40 Years of Laughter: The Legacy of Comedy Director Tony Y. Reyes
In his four-decade career as a film director, Tony Y. Reyes has worked with some of the country’s best comedians, including Dolphy, Panchito, Cachupoy, Redford White, TVJ (Tito Vic & Joey), Rene Requiestas, Roderick Paulate, Joey Marquez, Jimmy Santos, Willie Revillame, Anjo Yllana and Michael V, and helmed a number of top-grossing comedy movies. He says the recent honor from the Eastwood City Walk of Fame holds special significance, as it commemorates the best years of his life.
With his notable achievements, it might surprise many that Reyes didn’t dream of becoming a movie director. He entered the world of cinema out of a need to support their family.
“We lost our father early, so I decided to quit school and start working,” he says.
With Joey de Leon during the shoot of Barbi: Maid in the Philippines
He was still in his teens, an undergrad student of Business Administration, when he took the chance as a field representative back in the 1960s. His work involved distributing movies to cinemas nationwide. It so happened that his brother married the daughter of Geminiano Yabut, who had connections with Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions.
After a couple of years, Reyes was promoted to a booker and, soon enough, as a sales manager dealing with theater owners and operators. Working in sales allowed him to gauge the preferences of the movie-going public. Consequently, production teams would consult him on which movies to produce. “I realized you can never go wrong with feel-good, family-oriented movies,” he observed.
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Mistakes and opportunities
However, Reyes encountered a stumbling block along the way when he distributed the bold movie Uhaw na Bulaklak, Part 2, starring Alona Alegre and Atoy Co, in 1976. “The movie was a huge success. Kaya lang nag-reklamo ang Catholic Women’s League (CWL). Masyado daw bastos ang movie. Umaksyon ang gobyerno. Pinullout ang pelikula at hinuli lahat ng involved sa production,” he recalls. That incident took a toll on his credibility as a sales manager.
Fortunately, Reyes had connections in the film production industry, which prompted him to make the shift.
“Wala akong alam sa paggawa ng pelikula, so I started as an assistant to the production manager,” he says. He knew there was no way he could be a film producer due to his lack of capital. He also can’t be an actor because he was painfully shy. The production manager suggested, “Why don't you try directing?" It was an epiphany.
From then on, Reyes studied the duties and responsibilities of a director and established connections within the production team. Eventually, he had the opportunity to work as an assistant director, which allowed him to work closely with the actor Rudy Fernandez, who was already at the peak of his career as an action star then. “Daboy saw my potential and encouraged me to direct my own movie,” he recalls.
Joey de Leon and Rene Requiestas as Elvis & James
From risks to rewards
Wanting to make his own mark, the then-24-year-old Reyes thought of launching the movie career of Baldo Marro, who at that time was the stunt director of action stars like Fernandez, Philip Salvador, Efren Reyes Jr., Joseph Estrada, and Ace Vergel. The story was about a sergeant who inadvertently got entangled in a bank robbery. He was eyeing Reyes and Fernandez as supporting cast to Marro.
Reyes pitched the idea to major producers but none believed the concept would be commercially successful. They had a point. Betting on someone like Marro, who didn’t fit the typical action superstar mold, was a significant risk. Thankfully, he managed to convince a small producer to green-light the project, giving birth to the movie Sarge in 1984. “It became a big hit!” he recalls.
This was followed by a string of action movies, including Digmaan sa Pagitan ng Langit at Lupa (1983), Dante Varona, Bembol Roco, and Rey Malonzo’s Grease Gun Brothers (1985), Jestoni Alarcon’s Durugin ang Kutang Bato (1986), and Lito Lapid’s Asong Gubat (1986) and Ex-Army (1988).
One invaluable lesson that Reyes learned from the King of Comedy was his strong work ethic and his unwavering gratitude toward his fans
The big shift
The problem with action movies, though, was that there were limited opportunities for directors. “Dati kasi, kakaunti ang action stars, madami ang directors. So, ang chance na makagawa ka ng pelikula sa loob ng isang taong ay madalang,” he says.
Having already started a family then, Reyes needed to find ways to support them. And that was when he considered creating family-oriented movies. “Bata pa lang ako may Walt Disney na. Matanda na ako, may Walt Disney pa rin. Family-oriented movies ang malakas sa takilya mula noong maging field representative pa ako,” he thought to himself then.
That signaled the start of his career in directing comedy movies. He did Billy the Kid (1984) with Jess Lapid Jr., Redford White, and Cachupoy; Hee-Man: Master of None (1985) with White, Alarcon, and Roderick Paulate; The Untouchable Family (1988) with White, Caridad Sanchez, Edgar Mortiz; and Bobo Cop with Joey Marquez, Alice Dixson and Matet de Leon.
