Apeng Daldal
Like most comedians in those days, Apeng – known for his big set of teeth and his being a fast talker (Daldal) – started in vaudeville where he was a dancer. He honed his dancing skills, however, in the regular “pasayaw ng mga bakla” in his Tondo neighborhood where he was a favorite male dancing partner of post-war cross-dressers. From stage shows, he also ventured into film (with Gina Pareño as leading lady) and television. His most memorable performance for me, however, was in an episode of Eliza(Boots Anson Roa’s drama anthology in the old BBC-2) where he played the personal assistant of a powerful man (Arnold Mendoza). In the story, Mendoza is married to Boots, but has a mistress (Coney Nubla – later to become Coney Reyes) he treats shabbily. After getting Coney pregnant, he dumps her, she loses the baby and dies during the miscarriage. Secretly in love with Coney, Apeng avenges her death by killing Mendoza.
Like most comedians in those days, Apeng – known for his big set of teeth and his being a fast talker (Daldal) – started in vaudeville where he was a dancer. He honed his dancing skills, however, in the regular “pasayaw ng mga bakla” in his Tondo neighborhood where he was a favorite male dancing partner of post-war cross-dressers. From stage shows, he also ventured into film (with Gina Pareño as leading lady) and television. His most memorable performance for me, however, was in an episode of Eliza(Boots Anson Roa’s drama anthology in the old BBC-2) where he played the personal assistant of a powerful man (Arnold Mendoza). In the story, Mendoza is married to Boots, but has a mistress (Coney Nubla – later to become Coney Reyes) he treats shabbily. After getting Coney pregnant, he dumps her, she loses the baby and dies during the miscarriage. Secretly in love with Coney, Apeng avenges her death by killing Mendoza.
With Apeng’s excellent performance in that Eliza episode, I really started to get convinced that great comedians also make good dramatic actors.
Apeng Daldal died in 1992.
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