THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN VOLUME 23 NO. 3 September 2017 The Mexican Film Bulletin Volume 23 Number 3 (September 2017) [Personal note: several decades ago, I visited the Second Story Books bookstore outside Washington DC Obituaries and purchased a stack of issues of “La semana el en Even given our quarterly schedule which tends to cine,” a publication edited by Emilio García Riera in the compress events of a long period of time into each early 1960s. I was surprised to discover that these were issue, there are far too many obituaries in this MFB, apparently copies that had belonged to José Luis Cuevas, with more than a dozen members of el mundo del since his name and address was typed in the subscriber’s espectáculo passing away over the past several box! How they got to Washington DC 20 years later, I’ll months. never know.] José Luis Cuevas Gerardo Gallardo José Luis Cuevas, one of the most famous “modern” Comic actor Gerardo Gallardo died on 25 July 2017 Mexican artists of the 20th as the result of complications after a fall. Gallardo was century, died on 3 July born in September 1967 and 2017; he was 83 years old. began appearing in films and Cuevas, born in Mexico on television in the early City in February 1934, 1990s. His film & videohome became known as part of credits include Piedras the Generación de la verdes, Espiritus, and at least Ruptura, a movement that 3 pictures directed by Víctor rebelled against the Manuel Castro: Borrachas de famous muralists like pulquería, Mi novia ya no es Rivera, Alfaro Siquieros Virginia, and Usted decide si and Orozco. se embaraza. He also worked Cuevas was a self-taught painter, cartoonist, sculptor, in telenovelas and comedy series, like Carita de angel, and writer. He is credited with nicknaming the “arty” La dueña, Derbez en cuando, and Desde gayola, in section of Colonia Juárez the Zona Rosa in the 1960s. which Gallardo played scruffy “Chef Ornica.” Cuevas, although not a member of the “Nuevo Cine” group of the 1960s, was friends with many of its Luis Gimeno members and made a number of cameo appearances in Actor Luis Gimeno passed away in Mexico City on films of the era that were created by artistic and 24 July 2017 of heart failure; he was 90 years old. intellectual filmmakers. These included Los dos Elenas Gimeno was born in (dir. José Luis Ibáñez, written by Carlos Fuentes), En Montevideo, Uruguay in este pueblo no hay ladrones (dir. Alberto Isaac, also February 1927 and began featuring Juan Rulfo, Abel Quezada, Luis Buñuel, Arturo acting in Mexico in the Ripstein, Ernest García Cabral and Carlos Monsiváis), 1960s. The majority of his La muerte es work as a performer puntual (dir. occurred on television and Sergio Véjar), the stage; his telenovela and Los amigos (dir. television credits included Ícaro Cisneros), Alcanzar una estrella, El Las visitaciones vuelo del águila, La dueña and Amarte es mi pecado. He del Diablo (dir. gained fame in Mexico for a long-running series of Arturo Ripstein, commercials for a detergent. Gimeno appeared in a with Carlos relatively small number of films in the 1960s and 1970s, Monsiváis), and Los días del amor (dir. Alberto Isaac). including Una canción para recordar, El amor y esas José Luis Cuevas is survived by his widow and three cosas, Juegos de alcoba, El encuentro de un hombre children of his first marriage. solo, and Los amantes fríos. 1 THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN VOLUME 23 NO. 3 September 2017 Luis Gimeno retired from acting in 2011 due to ill- Princesa: la verdadera historia (shot in 2015), his final health. He is survived by 5 children and 12 motion picture role. grandchildren. Antonio Medellín Alicia Juárez Actor Antonio Medellín died on 18 June 2017 in Singer and actress Alicia Juárez died in Guanajuato of Mexico City; he was 73 years old (some sources cite 75). a heart attack on 26 August 2017; she was 67 years of Medellín, born in Mexico age. Alicia López City in April 1934, began Palazuelos was born in acting professionally in the Jalisco in July 1950 but early 1960s. He was best- grew up in Oxnard, known for his telenovela California. Juárez was the roles, eventually appearing in third and last wife of more than 50 of these famous singer/composer episodic series, including José Alfredo Jiménez, 24 “María la del barrio,” “ La years her senior. They antorcha encendida,” and his appeared together in La last, “Tres veces Ana” (2016). loca de los milagros, made shortly before the death of Medellín’s film credits include Las troyanas (a filmed Jiménez in 1973. Juárez made 8 additional film version of a stage production), Su excelencia (with appearances over the next decade, mostly in rural action Cantinflas), Blue Demon: Destructor de espías, films: Juan Armenta el repatriado, Traigo la sangre Pubertinaje, Aquel famoso Remington, Nos traicionará caliente, La sotana del reo, La mafia de la frontera, El el presidente? and El hijo de Lamberto Quintero. Siete Vidas, El Charro del Misterio, La cosecha de mujeres, and Tijuana caliente. She continued to perform as a singer prior to her death. She is survived by her Erika Mireles Actress and voice artist Erika Mireles died in San widower and several grown children. Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, on 18 July 2017. Erika Rodríguez Mireles worked in Héctor Lechuga a handful of films in the Comic actor Héctor Lechuga died on 17 July 2017; he 1970s, including La casta had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Héctor divina, Las poquianchis, and Octavio Lechuga Rojas was born in Veracruz in either Canoa, but spent the last 20 1925 or 1927 (sources differ). He began acting on years of her life primarily as a television in the early 1950s, but gained fame in the voice actor. Among her roles 1960s and 1970s for were “Patty” and “Selma” on shows like “Chucherías” “The Simpsons,” and “Doña and “Ensalada de locos,” Clotilde” in the animated version of “El Chavo.” She working with Chucho also dubbed dialogue for numerous imported live-action Salinas, Loco Valdés, TV shows and films. and Alejandro Suárez, among others. Lechuga’s comedy took Jeanne Moreau a political turn later, so French actress Jeanne Moreau died on 28 July 2017 in much so that his Paris; she was 89 years old. Moreau was born in Paris in program “Cotorreando la January 1928, and became a noticia” was taken off popular stage and screen the air, allegedly at the actress in the 1950s. Her request of the career continued well into the government. Lechuga 2010s and also included continued to work in television, radio, and on the stage directorial credits on two for most of the rest of his life. feature films. Lechuga made numerous films in the ‘60s and ‘70s— Moreau’s connection with among them Agente 00 Sexy, Las luchadoras vs el robot Mexican cinema was tenuous: she worked for Luis asesino, La mujer de a seis litros, Masajista de señoras, La fuerzas vivas, and México 2000. His screen Buñuel in 1964 on Diary of a Chambermaid (a French appearances were rare after that, with Los gatos de los movie), and co-starred with Brigitte Bardot in Viva María (1965), which was shot in Mexico (with numerous azoteas his only ‘80s film and Óscar Blancarte’s Mexican cast and crew members) but was not a co- production. 2 THE MEXICAN FILM BULLETIN VOLUME 23 NO. 3 September 2017 He also worked as production manager for films such as The Living Idol and Vivir del cuento. Genaro Moreno Television host and actor Genaro Moreno died on 24 August 2017; he had suffered a stroke 5 years earlier, Eugenio Polgovsky and was in ill-health. Born in Director and cinematographer Eugenio Polgovsky Mexico City in March 1928, died in London on 11 August 2017; he was 40 years old. Moreno originally became Eugenio Gregorio Polgovsky Ezcurra was born in famous as the host of the 1950s Mexico City in 1977, and originally worked as a still childrens’ television program photographer. He attended the “Club Quintito.” CUEC film school and became Although his career was a documentary filmmaker, primarily spent in television, winning a Best First Work Genaro Moreno did act in at least Ariel for Trópico de cáncer. 3 theatrical films in the 1960s and He later won Arieles for Best one in the ‘70s: Las mujeres panteras, La isla de los Editing and Best Feature dinosaurios, Las luchadoras contra el robot asesino, and Length Documentary for Los Conserje en condominio (with Cantinflas). Moreno is herederos and was nominated 4 additional times. In survived by 2 of his three children. addition to his own projects, Polgovsky served as cinematographer on a number of films for other directors and had an acting role in De tripas, corazón. Terele Pávez Spanish actress Terele Pávez died as the result of a stroke on 11 August 2017; she was 78 years old. Teresa Rius Marta Ruiz Penella was Cartoonist Eduardo Humberto del Río García, known born in Bilbao in July as “Rius,” died of cancer on 8 August 2017 in 1939, and made her screen Tepotztlán, Morelos. debut in 1954. Her two Born in the state of older sisters, Emma Michoacán in June Penella and Elisa Montés, 1934, Rius lost his were also actresses. Pávez father at an early age had a long career in films, and his family moved to on the stage, and on television. Her only Mexican films Mexico City. In the were both co-productions: Oro rojo and Malocchio 1950s he began (released in Mexico as Más allá del exorcismo).