The Mexican Film Bulletin
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THE MEXICANThe FILM BULLETIN Mexican Vol. 22 No. 1 (January-March 2016) Film bulletin Volume 22 Number 1 we’re back… decade were relatively sparse. However, the 1980s saw For our 22nd year of The Mexican Film Bulletin . As Rojas progress from supporting roles, often as effeminate mentioned in our last issue, beginning with Volume 22 characters, to starring parts in popular late-decade MFB is now a quarterly publication, with issues appearing comedies such as Pancho el Sancho, Un macho en el hotel, in March, June, September, and December. El garañon , and Dos nacos en el planeta de las mujeres , as Welcome back to our loyal readers and greetings to well as videohomes . Rojas directed more than a dozen any newcomers to The Mexican Film Bulletin , which feature films and videohomes . He also appeared on covers Mexican cinema, past and present. television, as well as continuing his stage work. Rojas is survived by his wife of more than 40 years, actress Lucero Reynoso, and four children, 3 daughters Obituaries and a son. Unfortunately, a lot of obituaries this issue. Although it’s preferable to recognise the contributions of those who María Luisa Alcalá participated in the cine nacional which they’re still alive to appreciate it, this isn’t always feasible. However, at least Actress María Luisa Alcalá passed away on 21 we can acknowledge them posthumously. February 2016 in Mexico City of undisclosed reasons; she was 72 years old. Alcalá was born in March 1943 in Mexico City. Although some sources indicate she Alberto “Caballo” appeared as a child in Los tres huastecos (1948), Alcalá’s rojas professional career dates from the late 1960s. Despite appearances in television programs such as “El Chavo del 8” and “Cachún cachún ra ra!” Alcalá achieved her greatest fame as the acerbic servant of Dr. Cándido Pérez (Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo) in the “Cándido Pérez” TV series. She later worked in telenovelas , although her last regular role was in 2005. Alcalá had roles in a number of theatrical films, including El Rey, Relámpago, Comic actor Alberto “El Caballo” Rojas died at the age Un paso al más acá, two “Cándido Pérez” feature films, of 72 on 21 February 2016; he had been suffering from and Barroco . [Note: although IMDB erroneously (?) lists bladder cancer since last year. Rojas became immensely Alcalá as co-director on three films, she is not credited on- popular in the 1980s and 1990s for his roles in picaresque screen.] sexy-comedies . He also directed a number of films and María Luisa Alcalá is survived by two children and two was a popular stage performer, working in live venues grandchildren. until his illness was diagnosed in 2015. Alberto Rojas González was born in Monterrey in March 1944. He moved to Mexico City in 1963 and Carlos Cámara studied acting at the Instituto de Bellas Artes. The slender, Carlos Cámara, well-known for his telenovela work, horse-faced comedian made his screen debut in 1968 in died in Mexico City on 24 February 2016; the cause of Santo en el tesoro de Drácula —as Santo’s comic relief death was listed as a heart attack. Carlos Cámara Lozano sidekick—but his film credits over the next was born in the Dominican Republic in January 1934: his mother was Spanish and his father was from the USA, but 1 THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN Vol. 22 No. 1 (January-March 2016) Cámara spent most of his youth in Venezuela, where his and videohomes , including Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, mother was well-known for helping establish the Zurdo, La segunda noche , and the USA-UK coproduction radionovela industry. In the Fast Food Nation . late 1960s, Julio Alemán appeared in a Venezuelan telenovela with Cámara’s then- Dunia Zaldívar wife Elisa Parejo, and Veteran actress Dunia Zaldívar (sometimes spelled convinced Cámara to come to Saldívar), died of emphysema on 3 February 2016. Mexico to work as an actor. Zaldívar, born in Guadalajara in Cámara gained fame as a November 1942, began appearing in villain in telenovelas such as films and on television in the 1960s. the famous “Los ricos también Zaldívar was nominated for a Best lloran” (1979) and “Cuna de Supporting Actress Ariel in 1986 for lobos” (1986); his most recent Los motivos de Luz , losing to Ana television work was also in that format, on “Hasta que el Ofelia Murguía (for the same movie), dinero nos separe” in 2010. His career in films included but two years later won the award for roles in Fallaste corazón, Supervivientes de los Andes (aka Nocturno amor que te vas . Her other films included El Survive! ), La guerra santa, and La leyenda de Rodrigo . jardín de la tía Isabel, Los destrampados, and Amores Carlos Cámara is survived his widow and by three perros . children from his marriage