El Condominio

El Condominio was a Puerto Rican television show produced by Sunshine Logrono for Televicentro Puerto Rico and Currently airs on reruns on Telemundo Puerto Rico.^[1]

Production details

El Condominio came to be as a result of a segment in a Tony Mojena produced show, 20 Pisos de Historia, which first appeared on Puerto Rican television on Telemundo Puerto Rico as part of "De noche con Sunshine". While working in the Mojena show the actors and creators of 20 Pisos de Historia resigned and joined Logroño to produce El Condominio, a 30 minute sitcom for WAPA-TV with the same characters and a similar premise, and new characters added.

The show became an instant hit in Puerto Rican television, often appearing among the most seen shows in Puerto Rico on the Nielsen list of television show ratings.

The show was set on an apartment building (condominium) called "Monte Brisas". The set included a lobby with the door to the manager's office on the back, and an elevator to the right.

In 2004, controversy arose when Mojena declared that he wanted the show suspended or for Logroño to pay him royalties, alleguing, in a lawsuit, that he stole his creation by implanting the original actors and characters used on Los Apartamentos to El Condominio. A court ruling ordered Logroño to continue on producing the show without paying Mojena royalties until the case is further reviewed. A court decision was expected by June or July 2005.^[2][3]

The controversy was spread on Puerto Rican media, and the show's actors united at Logroño's side, defending their show as a workshop for Puerto Rican actors. Among the show's most vocal defenders were two of its main stars, René Monclóva and Marian Pabón.

On May, 2005, the Puerto Rican court finally reached a verdict, deciding that the show could no longer go on. On June 1, the show's last episode was transmitted.^[4]

In mid June, the gossip TV show Super Xclusivo reported that the show's actors filed a legal motion to allow the actors to portray their character counterparts from El Condominio. Most of the characters then appeared in another show called Por el Casco de San Juan.

In the summer of 2012, Tony Mojena received the copies of the show as a result of winning the lawsuit. Mojena decided to start airing the show again every Sunday on Telemundo, this caused the actors to revive the case stating that even though Mojena owned the show, he did not create the characters, and he had to pay the actors^[5]

After the actors said they were going to plead the case to the SAG (Screen Actors Guild), Mojena stated that the show was clear for airing and he was going to keep the show on the air every Sunday at 8pm on Telemundo ^[6][7][8]

Synopsis

"El Condominio" was owned by a lonely man in his forties. He apparently was a virgin, and had bad luck with women. He inherited the property from his mother (sometimes played by Logrono), an elderly woman who raised her son to be what is known in American slang as a "momma's boy".

Because he had such bad luck with women, the owner befriended his employee "Lolo Bond" (played by Monclova), an alcoholic handyman who had much better luck with women. "Lolo" sometimes felt that his boss may be homosexual without his own knowledge, so he tried to arrange dates for him, and, combined with the owner's virginal behaviour and "Lolo"s suspicions, this often lead to comical situations.

"Lolo"s girlfriend was a widow whose husband only left her debts and an unemployed gay son, León (played by Logroño). His best friend was a Puerto Rican-American hustler Brenda Q (played by Marian Pabón) who lived on the revenues made by a naïve, big busted exotic dancer. This character was not in "20 Pisos de Historia"

Other characters include a biased plastic surgeon with a nasty attitude, Argüelles; an ignorant security guard prone to gluttony, Vázquez; a Born-Again Christian old lady who owned dozens of stray dogs, Doña Soto, and a whole family on Welfare.

Most of the comical situations that happened in the show revolved around these characters, with some actors making occasional special appearances to contribute to the show's stories.

Cast

Cast Of El Condomino (Season 5) Jorge Castro as Segismundo Albero, René Monclova as Lolo, Sunshine Logroño as Don Pachango, Efraín López Neris as Vázquez, Suzette Bacó as Doña Soto, Cristina Soler as Doña Laura Alvarez Viuda de Gumbia, Marian Pabón as Brenda Q and Albert Rodríguez as Dr. Sebastián Argüelles

Here is a partial list of some of the show's cast members:

• Sunshine Logrono as "Elpidio", a mentally retarded man/boy; as "Pachango", a nasty and smelly old man with a hernia, and as León.
• Efraín López Neris as "Vázquez", the security guard
• René Monclova as "Lolo Bond", the alcoholic handyman
• Marian Pabón as "Brenda Q"
• Jorge Castro as "Segismundo Alberto", the building's administrator
• Albert Rodríguez as "Dr. Sebastián Argüelles"
• Cristina Soler as "Doña Laura Alvarez Viuda de Gumbia", Lolo's Lover
• Suzette Bacó as "Doña Soto", Owner of over a dozen dogs

References