“Ang naisip kong formula ay spoof ng mga popular movies para may captive audience na kaagad. And it worked!” he recalls.
For the most part, Reyes' role in his partnership with de Leon involved containing the latter's creativity, as "he's overflowing with it."
Dynamic duo
Working with TVJ's Joey de Leon was serendipitous and led to his iconic partnership with Rene Requiestas. “Naghahanap kami noon ng sidekick ni Joey para sa She-Man: Mistress of the Universe nang maimbita ako sa isang play. “May nakita akong karakter, maliit, malaki ang mata, tapos magaling gumalaw. It turns out Joey had also seen him in a show. Nung mag-usap kami ni Joey, we realized na isang tao lang pala ang pinag-usapan namin—si Rene Requestas,” he recalls. They sent him the call sheet and the aspiring actor was thrilled to accept the project.
Reyes vividly remembers the first scene he shot with Requiestas. Requiestas's lines were, “Ang guwapo-gwapo mo talaga Stallone.” Suddenly, lightning struck the mirror, causing it to break. The scene was hilarious. Then during the break, while chatting with the other stars, Requiestas kept laughing, causing his dentures to fall out.
Reyes spotted this and requested a retake of Requiestas' scene without his dentures. “Nung kinuhanan namin nang walang pustiso, mas malakas ang tawanan. Sabi ko, ‘Magmula ngayon, wala ka ng ngipin,’” he recalls laughing. That was the story behind Requiestas' iconic bungal look.
De Leon and Requiestas' tandem gave birth to a long list of hit comedy movies, which include Long Ranger and Tonton: Shooting Stars of the West, Starzan II and III, Elvis & James I and II, Supermouse and the Roborats, Alyas Batman en Robin.
“1989 was a milestone year kasi we did a total of 13 movies," Reyes fondly shares. "Halos hindi na kami natutulog eh. Sa isang location, tatlong pelikula ang ginagawa ko noon.”
Reyes says his only goal now is to help develop the new generation of comedy directors
Comedy dynamics
It’s not easy to make Filipinos laugh, Reyes realized. But it helped a lot that he was working with such talented comedians.
“With Joey de Leon, madali lang ang proseso kasi napaka-creative at napaka-witty niya. Magbigay ka ng isang sitwasyon, paglalaruan na namin ’yon. Ang ganda nang naging rapport naming dalawa,” he says.
He shares the story behind the theme song of She-Man: Mistress of the Universe, which was inspired by Apache Indian’s Boom Shack-A-Lak. “Napakinggan niya lang yung kanta habang nilalagyan siya ng patilya as FPJ. Nung matapos siyang kabitan ng patilya, tapos na din ang kanta,” he says.
For the most part, Reyes' role in his partnership with de Leon had to be containing the latter's creativity, because "he's overflowing with it."
With Vic Sotto, whom he has worked with on two Okey Ka Fairy Ko and 10 Enteng Kabisote movies, a solid storyline had to come first. Then as director, it will be Reyes’ responsibility to infuse comedic elements. “Ang kagandahan kay Vic, may puso at moral values ang mga pelikula niya. Nag-evolve din ang comedy films by combining it with fantasy,” he offers.
Reyes had the privilege of working with Dolphy and Sotto in Dobol Trobol. One invaluable lesson he learned from the King of Comedy was his strong work ethic and his unwavering gratitude toward his fans.
“When we worked with Mang Dolphy, he was already 81 years old. He could have gone home as early as 10 p.m., but he would stay until 2 a.m. supporting the team and accommodating fans' requests for photographs. Di ko makakalimutan yung sinabi niya na utang daw niya sa fans ang kanyang kasikatan, at sinisuklian niya lang," Reyes recalls.
He remembers White, who's recognized for his comedic timing and wit, as a cool and quiet guy. “Hindi siya maingay o mahilig magpatawa sa set. Pero pag ibinigay mo sa kanya ang character, naide-deliver niya nang tama,” he says.
Requiestas was also the quiet type. “Wala siyang comedy sa katawan. Pag nakita mo siya sa personal, nasa isang tabi lang, nagsisigariyo, nagkakape. Yun si Rene Requiestas. Pero pag binigay mo sa kanya yung role at nai-portray niya, wow, magugulat ka.”
Shaping the future of Filipino comedy
We asked Reyes, who's now 76 years old, if there are still projects that he wishes to do and artists he'd like to work with. He expressed his happiness and contentment, having worked with legends such as FPJ and Dolphy, and mentioned that he feels incredibly blessed for what he has accomplished over the past 40 years.
“Wala na akong mahihiling pa," he smiles.
Reyes says his only goal now is to help develop the new generation of comedy directors. “I'm doing a lot of movie-making workshops with out-of-school youths. It’s my way of sharing the blessings I've received in my life,” he says.