to Elisa Parejo (all now actors themselves) and a daughter from his second marriage. Guillermo Aguilar Actor Guillermo Silvana Pampanini Aguilar died on 22 Italian actress Silvana Pampanini died on 6 January January 2016; he had 2016; she was been hospitalised for 90 years of several weeks, and age. passed away as a result Pampanini, of pneumonia. born in Rome Although he worked in in September films and on television, 1925, entered he was known as the the film “Prince of the Fantastic industry in Theatre” for his stage 1946. She work. Aguilar was 85 became an years of age, and had international retired from acting in sex symbol and worked not only in Italy but also in 2005 for health reasons. numerous foreign venues and co-productions with (More recent credits on countries including Mexico, Spain, Franch, West his IMDB listing are Germany, Egypt and Argentina. actually for another actor with the same name.) Pampanini’s Mexican films were Sed de amor, Aguilar’s film and TV credits date back to the 1960s. Napoleoncito, and 3,000 kilómetros de amor . Among the films in which he appeared: Las bestias The actress was never married and had no children. jóvenes, Cristo te ama, La maffia amarilla, and Modelo antiguo . His telenovelas included “El Maleficio,” and “El privilegio de amar.” Aguilar is survived by his brother, Juan Carlos Serrán Gustavo Kubli Ramírez. Argentine-born actor Juan Carlos Serrán, who worked in Mexican television and cinema from the 1980s until Carmen Maldonado the 2010s, died in Mexico “petrita” City on 2 February 2016. Actress Carmen Maldonado, Juan Carlos Gómez Giuntini nicknamed “Petrita,” died on 23 was born in Argentina in February 2016 of complications from January 1954, but relocated diabetes; she was 52 years old. to Mexico in the early 1980s. Maldonado, married to producer He appeared in more than 50 Gilberto Briones, spent much of her telenovelas and television series over the next three career working on the stage in the Monterrey region of decades, and also had roles in a number of theatrical films northern Mexico. She did make several film appearances, 2 THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN Vol. 22 No. 1 (January-March 2016) including El baile and Inspiración , both shot in the and fotonovelas utilising film actors. The first type of Monterrey area. publication will be discussed here, and a future issue of MFB will cover the fotonovela phenomenon. [There is a fine line between comics about a fictional Amelia bence character from cinema who is completely associated with a Amelia Bence, an Argentine actress whose career particular performer—for example, La India María (María spanned 9 decades, died on 8 Elena Velasco)—and original comics about fictional February 2016 in Buenos Aires; she characters that are still related to a specific actor, c.f. was 101 years old. Bence, whose “Aníbal 5” (Jorge Rivero) or “La Llanera Vengadora” real name was María Batviniki, was (Flor Silvestre). ] born in Argentina in November In the USA, comic books based on an actual person 1914. She began acting as a child, (usually a film star) began to appear in the mid-late 1940s. and made her screen debut in Fawcett & others published numerous Western comics Argentina in 1933, but returned to “starring” Hopalong Cassidy (identified as being played by the stage. Later in the decade she William Boyd—there were also “Bill Boyd” comics), Bob tried the cinema once more, becoming one of the more Steele, Andy Devine, Gabby Hayes, Gene Autry, Ken popular actresses of the 1940s. Bence married actor Maynard, Lash Larue, Rocky Alberto Closas in 1950 (they divorced in 1953—she Lane, Smiley Burnette, Tex married two more times). She appeared in the early ‘50s Ritter, Tom Mix, and Rod Mexican features Siete mujeres and Las tres Elenas , but Cameron, among others. Comic soon returned to her homeland and resumed her acting actors such as Jerry Lewis career there. (originally “The Adventures of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis”), Bob Hope, the Three Stooges, George Kennedy Abbott and Costello, Pinky Lee, Actor George Kennedy died on 28 February 2016 at the and Milton Berle were also the age of 91. He had been suffering from lung cancer. subject of comic books. Kennedy was born in New York City in February 1925 Mexican comic books began and entered show business as a to be published in the 1930s, but child, but served in the U.S. single-character titles didn’t military from World War II appear until the 1950s. One of the earliest was the “Santo” through the late 1950s, when he comic from José G. Cruz, which became immensely retired for physical reasons. He popular and ran (albeit with reprinted stories in its final began acting in the 1960s in films years) until the late 1970s (and was reprinted throughout and on television, and continued Latin America into the mid-‘80s).