Diomedes Maturan
Diomedes Maturan (1941–2002) (dubbed the "Perry Como of the Philippines"[citation needed]) was an actor who played in Botika sa baryo (1960) and Tawag ng tanghalan. Maturan died on April 7, 2002 of heart attack at age 61.
With his humble roots in amateur singing contests, he rose to fame by winning the popular singing competition "Tawag Ng Tanghalan" for his interpretation of the song "Rose Tattoo". This earned for him a role in LVN Pictures’ movie Rose Tattoo ng Buhay Ko with Charito Solis as co-star, commencing a colorful acting stint that would last for 24 more musical films. Some of the classics that he popularized were Velarde’s Dahil Sa’yo, and Gabi at Araw. In 1984, he garnered a Cecil Award in Outstanding Light Classical Vocal Recording for his rendition of Ernani Cuenco’s composition Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal
Diomedes Maturan’s ascent to stardom in the late ’50s was quite phenomenal, especially in this industry where good looks count a lot. Tall, dark, but not quite handsome, he became a sensation on the sheer strength of his remarkable singing voice. Representing Central Luzon, he became a grand champion in the 1958 Tawag ng Tanghalan.
Since his winning created such a huge impact on the public, LVN Pictures decided to make him a movie star and cast him in the film Rose Tattoo ng Buhay Ko, which actually praises the pains and triumphs he went through before he became a Tawag ng Tanghalan champion. The film, which also starred Charito Solis and Eddie Rodriguez (now both deceased) was a box office hit. LVN obviously had in its hands a goldmine in the golden voice of this golden boy and the studio set out to strike more gold by casting him in more pictures. Ginintuang Tinig – still with Solis and Rodriguez – cast him as an aspiring singer who later achieves stardom. Then, there was Maturan at Lagman, which dramatized his rivalry with another product of the amateur singing contest circuit, Cenon Lagman. The late Pugo and Bentot provide comic support in this film. Aside from his great musical ability, Diomedes Maturan also displayed a knack for comedy. In the 1959 film, Private Maturan, he comically reports to the army dressed to the nines – in a shimmering suit with matching sunglasses. He is supported in this comedy film by Pugo, Patsy, Bentot, Lopito and Hector Reyes (all deceased). In Detective Maturan (also filmed in 1959), he goes undercover in one scene by dressing up like a woman – wig, dress and all. Nineteen fifty nine was clearly his year – with all his films making money at the box office.
Maturan continued making movies for LVN in 1960: Lovingly Yours with Mila Ocampo (now better known as Snooky Serna’s mother, she was actually a Miss Philippine Press Photography winner, introduced by LVN to film via Biyaya ng Lupa), Botika sa Baryo (with Marita Zobel) and Doon Po sa Amin (with Ocampo and Zobel). Before LVN Pictures folded up in 1961, he managed to do one more film with the studio: Prinsipe Diomedes at ang Mahiwagang Gitara – still with Marita Zobel as leading lady.
Diomedes Maturan’s rise to stardom may actually be likened to that of Nora Aunor. Both were Tawag ng Tanghalan grand champions. Both were dark-skinned, but were able to penetrate an industry kinder and more hospitable to those with fair complexion. But unlike Aunor, Maturan wasn’t able to maximize the power of mass media to further strengthen his career in show business. When he stopped making movies, he concentrated more on stage shows, then already on the decline.
Although he made several guest appearances in Oras ng Ligaya, he did not have his own show on television – unlike Pilita Corrales and Carmen Soriano who had firm grip on the public, thanks to their respective musical programs on TV. But in spite of the fact that he wasn’t backed up by television, Diomedes Maturan’s name still became synonymous with good singing. Again, it was his singing talent and not just media packaging that made him coast along after his days of glory at LVN. And he was never really lacking in offers to sing – at lounges, hatid-saya shows in the United States, Canada and other parts of the world populated by migrant Filipinos and even at private weddings where he often delivered a haunting rendition (usually with singer Dulce) of the Lord’s Prayer. His songs, particularly his signature, Rose Tattoo, will forever be tattooed on the hearts of many music lovers.
[edit] External links
 |
This article about an actor or actress in the Philippines is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
