(Note: Let me make this clear now: I was either just a mere possibility or just too young to remember any of the Philippine TV shows I am will mention in this post.)
No offense, GMA-7’s Master Showman/Walang Tulugan has never been my favorite show. Let’s just say that I’m not its target audience. Still, having worked in the industry for quite some time, I have all my respect for the dedicated people involved in it. Not to mention that the show has sustained respectable ratings despite its unholy timeslot.
But for once, as I happened to tune in to GMA-7 at 2 a.m. this morning, I found Kuya Germs’ guests interesting. It was the cast of the defunct Penthouse-7, the late night dance show, which aired from 1974 to 1981. This, for me, was new information, for I’ve only gotten to hear about Penthouse Live (yes, where Martin and Pops worked), which I still never got to watch anyway because I was too young.
I googled the show, and it turns out that one of the cast members posted recordings of their show on Youtube. And I am posting them for you. I’m very happy to see these videos because they really show how production, hosting, fashion and lifestyle were during their time, and we could see how much everything has changed since then.
Despite the very low-tech production back then, I would really have to admire the rich talents of the show’s cast. They were really good at their craft, so unlike some of today’s star(let)s, who may be very popular, but really do not have any thing to offer (as in zilch!) when they sing or dance on variety shows. Hmmm…is it just them, or is the Pinoy audience’s standards deteriorating?
I’m glad to see these videos because the industry has not been able to preserve much of the materials from the 1950’s up to the early 1980’s. There’s practically no accessible video of the golden age of Pinoy TV. There’s so much to learn from these classic shows, and one could really see the emphasis on content and substance back then, more than the production values, which is now the problem of some shows — and I’m not just talking about entertainment shows here.
And let’s not forget that these shows tell us who were as a society, as a country back then.
Let me also show this footage of Eat…Bulaga from Youtube!
Some shows I would really like to preview:
1) Student Canteen (the early years)
2) Oras ng Ligaya
3) Panday, Animated Version (yes, ginawang Cartoon si Panday)
4) The dance shows of Boots Anson and her eventual husband, Pete Roa
5) Old Newscasts: Newswatch and the original World Tonight in the 70’s, GMA’s News at 7, Newscasts by Helen Vela, Jose Mari Velez, etc. — when Teleprompters were not even around, and anchors used microphone stands
6) Kapitan Kidlat and Zarda (?) – I have vague recollections of watching these two superheroes.
7) File video of Makati, Manila and other places from the 50’s onwards (the oldest video now seen often enough on TV, I think, is Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law)
8 ) ABS-CBN’s Marathon Coverage of the 1969 Lunar Landing
9) The 1969 and 1973 Miss Universe Pageants
10) Lunch Date (particularly its first few episodes)
11) Lovingly Yours, Helen (the early years)
12) TODAS and John en Marsha (I used to see reruns of the two shows a few years back, but not anymore)
13) Mother Studio Presents Kris
14) Uncle Bob’s Lucky 7 Club
15) Jullie Yap-Daza’s Tell the People on RPN 9 (early years)
16) Face the Nation
17) Louie Beltran’s Straight from the Shoulder
18) Anna Liza and Flor de Luna (original versions, please)
19) Discorama
20) Sta. Zita at si Mary Rose
21) Balintataw
22) Tina Monzon-Palma in her very early days
23) Lotlot and Friends (Yes, even this show, to see its Production values)
24) Spin-a-Win
25) Programs Plugs of Channel 4, which was known for a time as the “Love Channel”
26) Stories and Standuppers of TV Reporters from the very early days
27) Magandang Umaga and Magandang Umaga Po! of ABS-CBN (although I think there are tapes of these two shows in their library)
28) The original Kuwarta o Kahon
29) Tangtarangtang (did I get the spelling right?)
30) Iskul Bukol
31) Eh Kasi Babae
32) Two for the Road with Elvira Manahan and Nestor Torre
…and the list goes on. I’m sure producers would make quite a hefty profit if some of these shows were compiled on DVD or VCD, like the old US TV shows. At least people my age could still appreciate the likes of Mary Tyler Moore, Bewitched, Batman, etc. If its any consolation, at least the bigger stations now have the technology to preserve their recently-produced materials, for our descendants to see and study later on.