“TFTR” cohost (front center) with special friends and sign-mates
THIS month’s nostalgic trip down memory lane in show business takes us all the way back to the ’80s, when “Two for the Road” was a late-evening viewing treat for viewers, who loved the iconic Elvira Manahan’s penchant for dishing out, not the dirt, but the stardust, at many celebrities and showbiz luminaries. Elvira’s hearty signature laugh was a must-hear for night owls who wanted to shoo their blues away, and is vividly remembered to this day by some seniors in the golden glow of their sunset years.
The specific telecast of “TFTR” that the photo on this page recalls was unique, because it was the only time in our seven-year stint as ELM’s cohost that she whipped up a birthday show for us. We didn’t know what got into her, but she and our director, Maria V. Montelibano, went to great lengths to invite only celebrities who shared our astrological sign, Taurus.
Natal month
That must have taken a lot of work, but trust ELM and MVM to have gone the extra mile to make a once-in-a-lifetime brainstorm happen.
In the photo with us are luminaries and friends including Juno Henares, Helen Gamboa, Alice Reyes, Baby Barredo, Becky Garcia, Tillie Moreno, Oscar Miranda, Hammy Sotto, and the one and only Mr. C (Ryan Cayabyab). How young and, ah, beautiful we were! (For people perpetually in search of the fabled Fountain of Youth, this is proof positive that it exists—in old photographs!)
Our birthday guests included dear friends who are no longer with us, so this photo is a special memorial to them and their prodigious talent. We miss Hammy in particular, because he was our student at the Ateneo before he became an acclaimed cineaste and advocate of film preservation and archiving.
Resident villain
As for our past, present and future friends in the photo, it’s good to see that Helen has made a TV comeback as the resident “society” villain on “Walang Hanggan.” Baby is still the leading light at Repertory Philippines, and we treasure memories of the many plays we acted in together, like “The Little Foxes,” “The Glass Menagerie,” “Night of the Iguana,” and the huge two-actor challenge and success that was “The Owl and the Pussycat.”
As for Juno, she’s become a fine thespian in her own right, and we hope to direct her in a new project soon. Speaking of praying and hoping, we also trust that Ryan Cayabyab will finally be honored and rewarded as National Artist, for his many contributions to the music and music-theater fields.
Finally, please note what the Taureans beaming their widest smiles in the photo have in common—their big, bright, expressive eyes. “Cow eyes,” they call them—and, for Taureans born under the sign of the Bull, the term is a snug fit!