting by the former’s guardian (Cecilio Joaquin) – who turns out to be her father!

Outcome

Everybody who knew Doña Sisang, the strong-willed LVN matriarch, could predict the outcome of the picture – and it was up to Tuells  to apply what he had learned from his correspondence  course in  scriptwriting and directing at   Palmer’s Institute of Motion Pictures to make good what was expected of him. The movie was the director’s first – and last – film for LVN.

That same year, Sampaguita Pictures tapped him to direct “Magbalik Ka, Hirang,” a drama musical starring Noble, Octavio Romero and Rosa Aguirre, inspired by Nicanor Abelardo’s composition. It fared well at the box office, and was the beginning of Tuells’ beautiful partnership with the studio, where he helmed 14 pictures.