Some stills from FJ Sr.'s promotional kit..Upper photo came from lobby cards of the movie, Palaris. He is with another Filipino movie icon, PARALUMAN. Incidentally, FPJ his son, tried to cash on the popularity of his dad's movie and he made ANAK NI PALARIS.
The Poe family are from San Carlos, Pangasinan....
Fernando Poe Sr. was a movie icon during the early 50's bearing the good, rugged looks of Leo de Caprio. He never dreamed that one day, his Junior almost became a President of the Philippines.
According to a book by Nick deOcampo ( CINE: SPANISH INFLUENCES ON EARLY CINEMA IN THE PHILIPPINES ) Poe Sr. wrote a story called PALARIS which he sold to X'Otic films. His choice of director according to the book was Antonio Garcia Verches a brilliant Spanish film director during that era( the '40s).A barrio in Asingan is named Palaris and a lawyer in town is said to be a descendant of the real Palaris who lived during the Spanish era. He was a revolutionary on whom FPS based his story.
Poe wrote the story which it is said to be based on legends from his province, Pangasinan. The film's overlying theme is the interracial conflict between Spain and the Filipino subjects. Bearing a strong resemblance to ZORRO, PALARIS is about a superhero skillful with the sword, the gun and the foil. He owned a horse that could jump over rooftops. In the film, the horse has no other supernatural powers.
The story line is very similar to the ZORRO movies: Palaris was a young man born of a Spanish gentleman and a Filipina. When Palaris was sent to Spain to study, his father was killed and his family fortune was divided beween Captain Eduardo and Don Lorenzo. When Palaris returns, he exacts revenge for his Father's death. He goes to the mountains and, with renegade friends, defends the townspeople from the evil ways of the two Spaniards.
Palaris falls in love with Carmen, daughter of the traitor Don Lorenzo. His closeness to Carmen leads to his capture. On the day of his hanging, a mother saves him from his death. The film, of course was said to be full of action, thrills the kind of entertainment early Filipino audiences loved.
I believe my dad and I saw one of Poe Sr.s movies at the Dagupan theatre. Do not ask me what year it was. I could not even remember the whole story except for the fact that most of the time, I was standing behind a crowd of movie fans packing the theatre and sometimes my dad would carry me so I can watch a bit of it.
The movie I believe was HAGIBIS. It is one of the Filipino versions of TARZAN. Other TARZAN clones here are :KULAFU ( also a brand of a Sioktong* ) and OG played by Jesus Ramos. OG is also the name of an Irish leprechaun and it is amazing how folklore writers plagiarize one another when it comes to writing their tales---#
* a kind of alcoholic drink popular in the Philippines at that time. It has Chinese herbs and the actual name is Seen-Ho-Tong....Correct me if I am wrong...
The book where I got this information about FPS contains also some stories about the other old time movie stars like Manuel Conde and Rogelio dela Rosa..
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