Film Career
Panchito's film career began when he, along with Dolphy, were cast by Sampaguita Pictures in the Tita Duran-Pancho Magalona musical Sa Isang Sulyap Mo, Tita. It was a career that lasted until his death. In 1955, Panchito was awarded the FAMAS Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Lupang Kayumanggi. His film career thrived despite his involvement in a 1964 mauling incident in Quezon City that led to the filing of a criminal information against him and several others for frustrated murder, though the case against him would be later dismissed.
Panchito is perhaps best known for his over 50-plus film team-ups with Dolphy in such movies as Kalabog en Bosyo (1959); Beatnik (1960); Si Lucio at Miguel (1962); Pepe and Pilar (1966); Pacifica Falayfay (1969); Fefita Fofongay (1973); Bugoy (1979); and Bakit Kinagat ni Adan ang Mansanas ni Eba? (1989). The partnership likewise extended to television, where the duo would co-star in an ABS-CBN variety show, Buhay Artista (1965–1972). The tandem was famous for a comedic duet routine wherein one would interrupt the other to offer a mangled translation of the Tagalog lyric into English or vice-versa. On July 4, 1966, Dolphy and Panchito would open for The Beatles at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex during that band's infamously abbreviated concert tour of Manila.
Apart from his partnerings with Dolphy, Panchito became known as a supporting player in many other film comedies. He was frequently cast as an authority figure such as a policeman, a politician, a father-of-the-family, and memorably, as the hula skirt-clad music teacher of Jaena High School in the Joey de Leon-Rene Requiestas starrer Elvis and James (1989) and as "Paenguin" (a parody of Batman's arch-nemesis The Penguin) in the comedy-spoof Alyas Batman en Robin (1991).
In October 1995, Panchito suffered a stroke that left him comatose. Video of him lying incapacitated in bed aired on Philippine television. He died two months later, on December 18, 1995, 2 days after the death of Bert Tawa Marcelo, and week before release of his last film Father en Son which starred Dolphy and his son Vandolph.
In 2007, Alpha Music Corporation released an album-compilation entitled The Best of Dolphy & Panchito, featuring 14 comedic duets of the comic tandem.
Read more about this topic: Panchito Alba, Biography
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“A black boxer’s career is the perfect metaphor for the career of a black male. Every day is like being in the gym, sparring with impersonal opponents as one faces the rudeness and hostility that a black male must confront in the United States, where he is the object of both fear and fascination.”
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