7.11.2012

Dolphy

This is a post about someone who has left us, from a point of view of a plain jane fan. He will never get a chance to read this, and I doubt his family would ever see my little corner of the internet. But still I feel like I owe it to him-- a person who has touched the lives of millions...

On a Tuesday, July 10, 2012, the laughter has come to a stop.
Rodolfo Vera Quizon was born on July 25, 1928. He was popularly known as "Dolphy" "Mang Dolphy" "Tito Dolphy" "Pidol" and many more. In case you're not Filipino, it is my great pleasure to introduce him to you. In the Philippines he has always been the King of Comedy, and no one else comes close to his wide range of talent. Furthermore, he was a good and well-respected man.

I felt sad when I heard he was taken to the hospital sometime in June 2012 and that his health is deteriorating because somehow it all seemed too familiar. Like it's happening for the 3rd time. I lost  a grandfather years ago, but my husband's loss of his grandfather in July of last year felt like the same thing. Dolphy was around for so long that every Filipino feels like he was almost a relative. Now that he's gone, the entire nation has once again forgotten each other's differences and acts united; grieving and comforting each other just like any survived loving family would.

He died last night at 8:34pm in his hospital bed. He was 83 years old. It's kind of sad actually, because he couldn't even make it back home, which was his wish. He wanted to go home. But now that he's free of any kind of pain and suffering, we all know he's in a better home, heaven.

For some of us it's so surreal, because he's been around for as long as we can remember, one would think he'd be sticking around forever. But even he who had awed many generations has to leave, and I believe the reality of that is what's painful.

Also, I wish he could've stayed a little longer to celebrate his 84th birthday just several days from today: July 25th.

Filipinos of all ages have come to love the old man. He was in show business for around sixty years, and I am a fan because he is a part of my happy childhood. To my generation he is better known as Mang Kevin Kosme (mang is a term used for an old man) of "Home Along Da Riles" (Home Along The Tracks), a sitcom inspired by poverty in the squatters area of Metro Manila, particularly along train tracks. (His character's name and the title of the show were parodies of the boy named Kevin in the Home Alone series but no related to.) Each week wasn't complete unless I catch his show which was aired on Thursday nights.  It lasted for more than a decade and made me laugh countless times. I still remember the cast, the characters, plot points, the set, and some episodes. I even saw Home Along Da Riles The Movie. When they pulled the plug on the show it was like the end of an era. Dolphy's succeeding TV shows and movies were still funny, but didn't come close to my fun memories of HADR.

He was a very great comedian, but as a dramatic actor he was just as amazing. He made me cry in one of his old films (co-starring Serena Dalrymple) at the part of the movie where he reenacted what happened when his character's family died in a supermarket. Tears rolled down my cheeks like waterfalls when I watched his episode in MMK (a show featuring different true-to-life stories of Filipino people) entitled "Bisikleta" (Bicycle). He played a man innocent of a crime but was unfortunately sentenced to jail for 40 years. His acting was so real and deep that he made me bawl like a baby. Even watching a preview of his postponed TV series called "Utoy" (a term for a little boy) brought me to tears. He's truly one of the best actors who ever lived.

I don't know him personally and I know so little about his personal life. The only time I saw him in person was around two years ago in a movie festival parade, but even there, the view was bad because he was safely seated in a tinted van and connected to an oxygen supply. Even then he was already too weak to stand up, but still he graced the parade because of his undying dedication to his craft and the deep commitment to his fans. Dolphy was too great of a man; it's impossible to miss the truth about what he really was even in the eyes of an ordinary person like myself. He was a household name, an award-winning actor locally and internationally, a generous, charitable man, a father and a grandfather of many. But still he has left a mark in my life, a void that will never be filled by any other showbiz personality. Right now I'm home watching tributes for him held by different TV networks, and I'm in tears. I don't know why I'm so emotional over the passing of someone who doesn't even know me, but I am, so that only means he wasn't just any other celebrity, he was a part of our lives. Thank you for the laughter and tears. Thank you for the greatest entertainment.

Dolphy will always be the one and only King of Comedy, and even though he's gone, his work and his legend will live on... and his laughter will forever echo in our hearts.
Condolences to the entire Quizon family.
Your king is missed by the whole world.
Mr. Rodolfo V. Quizon, Sr.
1928-2012

2 comments:

  1. I feel the same way too. I cried a bucket watching his eulogy. I don't know. He's not a relative, he didn't even know me but I feel he was a family to me. Good post!

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