Sampaguita Pictures

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Sampaguita Pictures is a Philippine film production company. It was named for the Philippine National Flower, Sampaguita.

[edit] History

Sampaguita Pictures was established in the last quarter of 1937, and its first feature length film was Bituing Marikit, starring Elsa Oria & Rogelio dela Rosa. The film was a box-office hit. The company has continued to make films in the action, musical, horror and suspense genres.

Before the Second World War began, and the Japanese occupied Manila, several Sampaguita films enjoyed box office success in the region. Some of them employed the famous tandem of Carmen Rosales and Rogelio dela Rosa, like Panambitan, Pagsuyo, Jazmin and many more. But the first film made at the Sampaguita studio by Carmen and Rogelio was Takipsilim.

After the war ended, Sampaguita made several war picturees in 1946, including Guerilyera, with Carmen and newcomer Celso Baltazar, Maynila, the comeback picture of Corazon Noble and featuring a little girl Tita Duran, and Isumpa mo Giliw, with husband and wife team Angel Esmeralda and Corazon Noble.

After several war pictures musicals became popular, and the studio created a new star team with real husband and wife Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran. They made several hits including Bulaklak na Walang Pangalan, Huwag Ka ng Magtampo, Sa Isang Sulyap mo Tita, and Sa Isang Halik mo Pancho.

It was 1950 when the studios were hit by fire and hundreds of film prints destroyed. But it was 1951 when they top-billed the unknown little girl, the daughter of Linda Estrella, in her first lead role in Roberta, with another child actor Boy Alano and the movie was one of the biggest hits of the year.

In the early fifties several actors appeared in the studio's productions, including Alicia Vergel and her husband Cesar Ramirez in Ukkala, Diwani, the Philippine Folk Hero Bernardo Carpio, MN and many more.

It was 1952 when the half-Filipino half-American Gloria Miller Romero made her first full length movie as the partner of Cesar Ramirez in an action costume picture Palasig.

Another famous husband and wife team were Rita Gomez and Ric Rodrigo. They were popular together in their movie Diyosa.

The infamous tandem of husband and wife duo Lolita Rodriguez and Eddie Arenas also made some dramas together, like Kundiman ng Puso, Busabos, Cicatriz and Mapait na Lihim. The two later divorced. Arenas is still active in Philippine cinema while Rodriguez moved to the United States.

Another husband and wife tandem in the 1950s were Amalia Fuentes and Romeo Vasquez. Fuentes made her last appearance for Sampaguita in 1964, before leaving for another studio.

Susan Roces took her first lead role as a lady boxer in Sabungera opposite Luis Gonzales but the movie was not a box office hit. Fuentes and Roces are famous for their rivalry when they made the movie Cover Girls in the 1960s.

In 1960, Sampaguita made a movie entitled Pitong Pagsisi supported by 20 Sampaguita Stars, including the return of Paraluman who reigned in the Studio in the late 40s.