LVN Pictures’ Tia Juana, one of the few films completed or partially finished before the outbreak of the war, held its first public screening in 1943. Directed by Lamberto Avellana, the film starred Leopoldo Salcedo, Ester Magalona, Carlos Padilla, Fred Cortes, Deanna Prieto, and Gregorio Ticman. It also marked the screen debut of Anita Linda, then hailed as the “vibrant stage sensation.”
The movie was released and shown at Lyric Theater, May 27, 1943.
“Movie theaters served not only as venues for stage shows but also as covert centers of resistance. Rafael Roces, Jr., manager of the prestigious Cine Ideal, home of MGM pictures, used his theater to store weapons and communication radios as well as to host secret meetings of resistance fighters. Emerito Ramos used his office in Life Theater to hire the unemployed journalists and staff members of the newspapers El Debate, Mabuhay and Herald, all owned by J. Amado Araneta. Naturally, the office became the communication center of guerillas and underground fighters."
(Source- An Exodus from Philippine Cinema to Live Theater/ Philippine Cinema (1897-2020) by Gabriel A. Vibal and Dennis S. Villegas)
Almost all the major movie theaters had their regular revue companies, but the big name stars like Rogelio de la Rosa, Gregorio Ticman, Rosa Aguirre, and Leopoldo Salcedo were appearing in the big theaters. Perhaps Lou Salvador's group was the biggest of them all, appearing at one time or other in three different theaters: the Dalisay, Strand, and the Palace. Thus the stage entertainment groups mushroomed one after another and all of them enjoyed capacity audiences since there was no rival entertainment.
Federico Mangahas' article in the Tribune (10 January 1943) describes how popular the stage show was. A clear hour before show time the crowds outside had fought and sweated their way just to get near the ticket window. It was a definitely hazardous business to get your ticket. An enterprising lad had somehow managed to get on top of the shoulders of the mob milling about the ticket cage and for a while got himself tossed back and forth over a surface of arms without anywhere getting nearer his objective. And he further comments "that was not an unusual phenomenon in the downtown theater district on a holiday."
(Source: Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints Volume 29 Number 1 Article 6 10-24-2018 Philippine Stage Performances During the Japanese Occupation by Motoe Terami Wada)
In January 1943, the Roque Stage Revue presented "songs, dance and romance" with Elsa Oria, Angel Esmeralda, and others. The following month, the newly organized Associated Artists, headed by Fernando Poe began business and stayed with the Capitol for the rest of the occupation period. They had Lina Alva, Naty Bernardo, Maria Miranda, and others as stars.
Before they moved to the Capitol, the Poe group appeared at the State Theatre under the name of "Filipino Players' Show." Selected Filipino artists came after them at the State, and included such stars as Lilian Velez, Narding Anzures, Tito Arevalo, and Tolindoy. Joe Climaco directed the musical portion of their presentation. Jose Dayrit led the Star Revue Company at the Cine Star for a year or so in 1943.
(Source: Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints Volume 29 Number 1 Article 6 10-24-2018 Philippine Stage Performances During the Japanese Occupation by Motoe Terami Wada)
