Whether in Philippine cinema or Hollywood, the lead star is often given a best friend or sidekick. Among local actors, Joross Gamboa is perhaps the most famous “pambansang best friend” to many leading men, thanks to his versatility. He can do drama, but he truly excels in comedy, where his impeccable timing shines.
There is also a long list of actresses in Philippine movies who became known as the “best friends ng bayan.” Matet de Leon remains one of the most effective. Three others frequently cast as the leading lady’s best friend are Melai Cantiveros, Cai Cortez and Chariz Solomon.
Best friend archetype
Back in the 1950s, Sampaguita Pictures also had its own stable of “best friends” for its queens, Susan Roces and Amalia Fuentes. The list included Nori Dalisay, Meldy Corrales, Mitos Seva, Amparo Lucas and Nelly Baylon.
I am most familiar with Nori Dalisay, who is thankfully still around because she was a mainstay in practically every Sampaguita Pictures production during the height of Susan and Amalia’s popularity. Early this year, I came across the film Mga Reyna ng Vicks on YouTube and found parts of it entertaining.
Sponsored by a cold and flu medication, Mga Reyna ng Vicks was originally a popular daytime radio serial in which women shared their tales of hardship with listeners. Whoever had the saddest story was crowned Reyna ng Vicks for the day. The DZRH radio program was eventually adapted into a film by Sampaguita Pictures in 1958. Directed by Mar S. Torres, the episodic movie featured Dolphy, Gloria Romero, Rita Gomez, Amalia Fuentes and Susan Roces.
While watching Susan’s episode, the actress playing her best friend caught my attention. When I checked the credits, I discovered her name was Nelly Baylon. I immediately thought: that girl had star potential. She was pretty and possessed a strong screen presence. Why, then, was she relegated to best friend roles?
From then on, I became curious about her. I even called one of the heirs of Sampaguita Pictures, Elizabeth Vera-Perez Nakpil, to ask about Nelly Baylon, but I got very little information. Elizabeth was still a child in 1958 and did not remember Nelly. Wikipedia? No, thank you. Surely there had to be better sources of information.
Then, last month, a Hollywood actress of Filipino descent visited the Philippines. Her name is Teresa Navarro. Her notable works include Sense8, Delirium, Enter the Fire and Birth of the Dragon. Teresa is also a writer, director and producer who is constantly searching for concepts that can be turned into films.
She came to the Philippines for two reasons: to sightsee and to gather information about her grandaunt, Nelly Baylon. Even before Teresa flew to Manila, someone had already advised her to seek me out because of my supposed reputation for knowing all the old stars of Filipino cinema.
That is not entirely true. But I do know pre-war actress Maria Tronqued, who later became the mother of National Artist for Architecture Francisco Mañosa. I am probably also among the few people left who still recognize names like Naty Bernardo, Horacio Morelos, Marcelino Ilagan Jr., Adelina Moreno and Eduardo de Castro — stars who began their careers before the Pacific War.
When I finally met Teresa, I told her I had already done some research on Nelly Baylon. I learned that she had fair skin and was undeniably a head-turner. At Sampaguita Pictures, however, she had to go through the usual rigmarole on the road to stardom. First came tertiary roles, then secondary parts, before the actual buildup process.
But here was the catch: elevation to star status depended entirely on audience reaction. If moviegoers swooned over an actor in a supporting role, that was the signal for the studio to push that performer toward stardom.
Curious discovery
Nelly Baylon was introduced in the 1955 film Binibining Kalog, starring Ramon Revilla Sr., Lolita Rodriguez and Rudy Francisco, the father of RS Francisco. She remained in best friend roles only briefly. Some actresses retired without ever reaching star status, but Nelly’s rise seemed inevitable. Playing the best friend came naturally to her because she was said to be warm, approachable and easy to get along with.
By 1958, the studio believed Nelly was ready for stardom. But on 18 October 1958, she and several relatives went on a picnic to the hot springs of Los Baños, Laguna. On their way back to Manila, the drivers of the two jeeps they had rented reportedly began racing each other in the barrio of Mayapa in Calamba.
An LTB bus — now known as BLTB — suddenly appeared in the opposite lane and collided with the jeep carrying Nelly and her family. Her mother and the driver survived despite serious injuries. Nelly did not. She was only 18 years old.
Teresa’s mother, Erlinda, is Nelly Baylon’s niece. She migrated to the United States in 1988. Teresa had no idea she had a grandaunt in Philippine show business until talent scouts in California began hiring her for commercial shoots when she was only six years old.
Teresa continued modeling through her teenage years. Eventually, she began wondering why she enjoyed being in front of the camera so much. That was when her mother told her it was already in her DNA. She had a grandaunt in Manila who had once been an actress but died tragically young.
In time, Teresa herself became an actress and filmmaker. Yet throughout the years, she remained curious about Nelly Baylon. Although Teresa still has relatives in the Philippines, even they know very little about her grandaunt.
At the very least, Teresa managed to trace her family tree to the pre-war years. She learned that Nelly’s real name was Bienvenida Anong and that she was born on 14 June 1940. Their family came from Sta. Cruz, Manila. Nelly grew up in poverty after her father was killed by Japanese soldiers on 31 December 1942.
Searching for Nelly
I suspect Teresa obtained much of her information from Wikipedia because some details seem improbable. According to the site, Nelly was discovered while selling sampaguita leis on the streets of Manila.
But logically speaking, how could someone that beautiful have been left alone to vend flowers on the streets after the war? In those years, many Filipinos had lost their moral compass. Leave a girl that attractive in the bowels of the city and she likely would have been abducted, molested or forced into becoming a “bailarina” in a nightclub, perhaps even at the Santa Ana cabaret.
According to my own sources, this is what truly happened: Nelly was brought to Sampaguita Pictures by a relative who knew someone connected to the studio. She was introduced to studio head Dr. Jose Perez, who immediately liked what he saw. Still, she had to endure the long and tedious wait for stardom.
Wikipedia also claims that Nelly was on her way to Laguna for the first day of shooting of her launching film when the fatal accident occurred. It certainly sounds dramatic, but that was not what happened.
To begin with, Sampaguita Pictures rarely shot on location. The studio compound already had everything needed for filmmaking. If a director required grassy terrain for horseback-riding scenes, there was Delgado Hills — the site where JT’s Manukan now stands. There was even a river running through the property. Why would they need to shoot in Laguna?
Another online claim states that because Nelly died, Susan Roces inherited the roles meant for her and eventually became a movie queen. But that hardly makes sense. Nelly had been playing Susan’s best friend before the studio even considered building her up for stardom.
Teresa Navarro still has much research ahead of her, especially since she hopes to make a biopic about her grandaunt. It is, after all, a compelling story: an actress on the verge of stardom whose destiny was tragically cut short before she could fully shine.
