Por estas calles

Por estas calles
Genre Telenovela
Created by Ibsen Martínez
Written by
  • César Sierra
  • Neida Padilla
  • Ana Teresa Sosa
Directed by Renato Gutiérrez
Starring
Theme music composer Yordano
Opening theme "Por estas calles" performed by Yordano
Country of origin Venezuela
Original language(s) Spanish
No. of episodes 401 (aired)[1]
Production
Executive producer(s) Alberto Giarroco
Producer(s)
  • Daniel Andrade
  • María Eugenia Marrero
Distributor
Release
Original network Radio Caracas Televisión
Original release June 3, 1992 (1992-06-03) – August 25, 1994 (1994-08-25)

Por estas calles (English: On These Streets) is a Venezuelan telenovela broadcast by Radio Caracas Televisión between 1992 and 1994. It was extremely popular in Venezuela, due to its very realistic approach to the day-to-day life of the country and local tone. It was the first Venezuelan program to give a realistic view of the corruption in political life, as well as the first to show the day-to-day life in the poor barrios.[2] For example, it showed the impact on poor people's lives of the intermittent water supply, showing community meetings and lovers' trysts cut short by the news that the water was on, sending everyone running to fill storage tanks and barrels.[3]

It was considered by the Spanish edition of the magazine Rolling Stone as the 8th best show between the 100 Best TV Shows Ever in all Latin America. It is believed to be the longest telenovela ever produced in Venezuela.[4]

History

In early 1992 Venezuela was in a very unstable political situation. At the same time, RCTV was in a low-rating stage. The network decided to take the risk of making a story which took place in the poorest slums of the city in a realistic fashion.

Por estas calles began as a traditional telenovela called Eva Marina. During the pre-production stage, however, the concept changed from a traditional romance to a more actual, street-related story. The original chapters were wiped and the history, now under its new name and concept, began its filming. The name change took place after a meeting with Yordano about using his new song Por estas calles for the telenovela. Producers had realized that the theme of song matched the politico-social situations in Venezuela that they wanted to portray in the telenovela and decided to name the telenovela after the song.

The telenovela was initially written by Ibsen Martínez, but he resigned six months later. It is believed that RCTV demanded him not only an extension (something very usual when a telenovela is very successful) but also a better ending for characters who were very popular but morally questionable, something he was not willing to do. Despite his absence, the telenovela lasted for another year under a team of scriptwriters, and when it ended it was still popular.

Plot

There was not a central story in Por estas calles. At the beginning, the main story revolved around the tribulations of elementary teacher Eurídice Briceño, falsely accused of murder, who has to hide under a new identity. But the other characters soon took bigger screen time, and it became an ensemble story. During its runtime, the telenovela adapted many stories inspired by news headlines.

One of the show's characters, Don Chepe Orellana, "bore a striking resemblance to former president Jaime Lusinchi, who in real life had of course been manipulated by Blanca Ibáñez. On the show, Don Chepe and his mistress Lucha pocketed public money with one sleight-of-hand move after another, doled out favors to campaign contributors, developed all kinds of illegal schemes to hold on to power, and ruthlessly eliminated political enemies."[2]

Characters

The cast was one of the greatest and most memorable in the entire history of Venezuelan telenovelas. Many actors made their big leap to fame with this telenovela, although some of them never escaped from the type of characters they played for this production. Some of the most popular characters were:

Controversy and Legacy

The telenovela was initially received less than warmly. Many show-business journalists placed little confidence on the success of such a story, which was so radically different from both the classic soap opera and the then relatively new movement of "Telenovela Cultural".

The telenovela was surrounded by a lot of controversies, mostly related to an alleged glorification of violence and crime, and with the ripped-off-the-headlines late nature of the story. One of the most notable controversies was related to a boy actor who played a street kid and who became a precocious criminal.

The success of Por estas calles allegedly drove many independent producers into financial ruin, including the then powerful rival Marte TV, which attempted to produce a rival telenovela with similar themes titled El paseo de la gracia de Dios. Unlike Por estas calles, El paseo de la gracia de Dios was not a success, and lasted only a few months.

Trivia

References

  1. "Telenovela / Por estas calles". pongalo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 Jones, Bart (2008), Hugo! The Hugo Chavez Story from Mud Hut to Perpetual Revolution, London: The Bodley Head, p183
  3. Jones (2008:184)
  4. Los 100 mejores programas de la TV (Spanish). RollingStone.com.ar. Retrieved on January 4, 2016.
  5. Cabello, Danny. "El adiós al “Doctor Valerio” de “Por Estas Calles”". notitarde.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2017.
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