MORE ON PRE-WAR TAGALOG MOVIES: ELY RAMOS, NORMA BLANCAFLOR, PUGO & TOGO, WITH FLORENTINO BALLECER, EXEQUIEL SEGOVIA, PATRING CARVAJAL, ROSARIO LAM IN "BINIBINI NG PALENGKE" (1941)/ UPDATED

Romance, music and comedy cleverly join forces and make a hundred per cent go of it in the new Carlos Vander Tolosa production for Filippine Films, "Binibini N g Palengke," which starts its first-run exhibition at the Dalisay theatre today.

Featuring Ely Ramos and Norma Blancaflor in their biggest co-starring triumph, this excellent movie opus is everything sure to give the cine public here, there and everywhere a full load of wholesome entertainment. What with its powerful dramatic set-to, its goodly sprinkling of comedy with Togo and Pugo, side-busting laugh-team, dishing out fun as you like it and finally its fine song flavoring — all these plus its smooth dialogue, steady continuity, expert camerawork and careful editing, put "Binibini Ng Palengke" in a class all its own. Surely, a high one at that. 

Ely Ramos impressively plays the role of a rich man's son who goes gaga about an attractive small-town market vendor. Norma Blancaflor, doing the part of the eye-filling market beauty, is amusingly realistic. Interesting is the word for the main complication in the plot wherein Ely Ramos, set to love but not to lose, disguises himself as a lowly farmer's son and makes love to Norma. It's quite the way of country ladies to prefer suitors of their own kind and co-authors C. V. Tolosa and Narciso Asistio did "punish" Ely Ramos who all his life never had a taste of farm life but who nevertheless honest-to-goodness complied with all the callings of his role.

If you're not hep to romance and drama and music, well, you can't miss Togo and Pugo, comedy maniacs who've brought many a house down with their laugh sounders. They're cast as Ely Ramos' loose-brained stooges — a couple of idiots all right — who do a lot of monkey business at your funny bone's expense. Laugh all you may but don't let it be from ear to ear.  

“Binibini Ng Palengke" is a remarkable celluloid stuff, and ithen all is seen and heard, surely you'd want to pat on the back Carlos Vander Tolosa, Ely Ramos, Norma Blancaflor, Togo and Pugo and the rest in the cast or if you're not the complimenting kind, you'll keep your seat for a second sitting or a third. Whatever you choose to do, don't say we didn't tip you.

(The Tribune, April 19, 1941)

"Binibini ng Palengke" (1941)

Filippine Films
Release Date April 19-28, 1941/ Dalisay Theater
Director Carlos Vander Tolosa
Music Ariston Avelino
Story Carlos Vander Tolosa and Narciso Asistio
Cast Ely Ramos, Norma Blancaflor, Pugo & Togo, Florentino Ballecer, Exequiel Segovia, Patring Carvajal, Rosario Lam

"Movie flyers have been used by theater owners as promotional ads to drum up business for movies. They would print them up from materials provided by the studio, adding information on local screening times and locations. Although they were cheaply produced, many of the flyers were quite nicely designed and are now considered highly collectibles. In many cases the original films have been lost, making the surviving flyers the only visual record of numerous movies."