There are two iconic roles that are highly-coveted by local actresses: Darna and Dyesebel.
Darna was originated by Rosa del Rosario, who was already an established star when she appeared in the film in 1951. In the case of Dyesebel, the people behind the picture decided to take a gamble on a newcomer named Edna Luna.
It was a calculated move though because — given Edna’s face, the loveliest ever — there was a very slim chance of Dyesebel sinking at the box-office. Edna was not the typical movie star of her era — a period in cinema when actresses were mostly statuesque and mestizas. Edna’s complexion was brown — maybe some two shades lighter than the skin color of Nora Aunor. And like Nora, Edna was not tall. She was petite at five feet.
Edna also had long wavy hair that sometimes reached up to the backside of her knees. But most enviable were her lashes — long, thick and curly that she could balance matchsticks (palito ng posporo) on them. Those lashes were essential to the role because when she did Dyesebel in 1953, there was no waterproof mascara yet out in the market. In closeup shots as she rose from underwater, the lashes — all natural — were still there. No smear.
In the genetic lottery, Edna hit the jackpot. Her grandfather, Francisco Minon, was a Spanish mestizo with sharp Castilian features. Early in the 20th century, Francisco and his wife, the former Esperanza Manglo, moved their family from Romblon to Cavite City. One of their children, Aurea, married a very Pinoy native from Cavite — Juan Luna, a namesake of the great, but controversial painter. Edna got her dusky complexion from her father.
Juan and Aurea had five daughters: Edna, Araceli, Zenaida, Mirla and Elizabeth. After World War II, Juan joined the US navy and was stationed in Virginia. In the US, Juan found another love and divorced Aurea. He never returned to the Philippines.
While Edna was a student at the Cavite National High School, she went with her cousin Milagros to a town fiesta where there was a singing contest that was open to non-professionals. Milagros was a showbiz aspirant who had hoped to get discovered through the amateur singing route.
Somebody actually got discovered in that fiesta. But it wasn’t Milagros, who eventually gave up her showbiz dream in favor of marriage. As fate would have it, radio great Vero Perfecto was one of the judges in the singing competition and he quickly spotted the standout beauty of Edna Luna in the crowd.
Vero immediately volunteered to bring Edna to LVN Pictures for a screen test. LVN matriarch Narcisa de Leon took one look at Edna’s pretty face and said that no screen test was needed. The lady producer was confident Edna would register well on the big screen.
Edna was initially made to play a bit part — with no speaking lines — in Aklat ng Buhay that featured Rosa Rosal and then child wonder Nora Dy. She played a nurse who was addressed as Miss Luna. Her second movie was Agilang Itim, which was produced by an independent company. She had speaking parts here and her character in the film was named Nadia.
Since Agilang Itim was an indie project, its editing had to be done at the film laboratory of Premiere Productions. One day, Premiere Productions owner Dona Adela Santiago happened to walk into the editing room and saw the rushes of Agilang Itim. She was instantly fascinated by Edna’s beauty.
Premiere Productions had just bought the rights to Mars Ravelo’s komiks series Dyesebel and the studio, in fact, was in the middle of conducting a talent search for a new actress to play the mermaid character. Dona Adela was sure she had her Dyesebel in Edna.
Growing up, Edna never wanted to be a movie star. She was painfully shy, in fact. But since she wanted to help contribute to the household expenses, she accepted the offer to play Dyesebel. Her talent fee was P3,000.
Under the direction of National Artist for Film Gerry de Leon, Dyesebel was shot in Quezon Island, one of the many islets of the famed Hundred Islands of Pangasinan. Since Quezon Island was still isolated that time, equipment had to be transported by bancas. Even potable water had to be brought in.
Playing Dyesebel was grueling for Edna, especially since she didn’t know how to swim and managed to float on water only with the help of a lifesaver that was hidden from camera view. And every morning, she had to squeeze into her very tight fishtail that was made of hard rubber. Before slipping into her costume, she made sure she had already done her toilet ritual. But since she had to wear the rubber fishtail the whole day, there were many instances when she couldn’t help but pee in it.
She had to face that ordeal every day during the shoot. Edna was forever grateful to Max Alvarado and Jess Lapid, who carried her to the location site daily with gentlemanly care. Alvarado and Lapid were themselves newcomers in the film industry and were cast as goons in Dyesebel. Since the crew was small, they also doubled as studio hands and one of their chores was to move Edna around since she couldn’t walk given that fishtail.
The standard production cost of making movies in the 1950s was in the vicinity of P35,000. But since Dyesebel had to go on location, its budget ballooned to P80,000. Thankfully, the film turned out to be the biggest hit of 1953 and made a lot of money for Premiere Productions.
Edna made more movies after Dyesebel, including the original version of Pedro Penduko. Unlike her contemporaries who enjoyed the trappings of stardom, Edna often retreated to her private world. Her only one true friend in showbiz was Carol Varga, who played the villain Betty in Dyesebel.
She hated the idea of losing her privacy. At a downtown eatery one time, she and her family chose to dine in an empty and quiet restaurant. But when word got around the block that Edna was in the establishment, everyone started peering through the restaurant’s glass window. It was bedlam. She ended up having all the food wrapped and ate peacefully in her house.
Edna officially quit the movies in 1964. Her last film, quite fittingly, was Anak ni Dyesebel — with Eva Montes playing the mermaid part that she made famous. The following year, she married the American naval officer John Dawson and relocated to the US.
Prior to marrying Dawson, she already had two children — Christina and Stephen Michael — with the producer-director Cirio Santiago of Premiere Productions. Edna had two more kids with Dawson: Jennifer and Catherine.
Edna accompanied Dawson to all his naval assignments — to the mainland USA, Hawaii and Okinawa. There was even a time Dawson was stationed in Cavite. When the movie prewwss found out she had returned to the Philippines, there were numerous requests for interviews. Even ABS-CBN arranged for a showbiz comeback. She graciously turned down all the offers — opting for a peaceful life that she had always wanted.
In the US West Coast, she sometimes took in part-time work — as a sales clerk and once in a pet shop because she loved animals. But every time she was recognized by US-based Pinoys, she promptly quit her job — to the delight of her husband who found joy in his wife’s presence at home. Edna didn’t mind getting cooped up in the house. That was where she found peace, which had evaded her during that one decade she was in the movies.
About five years ago, she had a bad slip that fractured her ribs. She stayed in bed mostly after the accident. In time, she had Alzheimer’s disease that led to the further deterioration of her health. On 29 February 2024 — US time — Edna swam her final lap in life. She was 88. Tomorrow, 1 March, a Mass will be said at the Lourdes Shrine in Quezon City in commemoration of her second death anniversary.
Although she was a reluctant star, Edna managed to stay in the movies for 11 years. She left behind an impressive filmography. There were other stars on film and TV after her who also played the iconic mermaid role. But Edna Luna will always be acknowledged as the one actress who made the biggest splash as Dyesebel.