‘The show must go on’ for Kuya Germs

MORENO (sixth from left) with the other stars of “Mga Batang Turista.”

What it the secret of Kuya Germs’ staying power in show biz?

Whoever it was who said that “you can’t put a good man down” knows whereof he speaks, if he’s talking about German Moreno.  Certainly, Germs have done it all during his long career in show business, from stage shows and movies to television and video production.

He started as a “telonero” or curtain-raiser for Don Jose Zarah’s Extravaganza at Clover Theater. He was paid a little less than a peso a day, but there was always food and drinks around, so he never got hungry.

During lean days, he would do janitorial work, mopping floors and emptying garbage cans, because the stage was where he worked and sometimes also slept.

But, when the stars were there, he did what he loved best—hanging around and running errands for them, and yet feeling somehow that he was one of them!

This paid off when one of the dancers fell ill, Germs stepped into the role in drag, earned a pat on the back, and was promoted him to stagehand on the spot!

I remember when I met Germs for the first time on the set of a Sampaguita-VP coproduction, “Mga Batang Turista,” which was our first movie to be filmed abroad. The year was 1965, and we were shooting a big musical number in the dining hall of the S/S President Roosevelt, which was going to take us to Hong Kong.

As the band played “A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody,” the female stars, in their fabulous gowns, made their appearance, together with their handsome escorts—Rosemarie and Pepito Rodriguez, Jean Lopez and Romeo Rivera, Gina Pareño and Edgar Salcedo, Shirley Moreno and Ramil Rodriguez, Blanca Gomez and Bert Le Roy Jr.

There was gay banter and laughter, and some stars even appeared tipsy, which was very entertaining because they were so beautiful and looked surreal.

DIRECTOR Silos with starmaker Doc Perez.

It turned out that script changes had to be made at the last minute by director Ocatavio Silos and his associate, Maning Borlaza, because everybody had become seasick when our ship started crossing the rough South China Sea, where there was a typhoon on our path.

No wonder our fashion annotator, Madame Soneja, couldn’t make it, and I was forced to pinch–hit for her at the last minute. When I gripped the microphone to describe the gowns, I held on for dear life!

We made it, thanks to the camaraderie of the group that had seen them through in previous “Batang” series films like “Mga Batang Artista” and “Mga Batang Iskwater.” In those films, Doc Perez was already building up the comedy team of German Moreno and Boy Alano.

I remember teasing Germs after we arrived home  that, when the girls were getting  sick and couldn’t change  into their gowns, I half-expected him to get into a gown himself, in drag. That would have stopped the show!